Leonidas

died 480 bc, king of Sparta (?490--480), hero of the Battle of Thermopylae, in which he was killed by the Persians under Xerxes

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Leonidas

Born 508 or 507 B.C. in Sparta; died 480 B.C. at Thermopylae. King of Sparta from 488 to 480 B.C. (ancient Greece).

In the period of the Greco-Persian wars, Leonidas headed the allied force of the Greek poleis against the Persian king Xerxes in 480, when the Persians invaded Greece. He died in the Battle of Thermopylae, covering with a small detachment the retreat of the main part of the Greek Army. In ancient tradition the name of Leonidas is a symbol of patriotism and military valor.

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References in periodicals archive

Even as he tries to make the argument that Leonidas is engaging in an illegal war that will destroy Sparta, you just know there's going to be a scene in which he encounters the beautiful queen in a dark corner and places his filthy hands on her.

Film review : 300

"This team, Leonidas is a semi-professional outfit from Rotterdam.

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Leonidas is a somewhat enigmatic hero, the core of what Hignett calls the `Final Problem' at Thermopylae, expressed by How and Wells as, `What was the purpose of Leonidas in clinging to his position ...

A little of Leonidas. (Letters)

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