. A smaller history of Greece, from the earliest times to the Roman conquest. rn into southernGreece. This pass lies between Mount CEta and the sea. It isabout a mile in length. At each of its extremities the mountainsapproach so near the sea as to leave barely room for the passage ofa single carriage. The northern, or, to speak more properly, thewestern Gate, was close to the town of Anthela, where the Am-phictyonic council held its autumnal meetings ; while the southern,or the eastern Gate, was near the Locrian town of Alpeni. These 480. THE PASS OF THERMOPYLAE. 59 narrow entrances were
. A smaller history of Greece, from the earliest times to the Roman conquest. rn into southernGreece. This pass lies between Mount CEta and the sea. It isabout a mile in length. At each of its extremities the mountainsapproach so near the sea as to leave barely room for the passage ofa single carriage. The northern, or, to speak more properly, thewestern Gate, was close to the town of Anthela, where the Am-phictyonic council held its autumnal meetings ; while the southern,or the eastern Gate, was near the Locrian town of Alpeni. These 480. THE PASS OF THERMOPYLAE. 59 narrow entrances were called Pylse, or the Gates. The spacebetween the gates was wider and more open, and was distinguishedby its hot springs, from which the pass derived the name of Ther-mopylae, or the Hot-Gates. The island of Euboea is here sepa-rated from the mainland by a narrow strait, which in one part isonly two miles and a half in breadth ; and accordingly it is easy,by defending this part of the sea with a fleet, to prevent an enemyfrom landing troops at the southern end of the Plan of Thermopylae. The Grecian fleet, under the command of the Spartan Eury-biades, took up its station off that portion of the northern coast ofEuboea which faces Magnesia and the entrance to the Thessaliangulf, and which was called Artemisium, from a neighbouringtemple of Artemis (Diana). It was, however, only a small land-force that was sent to the defence of Thermopylae. When thearrival of Xerxes at Therma became known, the Greeks were uponthe point of celebrating the Olympic games, and the festival of theCarnean Apollo, which was observed with great solemnity atSparta and in other Doric states. The Peloponnesians thereforesent forward only 300 Spartans and 3000 hoplites from other Pelo-ponnesian states, under the command of the Spartan king Leonidas,a force which they thought would be sufficient to maintain thepass till the festivals were over. In his march northwards Leonidasreceived additions from t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookidsmallerhisto, bookyear1864
