Battle of Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. The Spartans who led the defense were all killed, and they may have known in advance that they would be, but their courage provided inspiration to the Greeks. Although the Spartans were killed at Thermopylae, they held the line long enough for others to escape and the following year the Greeks did win battles they fought against the Persians.

Relevance in the Halo universe
The SPARTAN-IIs were taught about the battle on their first day of training by the AI Déjà. Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 also references the battle many times during his service, such as when he compares the Massacre at Eridanus Secundus to the Battle of Thermopylae in response to Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb's comparison of it to the Battle of the Alamo.

The was also named after the battle.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach
 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo: Initiation