We started the day back in Dion in order to see the finds from the site displayed in the museum. Some highlights:
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| Dedications to Ascelpius, god of healing |
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| Musical instrument made of water pipes |
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| Floor mosaic featuring Alexander the Great |
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Bronze head of Roman emperor Alexander Severus
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On to our final stop of the trip: Thermopylae. Thermopylae means "hot gates" and we had the opportunity to stop at the spring and touch the warm water. There was an area of the springs where people sat in the water.
Next, we heard from Simon about the two most important battles at the location. First, and foremost in his eyes, was the battle in 1941 in which the allies led by the New Zealanders fought against the Germans. He also talked about the battle in 480 BCE in which the 300 Spartans, led by King Leonidas, fought against the Persians to the last man. They used the "gates" of the mountain and the shore to create a bottleneck as they fought the superior Persian numbers. The landscape has changed quite a bit since then--the shore is much farther away.
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| Monument honoring the 300 Spartans |
And that was the end of Trip 1!
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