| Battle of Thermopylae (254) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Roman-Germanic wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Roman Empire | Goths | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Marianus Philostratus Dexippus | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Militia | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Thermopylae in 254[1][2] was the successful defense of the pass of Thermopylae by local Greek militia under Marianus, the Roman proconsul of Achaea, during an invasion of the Balkans by the Goths.[3]
In 254 the Goths invaded and plundered Thrace and Macedonia.[1][4][5] In 1979, Herwig Wolfram regarded 254 as the date, while Mallan and Davenport in 2015 suggested 262.[6][1] Goltz and Hartmann estimated 254 as the date.[2] David Potter in 2016 rejected Mallan and Davenport's estimate and dated it to either 253 or 259.[4] The Goths attempted to storm Thessalonica with close order formations and assault columns.[5] The Thessalonians mobilized to defend their city and beat off the attacks.[5] The Goths abandoned the siege and moved off to invade Greece south of Thermopylae, seeking to loot the gold and silver wealth of Greek temples.[5]
The Greeks learned of the Goths' approach and the Roman proconsul Marianus, the Athenian Philostratus, and the Boeotian Dexippus mobilized a militia to block the pass of Thermopylae.[5] The militia were armed with bronze or iron-tipped wooden pikes, small spears, axes, and assorted weapons.[5] They set to work fortifying the pass.[5][1][4] Marianus gave a pre-battle speech to them, emphasizing the defense of the pass by previous generations of Greeks and Romans.[5]
The Graeco-Roman forces successfully blocked the Goths' way at Thermopylae and the Goths returned home, albeit with considerable loot.[7]
A fragment of text attributed to the contemporary historian Dexippus, discovered in Vienna in 2010, provides detail on the weapons, leadership, and geography of the engagement.[8] The fragment cuts off before the battle's outcome.[5] Dexippus was used as a source by the Byzantine chronicler George Syncellus, who mentioned the blocking of the pass and the Goths' return home with plunder.[7]