Greece 2020: 2 € 2500 years since The Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas I of Sparta, and the Achaemenid Empire of Xerxes I over three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place simultaneously with the naval battle at Artemisium, in August or September 480 BC, at the narrow coastal pass of Thermopylae ("The Hot Gates"). The Persian invasion was a delayed response to the defeat of the first Persian invasion of Greece, which had been ended by the Athenian victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. By 480 BC Xerxes had amassed a massive army and navy and set out to conquer all of Greece. The Athenian politician and general Themistocles had proposed that the allied Greeks block the advance of the Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae, and simultaneously block the Persian navy at the Straits of Artemisium. mintage: 750.000 pcs. Please note that 300.000 pieces will circulate since 31/03/2020 • • • • • #greece #battleofthermopylae #KingLeonidas #Sparta #XerxesI #bankofgreece #Persianinvasion #2eurocommemorative #greekcoin #numismatic #eurocoin @numismatica.castaldi https://www.instagram.com/p/B9_hU9nneI6/?igshid=cof2mhdij4a5