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The battle took place in 480 BC during the second Persian campaign against the Greek mainland. The Persian Great King Xerxes I led an army into Greece after his father, Darius I (Dareios I), had already attempted to subjugate several Greek city-states. These were politically independent and often divided among themselves. In the face of the Persian advance, however, numerous poleis joined forces in a defensive alliance, led primarily by Sparta and Athens.

At that time, Thermopylae (Thermopylen) was a narrow passage between the mountains and the Gulf of Malia. Because of the limited space, the Persians could use their numerical superiority there only to a limited extent. The Greek force was led by the Spartan king Leonidas. It included not only the famous 300 Spartiates, but initially several thousand fighters from various cities. The participation of the Thespians and Thebans in particular is mentioned in ancient accounts.

After several attacks, Persian troops reached the rear of the defenders via a mountain path. A Greek named Ephialtes had shown them the way. Leonidas then dismissed a large part of the army. He himself remained behind with the Spartans and contingents from Thespiae (Thespiai) and Thebes (Theben), and fell in the subsequent fighting.

At the same time, Greek and Persian fleets fought at Cape Artemisium (Kap Artemision). After breaking through at Thermopylae (Thermopylen), the Persians were able to advance farther into Central Greece and occupy the evacuated Athens. The campaign was later decided by the Greek naval victory at Salamis and the victory at Plataea (Plataiai) the following year.

The memory of Thermopylae (Thermopylen) is based primarily on the historical work of Herodotus (Herodot) and on ancient epitaphs. The epigram attributed to Simonides became particularly well known; it calls on passers-by to report to the Spartans the dutiful death of their fighters. In Greek cultural memory, the episode therefore represents the fulfillment of military duty, self-sacrifice, and the joint resistance of previously competing city-states. The round anniversary gave Greece an occasion to take up this ancient tradition, which remains politically and culturally influential to this day.