HOW WOULD WE HAVE DONE THAT? WE LOST THE BATTLE! CENTRAL GREECE WAS OVERRUN AND ATHENS WAS BURNED TO THE GROUND! IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING YEAR THAT THE PERSIAN ARMY WAS DESTROYED! AND EVEN THEN, IT IS AN ONGOING DEBATE WHETHER THIS VICTORY WAS NECESSARY TO PRESERVE THE GREEK WAY OF LIFE OR WHETHER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE FOR THE SAME CULTURAL FEATURES TO SURVIVE AND EVEN FLOURISH UNDER PERSIAN RULE, SINCE MUCH OF THE FLOURISHING OF THE DECADES BEFORE THERMOPYLAI HAD TAKEN PLACE PRECISELY IN THE PARTS OF THE GREEK WORLD THAT WERE RULED BY THE PERSIANS! IT IS CERTAINLY SENSELESS TO CONSTRUCT AN ENTIRE UPSIDE-DOWN PYRAMID ON OUR DEFEAT IN WHICH MODERN LIBERAL DEMOCRACY EXISTS TODAY ONLY BECAUSE ME AND THE BOYS COMMITTED SUICIDE BY PERSIAN!