Statue of Leonidas

Leonidas: The King of Sparta with arrows colour 50cm

Full-length statue with Veronese bronze electrolysis,

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek who served as King of Sparta, believed to be a descendant of Hercules. Leonidas ascended the throne in 488 BC and assumed leadership of the allied Greek army and successfully managed to unite them and forget their differences. His military genius became evident in August 480 BC in the Strait of Thermopylae. In the face of the large Persian army, Leonidas, with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians, put up a brave resistance. Xerxes sent him a messenger and asked him to surrender his weapons and surrender. The Spartan king replied, the timeless, "Molon lave" (come and get it). After Ephialtes' betrayal, all Greek soldiers were killed, including King Leonidas, who became a symbol of patriotic self-sacrifice. A bronze statue of Leonidas was erected at Thermopylae in 1955. At the base was placed a plaque which reads 'MOLON LAVE'. Another statue, also with the same inscription on the base, was erected in Sparta in 1968. Both depict the Spartan king with spear and shield.