Even though the Persians won the Battle of Thermopylae, they were unable to conquer Greece
Thermopylae is undoubtedly the most renowned battle in European ancient history, and it has been mentioned numerous times in ancient, modern, and contemporary culture. At least in Western culture, the Greeks are praised for their military prowess. However, in the context of the Persian invasion, Thermopylae was unquestionably a Greek defeat. The Greek strategy appears to have been to hold off the Persians at Thermopylae and Artemisium; whatever they intended, it was presumably not to yield all of Boeotia and Attica to the Persians. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Greek position at Thermopylae was practically impregnable.
After their defeat at Thermopylae, the Greeks withdrew from the simultaneous naval Battle of Artemisium. Xerxes went proceeded to burn Greek cities to the ground, despite the fact that most of the population were evacuated. Even though the Persians won the Battle of Thermopylae, they were unable to conquer Greece. The Persians were decisively beaten in the naval Battle of Salamis in late 480 BC, followed by the ground Battle of Plataea in 479 BC, effectively ending the Second Persian Invasion of Greece.
Some argue that Thermopylae was a Pyrrhic triumph for the Persians (i.e., one in which the victor is as damaged by the battle as the defeated party). However, Herodotus makes no mention of the Persian army being affected in this way. The theory ignores the fact that the Persians would seize the majority of Greece in the aftermath of Thermopylae, and that they were still fighting in Greece a year later. Alternatively, some argue that the last stand at Thermopylae was a successful delaying operation that allowed the Greek navy to prepare for the Battle of Salamis. However, when compared to the expected duration (about one month) between Thermopylae and Salamis, the time purchased was insignificant. Furthermore, this theory ignores the fact that a Greek ship was fighting at Artemisium during the Battle of Thermopylae, inflicting losses.
