Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Leonidas I (/ l i ə ˈ n aɪ d ə s,-d æ s /; Ancient Greek: Λεωνίδας, Leōnídas; born c. 540 BC; died 11 August 480 BC) was king of the Ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. He was the son of king Anaxandridas II and the 17th king of the Agiad dynasty, a Spartan royal house which claimed descent from the mythical demigod Heracles.
Leonidas is a sculpture of a hoplite made of Parian marble in 480–470 BC [1]: 263 and unearthed in 1925. [1] The excavation team named it "Leonidas", deducing that it depicts the Spartan king Leonidas I. [1]: 266 It was found southwest of peribolos of the Athena Chalkioikos on the Acropolis of Sparta.
Leonidas at Thermopylae is an oil-on-canvas painting by French artist Jacques-Louis David.The work currently hangs in the Louvre in Paris, France.David completed the massive work (3.95 m × 5.31 m) 15 years after he began, working on it from 1799 to 1803 and again in 1813–1814. [1]
For most of its history, the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta in the Peloponnese was ruled by kings. Sparta was unusual among the Greek city-states in that it maintained its kingship past the Archaic age. It was even more unusual in that it had two kings simultaneously, who were called the archagetai, [1] [n 1] coming from two separate lines.
A bust believed to depict King Leonidas I, Gorgo's husband. After Cleomenes's death in 489 BC, Gorgo was left as his sole heiress. By 490, she was apparently already married to her half-uncle Leonidas I. [11] Despite being the daughter and wife of Spartan kings, Gorgo herself could not be considered a queen, as royal women in Sparta did not typically hold a special role in society.
A full 40 years after the battle, Leonidas' bones were returned to Sparta, where he was buried again with full honours; funeral games were held every year in his memory. [ 116 ] [ 123 ] With Thermopylae now opened to the Persian army, the continuation of the blockade at Artemisium by the Greek fleet became irrelevant.
Dilios concludes his tale before the Spartan Council. Inspired by Leonidas's sacrifice, the Greeks mobilize an army, with Sparta leading the charge. Dilios, now head of the Spartan-led Greek army, gives a rousing emotional speech in tribute to King Leonidas and the 300 who sacrificed their lives a year prior.
The hypothetical founder of the dynasty was Agis I, possibly the first king of Sparta at the end of the 10th century BC, who subsequently gave his name to the dynasty. The two lines, who maintained an enduring rivalry, were, according to tradition, respectively descended from the twins Eurysthenes and Procles , both descendants of Heracles .