battle, notable, ancient

Battle of Thermopylae 279 BCE

Name: Battle of Thermopylae 279 BCE
Location: Thermopylae, Greece

Battle of Thermopylae 279 BCE was a battle fought in 279 BC at Thermopylae, in what is now Greece. It was part of the Gallic invasion of Greece, which ran from 280 BC to 275 BC. The recorded result: Celtic victory at Thermopylae; Celtic attack at Aetolia repulsed.

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Map of Tribes inhabiting Thrace and Environs.Also exhibiting Celtic migrations.. Megistias, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Fought279 BC

WhereThermopylae, Greece38.805N, 22.563E

OutcomeCeltic victory at Thermopylae; Celtic attack at Aetolia repulsed

BelligerentsCeltsagainstAetolian League; Boeotians; Athenians; Phocians; Locrians; Megarians; Macedonian and Seleucid mercenaries

Part ofGallic invasion of Greece280 BC to 275 BC

Record

Date	279 BC (year precision)
Place	Thermopylae, Greece 38.805N, 22.563E
Kind	Battle, ancient
Commanders	Brennus (3rd century BC)

The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Battle of Thermopylae 323 BC, same recorded site
Battle of Thermopylae (254) AD 254, same recorded site
Battle of Scarpheia 146 BC, 1.3 km SW
Battle of Thermopylae 1941, 2.5 km SW
Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC, 2.5 km SW

Contested ground: this site was fought over 7 times between 480 BC and 1941.

In the same war

After: Battle of Delphi 279 BC

Elsewhere in 279 BC

Battle of Thermopylae 279 BCE is one of 184 engagements of the 3rd century BC in the atlas and one of 493 in present-day Greece.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3636302, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Thermopylae (279 BC), revision 1370590957, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.