Which Theban leader is listed among the Greek commanders at Thermopylae?

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The Theban leader listed among the Greek commanders at Thermopylae was Leontiades.

Leontiades son of Eurymachus commanded the 400 Theban hoplites sent to join the Greek defense in 480 BC. Herodotus says Leonidas particularly wanted the Thebans present because Thebes was suspected of favoring the Persian side. Their participation therefore served both military and political purposes: it added troops to the coalition and tested Theban loyalty.

After the Persian flanking route was discovered, Leonidas ordered most allied forces to withdraw. The Thebans and Spartans remained, but Herodotus says the Thebans were kept there against their wishes. When the final fighting turned against the Greeks, the Thebans separated and surrendered to the Persians. Xerxes spared the survivors but ordered them branded with the royal mark; Leontiades was among those branded.

The alternatives are easy to confuse because Demophilus was another commander at Thermopylae, but he led the 700 Thespians, not the Thebans. Aristides and Pausanias are important names from other episodes of the Greco-Persian Wars, not the Theban command at this battle.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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