Xerxes and the Winter of Athens

Xerxes wants to burn Athens in the same way that Babylon was the crown jewel for Cyrus's conquest of the ancient world. The Spartans consulted with the oracle at Delphi and were told what would happen if they tried to stop Xerxes from burning Athens. In the end both parties figured out a way to interpret this vague oracle that caused them to believe that they would win, so they committed themselves to battle.