Leonidas

Mary K

Statue of Leonidas in the snow at Thermopylae, Greece, February, 2008

Μολóν λαβέ (mo-LON la-VE) "come and get them" was reportedly the defiant response of Leonidas of Sparta to Xerxes of Persia at the onset of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC). Xerxes, whose forces vastly outnumbered the Spartans and their allies, offered to spare the lives of Leonidas and his few thousand warriors if they would only surrender and lay down their weapons.

Instead, the Spartans held Thermopylae for three days and, although they were ultimately annihilated, they inflicted serious damage upon the Persian army, and most importantly delayed its progress to Athens, providing sufficient time for the city's evacuation to Salamis Island.

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