the invaders; wherefore a force of ten thousand hoplites was sent to their assistance, under the command of the Spartan Euænetus and the Athenian Themistokles, which in conjunction with the Thessalian cavalry took up a position in the vale of Tempe, between the ranges of Olympus and Ossa, the only available pass leading from Macedonia into Thessaly. But, having observed that the fleet of Xerxes could easily disembark an army in their rear, and at the same time learning that there was another pass farther to the west, leading through the craggy range of Olympus, they abandoned Tempe as an untenable position. The hoplites returned to the isthmus; and the Thessalians, unable to defend themselves alone, recognized the authority of Xerxes, to whom they proved of great service in the course of the war.

By the time the great king had reached Macedonia, the heralds whom he had sent to Greece returned to meet him, bringing earth and water from all the states on the north of Kitharon except Thespia and Platea. Notwithstanding this defection, the states that still remained steadfast did not lose courage. It was at once decided that another stand should be made against the invaders, both by land and by sea, the pass of Thermopyla and the straits of Artemisium being selected as the most suitable points of defense. The latter (so named from a temple of Artemis that crowned the northernmost headland of Euboea) was at the northern entrance of the long and narrow channel called the Euripus, flowing between that island and the mainland. Through this channel lay the nearest and safest route by sea from the Macedonian coast to Attica.

Thermopyla, or the "Hot Gates" (so called from certain warm springs at or near the spot), was the name given to the narrow entrance from Thessaly into Lokris, the only road by which an invading army could conveniently penetrate into southern Greece. It consisted of two passes about half a mile apart, with a wider space intervening, and was formed

by the precipitous approach of Mount Eta to the impassable morasses that lined the Ægean coast. At both passes the space between the rugged slope of Mount Eta and the edge of the morass was so narrow as barely to leave room for a single wagon-track; and across the pass on the Thessalian side were the remnants of a wall that had in former times been constructed by the Phokians for the purpose of defending themselves against their aggressive Thessalian neighbors.* This wall the Greeks at once set about repairing, with a view to making a desperate stand at Thermopyla, which was a much more defensible position than Tempe, since the presence of the Grecian fleet at the straits of Artemisium would effectually prevent the Persians from landing a force in the rear of the defenders.

CHAPTER V.

THERMOPYLE AND ARTEMISIUM.

The Hellenic Forces.

It was now about the end of June, and Xerxes in his progress through Macedonia had reached the head of the Thermaic Gulf, where stands the modern city of Salonica. The allied fleet, under command of the Spartan admiral Eurybiades, proceeded to Artemisium; while King Leonidas, the younger brother and successor of the late Kleomenes, led to Thermopylæ a small force, which, far from representing the full strength of the allied Grecian states, seems sur

* The physical features of Thermopylæ are at the present day very different from what they were in the time of Xerxes, by reason of the change in the coast-line, caused by the accumulation of soil brought down by the Spercheius and other adjacent rivers.

prisingly meager. It consisted of 300 Spartans, 500 hoplites from Tegea, 500 from Mantineia, 120 from the Arkadian Orchomenus, 1,000 from other cities of Arkadia, 400 Corinthians, 200 Phliasians, and 80 Mykenæans. Such was the slender array with which Leonidas left the Peloponnesus to oppose the enormous host of Xerxes. But as he marched through Boeotia, Phokis, and Lokris, he was joined by 1,000 Phokians, 700 Thespians, 500 Thebans, and the entire available force of the Opuntian Lokrians. The two last-mentioned states had already offered earth and water to the heralds of Xerxes; but, partly encouraged and partly overawed by the approach of Leonidas, they contributed their contingent to the defending army, now amounting to about 6,000 hoplites, and a somewhat larger number of lightarmed soldiers, if we assume each hoplite to have been accompanied by one attendant, and each Spartan by several, as was the prevailing custom. In considering the component parts of this little army, we can not but wonder at the smallness of the Spartan contingent. But it must be remembered that this was merely an advanced guard, and that after the close of the Olympian and Karneian festivals, both of which were nigh at hand, the entire Spartan force expected to hasten to the scene of action.

