300 Vs History 031407

VS. HISTORYHISTORY DOES THE FILM MATCH THE FACTS? Story and illustrations by Doug Griswold — Mercury News Sure, it’s fun to watch 300 nearly naked Spartans — abandoned by the rest of Greece — ignoring their own battle tactics to fight off a million invaders. But don’t mistake this for history. Here’s how Zack Snyder’s new movie “300” (based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel) stacks up against the textbooks on what really happened 2,500 years ago at Thermopylae. (OK, 2,487 years.) In the movie, King Leonidas The Spartans actually did throw Persian diplomats down a well. What started of Sparta provokes the invasion But they did it at least 10 years earlier, before the Persian king the war? of Greece. When asked by an Darius invaded Greece in 490 B.C. What provoked Xerxes’ invasion envoy of the Persian king Xerxes was not Sparta but Athens, which supported the rebellion of for a small amount of Spartan Greek cities in Asia Minor against Persia in 499 B.C. earth and water as a token of The rebellion was crushed, but according to the Greek submission, Leonidas tells him historian Herodotus, Darius was furious that Athens had dared he will find both at the bottom to assist the rebels. He sailed to Greece in 490 B.C. to punish of a well — then pushes him in. Athens, but was defeated by the Athenians at the Battle This is said to have occurred of Marathon. Ten years later, when Darius’ son Xerxes about a year before the Battle resumed his father’s unfinished business with Greece, of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. he didn’t bother to send envoys to Sparta and Athens. The Persian messenger tells Xerxes spent more than four years gathering How big was Leonidas that Xerxes’ army is so soldiers and supplies from every corner of the Persian large that “it drinks rivers dry.” the Persian Empire. Herodotus put the Leonidas says the Persians claim number at 2.6 million, but historians agree army? their forces number in the that he exaggerated. Modern estimates millions, but adds that they range from 150,000 to 200,000 — still surely exaggerate. an army of unprecedented size. The film says Leonidas can The real question for Sparta was not whether to fight, but where. Why so few take only 300 Spartans — his Sparta and the other cities of the Peloponnesian Peninsula wanted to Spartans? bodyguards — to fight the abandon northern Greece, and make their stand at the narrow Isthmus invaders because Persian agents of Corinth. The Athenian leader Themistocles pushed for a defense have bribed the high priests and farther north, arguing that the key to defeating the Persian army Spartan council members to keep was destroying its fleet. The invading force was too large to live the army at home. Leonidas’ wife off the land, and would starve without thousands of supply ships. spends much of the movie trying The Spartan council of elders eventually supported to convince her Themistocles’ plan, but only fellow Spartans Persian army Persian navy halfheartedly. Citing the religious that they must custom banning the use of the army fight for their Thermopylae during the festival of Carneia, the survival. Artemisium council gave Leonidas only 300 Ae ge Spartans to join a force of about 7,000 a n Greek soldiers that was to delay the S e Plataea a Persian army at the narrow pass at Thermopylae while a Greek navy fought the Corinth Athens Persian fleet at nearby Artemisium. The Greek PELOPONNESUS navy fought ferociously but could not defeat I o the much larger Persian flotilla. n i SSalamisalamis IIslandsland a Sparta n 0 50 S The 300 e The 300 Spartans were not alone in this Did the Spartans take a Miles battle. On the first day, the Spartans took the Spartans on the entire front line. On the second day, the other Greek Persian Empire by themselves, contingents were rotated into the front line, taking their turn beating fight and assisted only once by a few dozen off attack after attack. die alone? other Greeks. When the Greeks A Greek traitor named Ephialtes did assist the Persians. are betrayed by a Spartan When his treachery was discovered, Leonidas ordered the bulk hunchback named Ephialtes, who of his army to escape so they could fight again. When Leonidas shows the Persians a goat path and his 300 stayed to cover their retreat, they were joined by to circumvent the pass, the other 700 men from Thespiae who considered it an honor to die fighting Greeks leave the 300 to their fate. beside Spartans. The film depicts gruesome, The Persian army did have a division of 10,000 elite soldiers Did the deformed men with sharpened that Herodotus called the Immortals because if any died in Persian teeth wearing silver masks who battle, they were immediately replaced — never allowing their Leonidas army have are Xerxes’ much-feared, number to drop below 10,000. According to relief sculptures in In the movie, the undefeated elite troops. Leonidas the ruins of Persepolis (the capital of ancient Persia), they were tells the Spartans that they will armed with a spear, a bow and a quiver of arrows. They served king of Sparta is soldiers called Themistocles played by the put the names of these as the king’s bodyguards and the core of the army. Used against “Immortals”? The Athenian Scottish-born “Immortals” to the test. the Greeks at Thermopylae after lesser units failed, they also leader and actor Gerard were repulsed with heavy casualties. architect of the Butler. Greek victory Hollywood Spartan Historic Spartan over Persia. HELMET HELMET In the movie, only the Greek helmets in this era all had crests, king’s helmet has a Did the Spartans fight like that? frequently of horsehair, to make the decorative crest on top. In the movie, Leonidas explains that the strength soldier look taller and more imposing. WEAPONS of the Spartans comes from the phalanx — the WEAPONS Primarily, they fight with formation of men in a row with overlapping shields, The primary weapon of the Spartan was a spear, usually thrusting forming a single impenetrable unit. Though the the thrusting spear. It was never thrown it, and occasionally Spartans in “300” start the battle this way, before (although javelins were). Normally, he used throwing it. Short long they are rushing forward to fight as individuals. his sword only if his spear broke. swords also are used. In reality, the phalanx had to stay together. The men in the phalanx, bearing 70 pounds of armor BODY ARMOR BODY ARMOR and weapons, would push against the enemy line, Although Spartans exercised and competed The Spartans of “300” thrusting their long spears over their shields at any in games naked, it is unlikely that they fight bare-chested, patch of unprotected flesh, while the ranks of their went into battle that way. Chest armor with metal protection comrades pushed at their backs. If the phalanx was used, as were bronze shin protectors. only below the knees. broke, defeat was inevitable. Strips of leather hanging from the waist gave some protection to the groin. Before the 300 are After the defeat at Thermopylae, the Greek fleet withdrew and How did surrounded, Leonidas sends one the Greek army retreated to the Isthmus of Corinth for its last stand. the Greeks of his soldiers back to Sparta Athens, which had been evacuated, was burned by the Persians. A to tell the story and to rally all few weeks later, Themistocles managed to lure the huge Persian fleet finally of Greece to the cause of into the narrow channel between the Island of Salamis and the Greek defeat the fighting for its freedom. A year mainland. Here the Persians couldn’t take advantage of their superior later, a unified Greek army of numbers, and half their fleet was destroyed by the Greeks. Persians? 30,000 — led by 10,000 Knowing his army would starve without his supply ships, Xerxes took Spartans — defeats the most of his army back to Asia. The much smaller Persian force that stayed Persians at the Battle of Plataea. in Greece was destroyed the following year at Plataea. Most historians agree that the turning point in the Greek-Persian War was the naval victory Sources: Andrew B. Jordan and Jonathon W. Jordan, “Triumph at Salamis. It was also a turning point in Western civilization, for apart ot the Trireme” (The Quarterly Journal of Military History); from their contributions to literature, architecture, philosophy and the arts, David Frye, “Spartan Stand at Thermopylae” (Military History); the ancient Greeks were in the process of inventing democracy. John Keegan, “A History of Warfare”.

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