When the Battle of Thermopylae looked to be lost to the Persians, Spartan King Leonidas dismissed all the various Greek contingents, save his 300 Spartans and 400 Thebans whom he believed to be traitors who might turn on him. Demophilos and his Thespians refused to abandon their Spartan comrades and stayed to face the numerically superior Persians. The Thespian dress of black, their color of darkness and mourning along with the quarter moon symbol on their shields reflects the peril of their mission. The Spartans and Thespians at Thermopylae all perished and became an enduring monument to heroism, valor and sacrifice.