Statue
of Leonidas
The
monument stands opposite the historical hill of Kolonos and represents
Leonidas in full armour. It was designed by B. Phalereus, and was erected
in the 1950s at the expense of Greeks living in America.
The
monument was built to commemorate the battle at Thermopylae, and is located
at the centre of the pass, where the final phase of the battle took place,
as is attested by the accumulation at the foot of the hill of iron and
bronze spearheads dated to the 5th century B.C. Members of the Amphiktyony
erected on the hill a stone statue of a lion in memory of the deceased
warriors, with an epigram written by Simonides, but the monument is not
preserved today.
A restricted
excavation on the hill of Kolonos, in 1939, revealed fortification works
of several periods, Roman and Byzantine graves, and ruins of Byzantine
buildings.
Address
Thermopylai
Days-hours:
Open-air - permanently open
Telephone
+30-2310-29992
FAX
+30-2310-46106 . |
