Three hundred Spartans held a mountain pass so well, 2 million Persians barely remember winning.
means A mountain gorge in Greece where King Leonidas and 300 Spartan warriors made a legendary last stand against the vastly larger Persian army of Xerxes, buying time for other Greek city-states to organize their defense.
from Thermopylae—literally 'hot gates' from the sulfurous springs nearby—became the chokepoint where Greek hoplites could neutralize Persia's numerical advantage. The pass funneled Xerxes's massive invasion force into single combat width. When a traitor revealed a mountain path around the position, Leonidas dismissed most troops and stayed to die, turning defeat into immortality.
leonidas i — Spartan king who died fighting, became symbol of hopeless noble defiance
battle of salamis — Greek naval victory 480 BCE that crushed Persia's invasion—enabled by Thermopylae delay
ephialtes of trachis — The informant whose betrayal let Persians encircle Greeks through mountain pass