Ephialtes of Trachis
Ephialtes (Greek: Ἐφιάλτης), son of Eurydemus of Malis , was a native of the early 5th century BC. Living Greek. According to the tradition of Herodotus , he betrayed at the beginning of the Second Persian War 480 BC. . A BC under the command of the Spartan King Leonidas , the Thermopylae defending Greeks army to the in Hellas sunken Persian by leading them on a footpath across the mountains in the back of the Greeks. This helped the Persians to victory in the ongoing battle of Thermopylae by capturing the Greek allies from two sides.
Large parts of the Greek troops were withdrawn after the news of the evasion of their position, while the king Leonidas, in order to cover their retreat, fought with his Spartians and the Thespiern to the last man.
Tradition has it that Ephialtes expected to be rewarded by the Persians for his betrayal, but this did not materialize after the Greeks turned the war at the Battle of Salamis . Herodotus reports that he then fled from the Spartians to Thessaly , where he was murdered by Athenades of Trachis for reasons that had nothing to do with his betrayal.
Ephialtes has become a classic traitor for the Greeks , even if other Greeks also supported the Persian king Xerxes . The literal translation of his name is "nightmare", although others have also carried this name.
See also
literature
- Heinrich Swoboda : Ephialtes 3. In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume V, 2, Stuttgart 1905, Col. 2848 f.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ephialtes of Trachis |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ἐφιάλτης (Greek) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Traitor to the Greeks in the battle of Thermopylae |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 6th century BC BC or 5th century BC Chr. |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th century BC Chr. |