Leonidas
Thermopylae's defending monarch
Leonidas is a Greek name meaning "son of the lion." The most famous bearer was the Spartan king who led three hundred warriors against the Persian army at Thermopylae in 480 BCE, dying in a legendary last stand.
The name evokes martial valor and defiance against overwhelming odds: He fancied himself a Leonidas, holding the line alone.
Ancient Greek warrior state
- hopliteAncient Greek heavy infantry
- phalanxMassed infantry formation
- LacedaemonAncient Greek city-state
- agogeGreek training regimen
helot · Laconia · krypteia · Peloponnese · Herodotus · Plutarch
Massed infantry formation
- hopliteAncient Greek heavy infantry
- shieldHandheld defensive armor
- spearPole with sharp point
- helmetProtective head covering
armor · dory · bronze · infantry · tactics · formation · battle · combat
Courage in danger
- courageFortitude facing danger
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
- gloryExalted honor and praise
martyrdom · steadfast · resolute · fearless · undaunted · dauntless · fortitude · gallantry
Sparta
Ancient Greek warrior state
- hopliteAncient Greek heavy infantry
- phalanxMassed infantry formation
- LacedaemonAncient Greek city-state
agoge · helot · Laconia · krypteia · Peloponnese · Herodotus · Plutarch
phalanx
Massed infantry formation
helmet · armor · dory · bronze · infantry · tactics · formation · battle · combat · flanking
valor
Courage in danger
- courageFortitude facing danger
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- defianceOpen resistance to authority
glory · martyrdom · steadfast · resolute · fearless · undaunted · dauntless · fortitude · gallantry · nobility
Xerxes
Achaemenid king of kings
Greeks · shield-wall · defiance · rearguard · sacrifice · alliance · Hellenic · betrayal · encirclement · Simonides
dynasty
Successive family rulers
- reignSovereign's time in power
- successionFollowing in order
- throneCeremonial chair for sovereigns
sovereign · royal · lineage · heir · legitimacy · council · command · authority · rule
- Ancient GreeksSocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Pericles
- Persian WarsXerxes, Darius, Artemisia
- Spartan LeadersLysander
- Warrior KingsAlexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Richard the Lionheart, William the Conqueror, Cyrus the Great
- ancient GreeceAthens, Sparta, Zeus, Parthenon, Acropolis
- Ancient Greek warfareAchilles, Hector, Ajax, Odysseus, Agamemnon
Leonidascoward
Person lacking bravery
deserter · Alexander the Great · conqueror · pacifist · Julius Caesar