Leonidas the Spartan King – bronze size 1

Bronze bust of Leonidas with helmet of Attic type. It was found in the temple of Athena Chalkioikos at the Acropolis of Sparta. It preserves the upper part of the body but hands are missing.

Leonidas made his stand at Thermopylae, a slim ribbon of land in Thessaly, Greece, against the mighty army of the Persians in 480 B.C., along with 300 brave Spartans. When betrayed by an avaricious farmer he chose death over retreat. He and his 300 countrymen battled through the morning; when their weapons were gone, they fought with fists and feet until every last man had fallen, but they had held the enemy long enough to ensure the safe withdrawal of the rest of the Greek army. (find out more about Leonidas…)

Dated to the second quarter of the 5th century B. C.

Archaeological Museum of Sparta, Greece.