Demophilus of Thespiae

Who was Demophilus of Thespiae?

Demophilus or Demophilos, according to Herodotus, was the commander of a contingent of 700 Thespians at the Battle of Thermopylae. His father was the Diadromes.

He and his men fought at the battle and at the end they stood along with the 300 Spartans at the last stand and all were killed. The ancient Greek traveler and geographer Pausanias also wrote about the stay of the Thespians at Thermopylae together with the Spartans.

After the Battle of Thermopylae, Persian army burned down the city of Thespiae. The citizens of the city had fled to the Peloponnese.

Demophilos is immortalised in many books and movies. In the 1962 movie The 300 Spartans, Demophilus was portrayed by Greek actor Yorgos Moutsios

In Thermopylae there is a monument, next to the monument of Leonidas, in memory of him and his men. In addition, in the modern Thespiae, there is a monument dedicated to him.