Why didn't the Spartans utilize the Greek army at the battle of Thermopylae?

Question

Although many of the Greeks were defeated in earlier battles against the Persians, they still had quite a large amount of the army remaining, suitable for fighting.

Answer 1

Well, they did. For example Athens had sent all of its ships. The total army was 5000 men and slaves, plus all the ships from the other city-states.

In addition, it is said that at the time of the battle, there was a celebration in Greece, during which the greeks were not allowed to fight, and that is why there were not many soldiers gathered.

Just read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae

Answer 2

actually about a 1,000 or so troops of the rest of the Greek army stayed with the 300 Spartans. the reason the rest of the army wasn't used is because the whole point was to cover the retreat of the rest of the army. The Persians had discovered a pass through the mountains and were sending a small force of their men to surround the Greek army. if they had stayed the whole army would have been defeated.

Answer 3

~Check your history. There was no Greek army, mainly because there was no such animal as "Greece". The Spartans did use their army of hoplites at Thermopylae and they were joined by Thespians and Thebans. Many of the other city-states were willing to be medized when Xerxes and the Immortals came through (as evidenced by the fact that it was Ephialtes who led the Persians around the pass behind Leonidas' forces by way of the Anopaea route) , but they were galvanized into resistance when Leonidas did his thing. The out numbered Athenian navy was standing off so as to not be sunk by the superior Persian forces, but was very much involved in the war. In fact, one of the reasons Xerxes mounted his invasion was because of what happened to Darius at Marathon.
Thermopylae was a holding action and the hoplites were sacrificed so as to save the vastly outnumbered and inferior Grecian troops.. The myth that the Spartan troops were the only ones in attendance at Thermopylae is just that - a myth. After Thermopylae, the wars were pretty much resolved at Salamis and Plataea. Read Herodotus for details.