Jacques-Louis David: Leonidas at Thermopylae
Leonidas at Thermopylae, oil on canvas by Jacques-Louis David, 1814; in the Louvre, Paris. 3.95 × 5.31 meters.
Leonidas
king of Sparta
Leonidas (died 480 bc, Thermopylae, Locris [Greece]) was a Spartan king whose stand against the invading Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece is one of the enduring tales of Greek heroism, invoked throughout Western history as the epitome of bravery exhibited against overwhelming odds. A member of the Agiad house, Leonidas succeeded his half brother, Cleomenes I, as king, probably in 490. He was married to Cleomenes’ daughter, Gorgo, and may...
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