THE DATING OF THERMOPYLAE & ITS TOPOGRAPHY

Appearance of Thermopylae, past and present

Any account of the Battle of Thermopylae must make mention of the pass which according to Herodotus was approximately 50 feet wide in 480 B.C.  Strategically speaking, the width of the pass was of paramount importance since it negated the strength of the Persian army which has been conservatively numbered on average at 200,000 warriors. 

While Herodotus wrote that the Persian army consisted of 1.7 million warriors, academics have reduced this number to a much more realistic figure, however, it still should be emphasized that these forces still overwhelmingly outnumbered the Greek garrison of 7,000 hoplites led by King Leonidas and his 300 Spartiates.

It is difficult to envision how the pass looked approximately 2,500 years ago since the coastline has receded several miles due to the alluvial deposits.  Therefore, for comparative purposes, a reconstruction (courtesy of the Perseus Project) of how Thermopylae may have appeared at the time of the battle is included next to an image of the status quo.

As can be seen from viewing the two images above, the battlefield of Thermopylae would have extended from the mountains as they appear on the left to the modern road which can be viewed in the second photo.