The movie 300 Spartans introduced the Spartan King Leonidas and the struggle of an army of 300, including him, against the Persian army of tens of thousands of people, with an epic narrative. So, is this really an Ancient Greek story or just elaborate fiction? The answer to this question is given by the historian Herodotus.
built in 2006 300 Spartans especially the movie ‘This is Sparta!’ It was a memorable production with its kick. We can say that it is one of the unforgettable films, although it is not considered among the cult films, as it is successfully decorated with action and fantasy elements as well as its epic narrative. The Persians, Greeks, Spartans, Leonidas and many more details in the movie are real. Alright, Did the story of the movie 300 Spartans really happen? Or is it a fiction of successful screenwriters?
300 Spartans To question the authenticity of his story, we need to look to the historian Herodotus, from whom we learned almost everything about Ancient Greece. Herodotus, of course, is not a reliable source for its scientific truth, but still with one of the stories he told. The story in the movie 300 Spartans appears to be common. For those who haven’t watched the movie yet, there will be some details that will spoil the pleasure, but this is an Ancient Greek story, and it would not be possible not to give spoilers in a story that is thousands of years old, right?
Leonidas is born to be a soldier:
The period we are talking about here begins with the birth of Leonidas in 540 AD. Greek territory at this time consisted of many different kingdoms and One of the kingdoms was Sparta. Because of their living conditions, the Spartans had to be much tougher and more ruthless than the other Greeks, because if they didn’t they would die.
Born in this environment, the son of the Spartan king Anaxandridas, by his second wife, Leonidas, like any Spartan baby, was bathed in wine and at any moment a man until he was deemed viable by the council of elders. danger of being thrown off a cliff faced with. It seemed difficult to become a king anyway, because there were many more heirs to the throne, such as Cleomenes, Dorieus, and Cleombrotus.
Spartan children are also in Herodotus’s narrative, just as in the movie. ruthless killers, successful thieves, shameless spies they were bred. These children, who could survive in nature for a long time without clothes and hungry, were also receiving music, writing and dance training. Ancient Greek-inspired warriors were only considered full soldiers after rigorous training until the age of 30, but there were also warriors before.
Spartan military and social life:
Leonidas received his first assignment at the age of 18 when he was trained as a strong soldier and participated in what we can call the Greek internal conflict. After his first struggle, which he survived without any problems, his training became more professional and tougher. The main purpose of the Spartans was the soldiers they trained. their ability to both create teamwork by following the community spirit and survive alone in the brutal nature.
When our hero comes of age, he is not as romantic as in the movie. kidnapped the woman he was going to marry and they had children by him. The social life of the Spartan people has a structure that will make you sick to the stomach. However, it should not be forgotten that this structure was in a society that could be considered primitive thousands of years ago.
Spartan soldiers wore red cloaks to hide their wounds. Bronze their helmets and shields were their greatest means of protection. Using long spears and swords as weapons, the Spartan soldiers wore as little clothing and sandals as possible and used their cloaks for warmth. The purpose of using so little clothing was for comfort during battle. These soldiers, the true warriors of Sparta, were called hoplites.
Leonidas becomes king:
The military and social life that Leonidas had established was going quite well and as we said, the probability of ascending the throne seemed quite low, but luckily, his brothers were killed in other wars and he was the only one left. He became one of the two kings of Sparta. The kings descended from the ruling families of Sparta, the Agiad and Eurypontids. Since the Kingdom of Sparta consisted of states, it was normal to have two kings.
In 481 AD, a news that the Greeks never expected came from the east. Two emissaries of the Persian Empire came and He warned the Greeks to pay allegiance. However, neither king accepted this warning and they decided to fight to the death if necessary. One of these kings, Leonidas, developed a tactic to prevent the Persians from entering the region.
The legend of 300 Spartans is born:
According to the king’s decision, the narrowest part of the Thermopylae coast was to be guarded by hoplite troops, thus preventing land crossing. The Artemisium area was to be protected by 271 ships, and sea passage would be prevented. General of the unit formed for this protection, which would later be called the Battle of Thermopylae King Leonidas, who was then 60 years old would be.
This is where the legendary story of the movie 300 Spartans is born. However, 300 soldiers did not protect the beach as in the movie. Leonidas’ troops consisted of 7 thousand people. The Persian force against them consisted of 300,000 men. Oh, it wasn’t 300 people We can say that, but we should not forget the numerical superiority of the Persians and the special archer unit with the ability to shoot 100 thousand arrows per minute.
The Battle of Thermopylae begins:
Leonidas and his soldiers build a wall at the narrowest part of the Thermopylae pass and spend days behind it. They are fighting hundreds of thousands of Persian soldiers. The biggest advantage of the Spartan soldiers at this point is the long spears and strong shields they use. Shields neutralize Persian arrows, while long spears allow Spartans to neutralize the enemy before they get close enough to injure.
Days later, the Persian king god Xerxes finds a shepherd living in the area and learns from him a path that will lead around the Thermopylae pass. In this way, most of the Persian soldiers were Spartans. without the knowledge of the soldiers. infiltrating the interior. This news compels Leonidas and the other generals to make some sacrifices.
Another story that strengthens the 300 Spartan legend:
When the troops at Thermopylae Pass heard news that the Persians had infiltrated the city, they quickly gathered a council and They make an important decision. They would send some of their remaining 4,000 troops to the interior of Sparta, and leave some to fight there. Leonidas was one of the survivors.
So 300 soldiers left here? No. Here too, under the command of Leonidas, about a unit of a thousand men It remained to defend the Thermopylae pass. In order to be able to fight more easily, they moved in front of the wall they had built and deployed in an even narrower area. The League fought here for three days.
Herodotus says that the battle that took place here was one of the bloodiest conflicts in history. The Spartan army of a thousand fought for three days and He destroyed 20 thousand Persian soldiers. Although Leonidas was unsuccessful, the army of tens of thousands of people gathered by his nephew later defeated the Persians and liberated the region again.
This is the true story told by Herodotus behind the movie 300 Spartans. Certainly, Many things that Herodotus also told known only to be fiction. Although the Greeks left a lot of evidence, the information obtained about the Spartans consists only of these and similar stories.