A council

Arriving at Thermopyle, the Greeks took up their position in the pass, but learned that there was a footpath leading across the mountains through a craggy ravine, a short distance to the southwest of Thermopyla, by means of which the enemy might throw a force into their rear. of war was held, in which the Peloponnesian commanders expressed themselves in favor of falling back to the isthmus of Corinth; but when Leonidas saw with what indignation the Phokians and Lokrians opposed this proposition, he decided to remain, and took the precaution of posting the Phokian troops at a favorable spot near the summit of the mountain-ridge, for the purpose of guarding the pathway.

At the same time he sent back messengers to the various Grecian cities, with earnest appeals for reënforcements.

The naval force that had assembled at the straits of Artemisium consisted of 271 triremes, of which 147 were from Athens, manned by Athenians, Chalkidians, and Plateans, 40 from Corinth, 20 from Megara, 18 from Ægina, and 12 from Sikyon; while the Lacedæmonians furnished 10, the Epidaurians 8, the Eretrians 7, the Træzenians 5, the Styreans of Euboea 2, and the little island of Keos 2. Besides these, there were nine penteconters, or vessels of fifty oars each, furnished in part by the Keans and in part by the Opuntian Lokrians. The crew of this fleet comprised about 60,000 men, of whom 25,000 were Athenians. Themistokles commanded the Athenian and Adeimantus the Corinthian contingent, but the supreme command was vested in the Spartan Eurybiades, on account of the persistent refusal of the allies to serve under an Athenian admiral.

Preliminary Movements.

Shortly after their arrival at Artemisium, three ships were sent forward to watch the movements of the Persian fleet as it came working its way southward along the Thessalian coast. The Persians also had sent in advance ten of their swiftest vessels, to observe the position of the Greeks; and these two detachments unexpectedly hove in sight of each other near the island of Skiathus. The Grecian commanders, thinking that the whole Persian fleet was close upon them, put their vessels about and attempted to escape, the Persians giving chase. One of the Grecian ships, an Athenian, ran ashore near the mouth of the river Peneius, and was destroyed, the crew escaping by land. The other two, an Æginetan and a Trozenian, were captured by the enemy after a desperate resistance.

That night the Grecian scouts that had been stationed on the heights of Skiathus endeavored, by means of fire-signals,

to convey the intelligence of what had taken place to their countrymen at Artemisium; the effect of which was to throw the Grecian commanders into such a panic, that they withdrew with their fleet farther into the Euripus, and halted opposite Chalkis, where the channel was much narrower and therefore more defensible. By this movement, however, they left the way open to the Persians for disembarking an army in the rear of the defenders of Thermopylæ. This position would therefore have become untenable had not a terrible hurricane overtaken the Persian fleet off the craggy coast of Magnesia. The storm lasted three days, causing the destruction of four hundred war-vessels, and a much greater number of transport-ships. The Greeks at Chalkis, informed of this disaster by their lookouts on the mountains of Euboea, immediately recovered courage and returned to Artemisium. Immediately after their arrival there, fifteen Persian vessels, which had strayed from the rest, mistaking the Grecian fleet for a portion of their own, unsuspectingly approached and were captured.

The Battle of Thermopyla.

Meanwhile Xerxes had pitched his camp not far from Thermopyla, and remained there four whole days without taking any measures to dislodge the defenders from their position. His intense anxiety in regard to the fate of his fleet was doubtless the cause of this inaction. So soon as he was assured that the greater number of his vessels had escaped the hurricane, he began the assault by sending forward a large detachment of Medes, with orders to take the Greeks alive and bring them into his presence. They bravely advanced to the attack, but soon found themselves overmatched in a hand-to-hand fight, their short spears, wicker shields, and light tunics proving of little avail against the long pikes and heavy defensive armor of the hoplites. Nevertheless, they fought valiantly and fell in great numbers,