Wack

Ephialtes, whose name means “nightmare” [|Ephialtes from Malis] was the Greek who betrayed the Spartans at the [|battle of Thermopylae]. The Spartans had decided to make their stand at Thermopylae pass, where they could narrow down the Persian army and take them on in a thinner stream. This would have been a beautiful example of geographical strategy if Ephialtes hadn’t sold them out. He went to the Persians, expecting to be heavily rewarded, and showed them a pass through the mountains which would take them behind the Spartans and surround them. Leonidas, the Spartan general, learned of this only in time to send the Greek army back to their people, whilst the Spartans remained behind and fought to their very last breath. Ephialties, after the Persians were defeated at the Battle of Salamis, fled into Thessaly with a bounty on his head and later was killed for an unrelated reason by Athenadis of Trachis.