The pass at Thermopylae. Here, in 480 BC, a small contingent of Spartan hoplites under the command of King Leonidas held back the emperor Xerxes and his Persian hordes for three days before being overrun. Unified Greek forces went on to defeat the Persians a year later, ending the threat to the West. (Click to enlarge - photo courtesy of Alejandro de Espartano. Use allowed under the terms of CC 3.0 Unported).
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