Amergin

Salut, mes amies. I have to write an allegory in the style of Orwell's Animal Farm and based on a historical event. I chose King Leonidas' last stand at Thermopylae. The first step, before we actually begin writing the allegory itself, is to write a timeline of the actual events. That's where this thread comes in. I'm having some difficulty finding a relatively extensive and reliable chronology of the events leading up to Thermopylae. Some of events afterwards might be nice, as well.

Any help here I can get would be much appreciated.

Vir0n

What is your starting point? Are you including events surrounding the Greco-Persian Wars generally or are you limiting your allegory to the Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae specifically?

Just based on your choice of topic I don't think you have to worry too much about your grade. High school right? My knowledge of Greece and Persia when I was in high school was limited to a keen appreciation of Baklava, particularly when covered in chocolate. Unfortunately, I didn't date much on account of my huge ass. :butthead:

Amergin

As I said, I'm looking for events that can be connected to Thermopylae. What lead up to the battle, what happened afterwards, etc.

Vir0n

Pretty much every chronology you find will be based on Herodotus' The Histories which is in the public domain and available free at multiple sites on the internet. The full text gives a very detailed chronology, but isn't the quickest read in the world. Here is a concise overview:

546 BC Persian King Cyrus the Great captures Sardis, conquering the Lydian Kingdom ruled by King Croesus and establishing rule over Ionian Greek cities
499 BC Ionian Greeks rebel against Persians
498 BC Ionian Greeks, aided by Athenians, sack Sardis
494 BC Ionian revolt ends with Greek defeat at Battle of Lade
490 BC Darius sends a force against Athens and is defeated at Marathon
481 BC Hellenic league is formed, allying Athens, Sparta, and other Greek states
480 BC Xerxes I mounts a massive expedition against Greece
- Persian army crosses the Hellespont over two bridges of boats over a period of 1 week
- Persian army marches unopposed from Hellespont to Therme where they meet the Persian naval fleet over a period of 3 ½ months
- Persian army advances toward pass of Thermopylae and navy sails toward Artemisium
- Greek Army of about 5-7,000 led by 300 Spartans under King Leonidas assembles to defend Thermopylae pass
- Persians begin assault through pass and wave after wave of advances are repelled over a two day period
- On third day of fighting, a local shepherd leads Persians around a second pass allowing the Persians to flank the Greeks
- All Greek forces except Spartans, Thebans, and Thespians retreat
- Spartans and Thespians are all killed in a last stand (many Thebans surrender)
- The body of King Leonidas is beheaded and crucified
- Naval Battle of Artemisium is a draw and Athenian navy retreats
- Greeks defeat Persians at the naval Battle of Salamis
479 BC Demoralized, Xerxes begins retreat
- Remaining Persian army defeated in the Battle of Plataea by Greek army led by the Spartans

Amergin

Wicked, thanks.

Nikd

Good job