Location: Sparti, Greece
Address: Triakosion 77
Date: Aug 2015
Website: visitpeloponnese.com
"Put down your weapons" the Spartans were told. "Come and get them!" was the reply.
Leonidas was king of the city-state of Sparta. The Spartans were known for never backing down in a battle. Leonidas was famously killed in the Battle of Thermopylae against the Persians in 480 BC. In 1955 a monument was created in Thermopylae to commemorate the battle and Leonidas.
The monument includes a sculpture of Taygetos representing the highest mountain in the Peloponese.
The monument also includes a sculpture of Evrotas representing the river which flows through all of Laconia.
In the centre of the monument stands Leonidas ready for battle. Most people may only know Leonidas from the 2006 movie simply called 300. In this movie based on a Frank Miller comic, Gerard Butler plays the Spartan King.
Another statue is of the god, Eros. It represents the 700 Thespians who fought alongside the Spartan warriors.
About 400 km south of Thermopylae is the town of Sparti. As one enters the town from the south, you will find this giant Spartan helmet in the middle of a roundabout.
At the top of the street to the north stands another Leonidas Statue. This one was erected in 1969 and differs slightly from the Thermopylae statue.
Both statues feature the Spartan helmet and shield.
The Leonidas in Sparti is a little more modest and carries a sword. The Leonidas in Thermopylae holds a spear and was originally planned to stand in Sparti. It was his nakedness that caused the town to refuse the first statue.
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Leonidas Statue (Sparta), ThermopylaePost # 340