Want to see the prowess of a 13-year old? My 8th grader, Amith, put together this presentation (He did 90% of the work) for the GATE student-to-student conference held at UCSC on Saturday, May 21, 2011.

1. This Is Sparta!The Battle of Thermopylae By Amith Lukkoor 7th Grade, Rolling Hills Middle School, Los Gatos GATE Student-to-Student Conference Saturday May 21, 2011 UCSC

2. The Origins of the Phrase“This is Sparta!” The Movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkWS9PiXekE In 300, a Persian messenger comes to the Spartans right before battle. The messenger demands that Sparta surrenders. King Leonidas and his guards yell, “This Is Sparta!” and kick the messenger into the “Pit of Death.”

3. What Happened For Real? A Persian emissary demanded that Leonidas lay down his weapons; Leonidas made a now-famous response: “Come and get them”.

4. Ancient Greece was divided into city-states. Some city-states were Sparta, Athens, and Thebes. Greece Greece

5. Sparta Sparta was a prominent Greek city-state. 500 B.C. Sparta was dominant in military power.

6. INDIA Persian Empire

7. Greco-Persian Wars Emissaries were sent by the Persian Empire to all the Greek city-states and asked for a gift of “food and water.” The Spartans threw the messengers into a well and a pit and told the messengers to obtain their “earth and water” from there. This started the Greco-Persian wars. Lasted 20 years – from 499 to 479 BC.

8. KING DARIUS I The First Persian Invasion of Greece 490 BC Darius I was king of the Persian Empire

9. The First Persian Invasion of Greece Darius’ army invaded Greece through the Plain of Marathon Sparta did not participate

10. The First Persian Invasion of Greece Athenians defeated Darius’ army in the Battle of Marathon.

11. KING XERXES The Second Persian Invasion of Greece Darius died in 486 BC, and his son Xerxes ascended the throne.

12. The Second Persian Invasion of Greece Xerxes started a full scale invasion of Greece.

13. Thermopylae and Artemisium The Greek city-states formed an alliance. Command of the army was given to Sparta. Command of the navy was given to Athens. The Athenian politician Themistocles suggested that Greek forces block Xerxes’ army at Thermopylae.

14. Why Thermopylae and Artemisium? Thermopylae is a narrow pass. The Greeks would easily be able to block it. The major weak point for the Greeks was a mountain track that could allow the Persians to outflank the Greeks. Troops were positioned there to block the route.

15. KING LEONIDAS GREEK WARRIOR The Battle of ThermopylaeGreek Forces The Greek army was led by the Spartan King Leonidas. There were about 7,000 Greeks blocking the pass.

16. PERSIAN WARRIORS KING XERXES I The Battle of ThermopylaePersian Forces The number of troops in Xerxes’ army is disputed, but modern scholars estimate in the range 70,000 to 300,000.

17. The Battle of ThermopylaeDay One Xerxes attacked the Greeks. The Greeks fought at the narrowest part of the pass. Many of Xerxes’ men were killed, and the Persian army was unable to make headway against the Greeks.

18. The Battle of ThermopylaeDay Two Xerxes attacked the Greeks once more. He fared no better than he had on the first. A Greek traitor named Ephialtes told Xerxes about the mountain track around Thermopylae and offered to guide Xerxes’ army.

19. The Battle of ThermopylaeDay Three Leonidas learned from a runner that the path had not been held, so he called a war council. Most of the army retreated, and only about 3,000 men remained. The remaining soldiers either surrendered or were killed. The Persians go through the pass, but had up to 20,000 fatalities.

20. The Aftermath Later, the Greeks won a victory at the Battle of Plataea, and destroyed much of the Persian army. The Greeks also defeated the Persian fleet at the Battle of Mycale. This ended the invasion of Greece.

21. The Significance The Battle of Thermopylae is famous because of the heroism of the forces that remained to fight when they knew they were doomed.

22. Thank You!

23. Questions?