Obscura

7. Molon Labe

Herodotus tells us that in 480 B.C., 300 Spartans and their allies held off two million Persian soldiers, under King Xerxes, at the pass of Thermopylae. They held on for seven days. They fought to the last man.

Five days into the battle, seeing the impossible odds, Xerxes offered Leonidas, King of the Spartans, the lives and freedom of his men. The only condition: they must lay down their arms.

Leonidas answered with two words,which are inscribed on the modern monument there: "Molon Labe".

Translated from the ancient Greek, it means simply:

"Come and get them."

posted by Cobb @ 4:05 PM