Movies are made primarily to entertain not to educate so quibbling about what they got wrong is always a risky thing to do. Sometimes though movies get things so dramatically and deliberately wrong there must be an understanding of how the film differs from reality, even as we enjoy the film.

I really liked the movie 300. I watched it again the other night. I had known of the stand at Thermopylae before of course but to see it portrayed so vividly was indeed a treat.

But there were some very critical differences between the filmic Spartans and the real life ones. From the modern perspective it's good some of these things didn't make it into the movie.

Movie: Leonidas chuckles at the Persian ambassador and says that if the "boy loving Athenians" can find the gumption to stand up to Xerxes, then of course the more manly Spartans can do no less.
Reality: Actually Sparta, not Athens, virtually institutionalized military same sex relationships. Strange as it seems to modern mores, that was considered a critical path for a male youth to become a man. There is some disagreement among some scholars as to whether or not these relationships were always consumated. But even when they weren't at war Spartan men generally lived apart from their wives in military barracks.

Movie: The Spartans fought with no armor other than shield and helmet.
Reality: The Spartan hoplite was extremely well protected for his time (breastplate, greaves, helmet, shield) which is a great part of the reason the Spartans were able to hold the line as long as they did-better armor and weapons along with a never say die attitude.

Movie: Several Persian emissaries and generals are shown to be Black Africans.
Reality: Unlikely. The only Africans in the Persian armed forces were most likely the Carthaginians and Egyptians who were running Xerxes' navy. They did little fighting on land and weren't at Thermopylae.

Movie: Leonidas throws the Persian emissary down a well in answer to his demand for earth and water as tokens of submission.
Reality: That did indeed happen but it was a previous Spartan king who did that, not Leonidas.

Movie: Queen Gorgo says "Only Spartan women birth real men!"
Reality: She really did say this in response to a foreigner asking her about why Spartan women were so forward. Herodotus , among others, thought that Spartan women were far too independent-they could own land and property in their own right. In addition, Spartan women received weapons training as girls, though presumably it was not as harsh as that given to the boys. Athenians thought this completely barbaric.

Movie: The Spartan who Leonidas sends back at the end to let people know what happened is given a place of honor in the assembly and leadership over the army at Plataea.
Reality: Actually Leonidas ordered several men to depart and bring the news. They all refused. One said "My king, if I leave now there is no news I wish to bring to Sparta and if I stay the news will be better."

Another one, albeit almost blind, insisted upon being led into the front line. And with good reason. The man who finally obeyed his king's order and took news back was treated with disgust. His wife left him and Spartan society ostracized him for an entire year. He was called "The Trembler". It was only by dying at Plataea the following year that he expiated his family's shame.

Movie: When told to lay down their weapons, the Spartan response is to say "Come take them!!!"
Reality: This really did happen. Although they were widely known as the brutal attack dogs of the Greek military, Spartans did also pride themselves on their wit-they inspired the word "laconic". The region of Greece in which Sparta resides was named "Laconia".

Movie: Xerxes is shown watching the battle as one might watch a football game.
Reality: This is indeed true. Herodotus wrote that several times Xerxes leapt up in fear or anger to see his army mangled.
And Xerxes was not above ordering the execution of anyone thought to be cowardly or incompetent.

Movie: Leonidas is among the last to die in a storm of arrows.
Reality: Actually the Spartan King led his men out from the pass to kill as many Persians as he could once he knew of his coming doom. He died fighting in the front lines and an even more furious struggle erupted over his body. The Greeks fought until their spears broke and swords were dulled. At the very end they were engaged in hand to hand combat until the Persians did indeed withdraw and unleash an arrow storm. The Spartans had killed so many Persians that Xerxes ordered immediate burials so that the rest of the Persian army and navy would not see how many had fallen.

Sparta was an interesting place to say the least. It is one of history's ironies that a place so steeped in superstition, and cruelty (every Spartan warrior had to murder a helot and not be caught) would in some way be responsible for ensuring that "Western Civilization" would largely spring from Greece and not the arguably more advanced Persia.

I've heard lots of people (mostly male) sing the praises of "300", but I didn't love it. Perhaps it was the overflow of testosterone, but it was strictly "meh" for me.

As a man, I can safely say I thought it was stupid. If I want a cartoon, I bother with Bugs Bunny. Not this bullshit.

Thanks for sharing everythint you do.Keep up the work.


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My boys love 300. They watch it all the time.