<Dl> <Dd> Oh stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians that </Dd> <Dd> we lie here, obedient to their words . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> Oh stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians that </Dd> <Dd> we lie here, obedient to their words . </Dd> <P> The alternative ancient reading πειθόμενοι νομίμοις for ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι substitutes "laws" or "orders" for "words ." In other words, the "orders" are not personal but refer to official and binding phrases (the Ancient Greek term can also refer to a formal speech). </P>

Where is the battle of thermopylae on a map