Battle of Thermopylae in Lamia Municipality

You're standing at Thermopylae, the site of one of the most famous battles of the ancient world. It's hard to picture, but in 480 BC the sea came right up to this spot. The Malian Gulf reached almost to the foot of the mountains. Over the centuries sediment built up, and today the coast lies several kilometres away. Between the water and the steep slopes ran a narrow pass, roughly a hundred metres wide. Anyone heading from the north into southern Greece had to squeeze through here. The name, by the way, means 'Hot Gates', after the hot springs nearby.