Battle of Thermopylae (300)

So, I just finished watching the movie 300 for like the 4th time. I can’t help it. It’s an amazing movie and it just gets trashed too often ex: Meet the Spartans. On the other hand, it has gone down in today’s popular modern culture. I’m sure everyone has screamed out THIS IS SPARTA!!! at least 489o7 times so far. Anyways, this isn’t about the movie or it’s reviews, I want to talk about the historical significance of the Battle of Thermopylae. What are the facts and why is it so important to us even today.

First, let’s get the facts straight. King Leonidas just didn’t go off to battle with 300 men to face what the modern estimate of the second invading force from Persia was, about 300,000. (1st was defeated at the battle of marathon by the Athenians.) In reality Leonidas had organized an allied force that added up to about 7000 including his own Spartans. Second important fact to get is that the Spartans did not do it alone; the Athenians played a crucial role with their armada of ships. It’s because the Athenian fleet defended their ground so well against the Persian ships that king Xerxes was forced to through the pass at Thermopylae.

Now, as for the rest the facts are ok within the movie, minus the monsters of course. For example, the battle was three days long, Xerxes got pissed (in reality he actually left and went home even thought the Greeks were defeated because he was so discouraged), the Greeks were betrayed, etc. We still must keep in mind the film is based upon the comic book version of this story.

Why is this battle so significant? There are a lot reasons. I will list them below:

1. The battle, even though the Greeks had no chance to win it, served as a delaying device for populations to evacuate cities and towns so avoid being caught into slavery and death.

2. It allowed the rest of Greece that was not under Persian influence to accumulate its forces for a counter attack. (This comes in the form of lesser known battles, but eventually leads to....

3. Phillip 2nd, King of Macedonia, to take over all of Greece (A unified Greece*) and organize a counter attack on Persia and king Darius 3rd. Unfortunately, he is murdered just before, so his son must take up the reigns.

4. Of course, any noob would know that his son is Alexander the great. I Don’t need to go into details here.

5. Alexander brings the Greek way of life to the known world, and leaves behind perhaps one of the greatest legacies of all time. He also a great influence to later generals like Napoleon for example.

6. We all know that ancient Greece is the foundation of today’s western culture; no one needs to told that. If Persia would have completely taken over it would have perhaps ceased to exist and the course of history would have taken a much different path.

7. An example of this is that the Greeks had a huge influence on the greatest empire of all time, Rome of course. Romans would stretch this influence from York, England to Baghdad, Iraq at its peak. And of course the renaissance was very much influenced by ancient Greek minds, not exclusively, but in large part yes.

If Persia had taken over none of this would have happened. Now, I know I didn’t say everything and not everything is 100% fact checked, but it’s a general scope of things!

If there's one thing about history that I find absolutely epic, It's famous quotes. The kind you just read and have a WHOA reaction because you gotta think about it for a while. Anyways, here's a collection of Roman quotations I really like.

Scipio Africanus (Defeated Carthage in second Punic wars)

-It is the part of a fool to say, I should not have thought.
-I'm never less at leisure than when at leisure, or less alone than when alone.

Augustus(First Emperor, although he never claimed to actually be emperor his entire reign. Also the month of August is named after him)

-I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.
-I like treachery, but I cannot say anything good of traitors.
-Well done is quickly done

Marcus Aurelius

-A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions.
-Aptitude found in the understanding and is often inherited. Genius coming from reason and imagination, rarely.
-Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible for anyone to accomplish.
-Death, like birth, is a secret of Nature.
-Confine yourself to the present.

Julius Caesar

-Cowards die many times before their actual deaths.
-Experience is the teacher of all things.
-I came, I saw, I conquered.
-In war, events of importance are the result of trivial causes.
-No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected.
-The die is cast.

Horace

-A picture is a poem without words.
-Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.

Cicero

-A friend is, as it were, a second self.
-A home without books is a body without soul.
-Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error.
-Cultivation to the mind is as necessary as food to the body.

Justinian (Byzantine, but whatever)

-Rather let the crime of the guilty go unpunished than condemn the innocent.