Episode 21: The Hot Gates

Thermo = Hot. Pylae = Gates. In today's episode, we'll get into the tactical blood-and-guts scenario of the battle of Thermopylae ... three days of "hell in a very small place."

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[eliaskrdas]

Gates of fire and tides of war was amazing books ! thank you Mr.pressfield

[frankgugino]

Steven,
Thanks for reminding us of the often-overlooked 700 Thespians who joined the Spartans as heroes of Thermopylae, a story that continues to resonate with warriors everywhere as well as all lovers of history. Self-sacrifice is a virtue that still inspires people to commit to a cause greater than themselves.

[AIDEN_JACKSON]

The times where you had a great leader to look up to to the point where your men are willing to die beside you and other allies rarely see that in todays world

[ellenmariemccurdy]

I never get tired of hearing you talk about the Battle of Thermopylae. So many aspects and twists, so much intrigue and drama - the brave stand of the Spartans is something we must never forget if we value at all the legacy that they protected from destruction. The men of Thespiae don't usually get mentioned in this story, and their courage is as much Spartan as any. Love this series.

[shaun_]

I highly recommend the book The Gates of Fire. Phenomenal read on this very battle. Spartans are the epitome of honor and bravery .

[Seriouslyfunny]

It's so amazing how ancient armies used geography to their advantage. Just like Spartans used the narrow passes of Thermopylae to counter a larger army, a similar battle happened in mediaeval India in the narrow valleys of Haldighati, where a small army of Mewari warriors stood to take on a much larger Mughal army consisting of guns and cannons, other than cavalry, elephants and infantry.

[armeetindergill]

This is goosebumpy stuff. Rekindles my memory of reading The Gates of Fire. Spartan valour is just tremendously inspirational.

[ModernMensHealth]

When the Roman Empire conquered Greece, they left Sparta alone because they were so impressed by this battle and the Spartan training. Fun fact

[slisyd]

Finally someone who has said it the Greeks saved civilisation. We would not be here today if it was not for them literally.

[DemetriosLevi]

That raven cawing at the mention of the 'nightmare' Ephialtes, is perfect. Brilliant summary of one of the greatest military feats in history!

[filippoilpoeta]

I was there in 2018 too!! Thank You so Much for your video, so inspiring!!! The West owes everything we hold dear to GREECE....

[nh--]

Gates of fire 🔥 excellent book! (And Tides of War)

[wmcguire]

Thank you for writing this book. I order this book on hardcover once a year and gift it to a young man to read. I work at a college and especially young, need to know what leadership, love for one brother and comradery truly is. We thank you sir for this book.

[kymomusic]

Its like the energy of the spartans is coming back across the Earth..everyone is talking about Spartans and King Leonidus

[stevenkoehler]

Awesome book. I literally FELt this book coming to me a number of months before I read it.

[westower]

The matching Battle of Artemisium at see had its flank turned when the Persia fleet rounded Euboea, so the Spartan's position had already had their sea flank since the Athenians could not hold on the sea flank.

[davidprosser]

I read the book a few years ago. Such a good read.

[elifootballk]

I was listening to this after eating edibles, always been fascinated with the battle of Thermopylae and especially the movie “300” and after listening to this I felt emotional because their courage to sacrifice their lives for the better of Greece and the western world motivates me to go as far as beyond in life, I’ll never forget this video nor the experience I had that night.

[bigpuppy]

The moral of the story is - we always need good soldiers.

[carlwoods]

Brilliant book. One of my favourites. Gates of Fire is awe inspiring However archery and the unleashing of arrows is wrongly described in the books as "fire". It was actually "loose" Fire was not used as a term untill and after the development use of gunpowder and cannon or firearms.