Demophilus (died 480 BC) was a general of Thespiae and the son of Diadromes. He led a contingent of about 600 Thespians at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. Events King Xerxes I of Persia sets out to conquer Greece. ... Thespiae was an ancient Greek city in Boeotia. ... Thespiae was an ancient Greek city in Boeotia. ... Combatants Greek city-states Persia Commanders Leonidas I of Sparta † Xerxes I of Persia Strength 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 6000 more Greek allies 2 Modern estimates range from 200,000 to 500,0001 Casualties Spartans and Thespians dead to the last man; nearly 1,500 Greeks in total Modern estimates... Events King Xerxes I of Persia sets out to conquer Greece. ...

On August 11, Leonidas, the Spartan king and commander of the Greek army at Thermopylae, realized that further fighting would be futile, so he dismissed all but the 300 Spartans. However, a contingent of about 600 Thespians, led by Demophilus, refused to leave with the other Greeks. Instead, they chose to stay in the suicidal effort to delay the advance. August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Leonidas can refer to: Leonidas I, king of Sparta, ruled c. ... Spartan may refer to: Spartan, an inhabitant of Sparta, a city in ancient (and modern) Greece Spartan, the supposed qualities of those inhabitants: ascetic, simple, and self-disciplined Spartan, a 2004 movie by David Mamet The Spartan II class of supersoldiers in the Halo video games, named for the Spartans... Thermopylae - thurMAH-puh-ly, thuhr-MOP-uh-lee (Ancient & Katharevousa Greek Θερμοπύλαι, Demotic Θερμοπύλες) is a mountain pass in Greece. ... Thespiae was an ancient Greek city in Boeotia. ...

The Spartans, brave as their sacrifice indubitably was, were professional soldiers, trained from birth to be ready to give their lives in combat. Conversely, the Thespians were citizen-soldiers (Demophilus, for example, made his living as an architect) who, in true Greek fashion, voted to add whatever they could to the fight, rather than allow the Spartans to be annihilated alone. They fought alongside the Lacedaimonians and, like them, died to a man. Though their bravery is often overlooked by history, it was most certainly not overlooked by the Spartans, who are said to have exchanged cloaks with the Thespians and promised to be allies for eternity.

Demophilus and the Battle of Thermopylae were described in The Histories of Herodotus. Combatants Greek city-states Persia Commanders Leonidas I of Sparta † Xerxes I of Persia Strength 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 6000 more Greek allies 2 Modern estimates range from 200,000 to 500,0001 Casualties Spartans and Thespians dead to the last man; nearly 1,500 Greeks in total Modern estimates... The Histories of Herodotus by Herodotus is considered the first work of history in Western literature. ...

See also

• Greco-Persian Wars