This happens to be another major historical inaccuracy of the film, since Sparta has always been known as the only Greek city-state (at the time) with two kings one went to war and led the army and the other stayed in Sparta to command the state. Two of the aforementioned members were the two kings of Sparta, the only members who could be younger than 60. According to historical records, 28 senate members should have been over 60 years of age and boasting a rich history of contributions and relationships among the most elite circles of the Greek city-state. Yet, in reality, Sparta’s senate consisted of 30 members who were perfectly respected and accepted by citizens. Identifying some of these historical inaccuracies, starting from Sparta’s then-political system, in the film you can easily see members of the Spartan senate portrayed as unpleasant monsters. The Persians found and beheaded Leonidas’ corpse–an act that was considered to be a grave insult.Despite the awesomeness that is the 300 film (and the sequel)- the epic battles, the amazing directing, the incredible cinematography by Zack Snyder, and all the impressive special effects- our mission in this site is very specific, and thus, this article focuses on the historical inaccuracies of this movie. Leonidas and the 300 Spartans with him were all killed, along with most of their remaining allies. An army of Spartans, Thespians and Thebans remained to fight the Persians. Much of the Greek force retreated rather than face the Persian army. A local Greek told Xerxes about this other route and led the Persian army across it, enabling them to surround the Greeks. Leonidas’ plan worked well at first, but he did not know that there was a route over the mountains to the west of Thermopylae that would allow the enemy to bypass his fortified position along the coast. For two days, the Greeks withstood the determined attacks of their far more numerous enemy. Leonidas established his army at Thermopylae, expecting that the narrow pass would funnel the Persian army toward his own force. In the late summer of 480 B.C., Leonidas led an army of 6,000 to 7,000 Greeks from many city-states, including 300 Spartans, in an attempt to prevent the Persians from passing through Thermopylae.
To reach its destination at Attica, the region controlled by the city-state of Athens, the Persians needed to go through the coastal pass of Thermopylae (or the “Hot Gates,” so known because of nearby sulfur springs). Under Xerxes I, the Persian army moved south through Greece on the eastern coast, accompanied by the Persian navy moving parallel to the shore.
It was this fatal weakness to the otherwise formidable phalanx formation that proved to be Leonidas’ undoing against an invading Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. If the phalanx broke or if the enemy attacked from the side or the rear, however, the formation became vulnerable. During a frontal attack, this wall of shields provided significant protection to the warriors behind it. In battle, they used a formation called a phalanx, in which rows of hoplites stood directly next to each other so that their shields overlapped with one another. Hoplites were armed with a round shield, spear and iron short sword. Like all male Spartan citizens, Leonidas had been trained mentally and physically since childhood in preparation to become a hoplite warrior. In 191 B.C., the Roman army defeated an invasion of Greece by the Syrian king Antiochus III at Thermopylae.Īs king, Leonidas was a military leader as well as a political one. In 279 B.C., Gallic forces broke through Greek forces there by using the same alternate route that the Persians did in 480 B.C. Did you know? The Thermopylae pass was also the site of two other ancient battles.
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