Battle of Thermopylae

You may have seen the film 300 led by the infamous king Leonidas, which told the story of the Battle of Thermopylae’s and how king Leonidas and his 300 Spartans defeated thousands of Persian soldiers. At child birth you were either deemed fit or unfit to be called a spartan. If the baby were deemed unfit, the baby would be left out to die. At the age of 7 you would leave your family start your training as a young soldier. This was all portrayed in the movie however, how king Leonidas became king

Historical Film Analysis: the 300 The 300 is a fictional retelling of Herodotus’s account of the Battle of Thermopylae from the perspective of Leonidas I and his fellow Spartans. The film is based on a comic book of the same name and is a live action, shot-by-shot visualization of said comic. 300 utilizes stunning two-dimensional graphics and dramatic lighting and camera angles to make the film look more like a moving comic. Both the film and its literary counterpart are full of historical inaccuracies

After the battle of Marathon, Darius had become sick and passed away. His son Xerxes succeeded the throne. Xerxes was “no way eager to launch an invasion of Greece” (Hdt 7.5) but was later convinced after being visited by a phantom in a dream. I believe that Xerxes was the downfall of the Persians because he led his army into a battle that he should not have, even Persian soldiers realized they were going to lose the war and that a large number of them would die. Xerxes led the Persian fleet towards

a city state near Persia burn a Persian city. The Greeks used strategy and their surroundings to their advantage to win the Persian War. The Persian War had three main battles: Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis The first Battle of the Persian War was the Battle of Marathon. The Persian king Xerxes led 100,000 troops into battle against 10,000 Greeks. The Persians outnumbered the Greeks ten to one, but the Greeks had strategy and their terrain on their side. They were led by the brilliant strategist

This movie was mostly accurate regarding history. As seen in the title, The 300 symbolizes the three hundred Spartan soldiers. “The Greeks had chosen to defend a narrow pass, or gap, between the mountains of central Greece and the sea, called Thermopylae...Here the Greek force now waited,

A supporting role in “The 300 Spartans” is Demaratus. He was once a king of Sparta, but eventually he became a traitor and helped fight against his own men at the Battle of Thermopylae. In “The 300 Spartans” he is often seen beside the Persian king, Xerxes, telling him about Spartan culture and bravery. In the movie he says that Persia should not underestimate Spartans. Even with their small numbers he says that they are great fighters who are courageous until the end. The information that the movie

perhaps to sail around the Greek army and attack them from behind. The second being that the horses were off eating grass and the Persians couldn’t get them to the battle in time. According to Bury, the Spartans didn’t really want to go to Thermopylae which suggests that the Greeks weren’t unified. This is assuming that the goal of this battle was to win and not a holding plan. Bury states that the spartans “attempted to cover his [Leonidas] selfish and short-sighted policy by the plea that they were

was. Xerxes’ failure evolved around his mannerisms, as he was a man who was irresolute and need persuasion. Only after he was given that assertiveness, was he able to go forth with decisions. His tactics that he performed during the Battle of Thermopylae and the Battle of Salamis also portray Xerxes’ defeat of the invasion of Greece. King Xerxes I was the son of King Darius the Great, arguably “the greatest monarch in all of the ancient world”1. Unlike his more successful father Darius, Xerxes’

insight on events such as the Battle of Thermopylae which occurred in the Persian Wars. There have been numerous authors and researchers who have based their research on the Battle of Thermopylae solely on Herodotus. The question now is what makes Herodotus a reliable source and are the researchers that are citing him limited to his findings or, are they expanding on them. By understanding the secondary sources over the Battle of Thermopylae and how they described the battle as well as their references

of intelligent tactics and strategies. Such as in the battle of Salamis, Thermopylae and Marathon, where the much larger Persian armies threatened to overrun the Greek city states, but they were repelled by the smaller armies of Greek soldiers who use terrain and combat tactics to their advantage, repelling the attacks and securing the future of the birthplace of democracy for many years. Firstly, the battle of Marathon, 490B.C, was a battle in the first Persian invasion of Greece. The Persian Army