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Aristodemus of Sparta

Aristodemus of Sparta (died 479 BC) was a Spartan warrior who was one of the only two survivors of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC.

Biography[]

Aristodemus, also known as Dilios, was one of King Leonidas I's 300 Spartan warriors who stood with him at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. He was known to be a great storyteller and narrator, and Leonidas sent him home to Sparta after he lost an eye in battle. He was instructed to tell the story of the Spartans' bravery at Thermopylae, inspiring Sparta and then the rest of Greece to resist the Persian invasion. Aristodemus sought to redeem his absence from the battle by fighting at the Battle of Plataea, during which he charged berserker-like from the Spartan phalanx and against the Persians, fighting with suicidal recklessness until he was slain. Herodotus wrote that he was the bravest Spartan at the battle.

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