How did the Battle of Thermopylae reveal the Spartan military code of honour?
Short version: Thermopylae revealed that the Spartans were brave and prideful in themselves personally and in Sparta. It also immortalized them in later belief as the ultimate warriors who had immense honor and bravery. Long version: Thermopylae was really about their city’s pride, more than honor, and I’ll explain because pride is self-centered while honor is universal. The Spartans always refused to join an alliance or army they did not lead and while they were highly disciplined and brave, they were not stupid. There are many times they retreated and a few cases where they surrendered (It was more common to die or run away in ancient Greek warfare, than to be captured). This was the Spartan code of pride/honor: There is no record or belief of any code of chivalry among the Spartans except that one protects his fellow Spartan in combat, is never afraid to fight when needed, and will fight to the death unless the battle is lost. At Thermopylae, the Spartan king was in command of the a
