300 is not a myth!!! (Mythology, Greek)

[AslanDesu]

Originally Posted by penguino

Why do i hear it is? The 300 spartans werenot myth, they werereal.!!

And what a horrible disgusting reality it was. A deranged military dictatorship installed to keep up the system of slavery. A rite of passage was murdering slaves...

Spartan society was disgusting.

[rojse]

The 300 was not a myth, but the way they were presented in the movie "The 300" was.

Whatever methods they used to train their soldiers, or their armour standards, it is a good accomplishment, in terms of military strategy, to have three hundred soldiers hold out against half a million Persians.

Didn't the 300 Spartans actually beat the Persians, unlike what was presented in the movie, or have I got this incorrect?

[AslanDesu]

Originally Posted by rojse

Didn't the 300 Spartans actually beat the Persians, unlike what was presented in the movie, or have I got this incorrect?

The Spartans died due to a volley of arrows.

[yossarian22]

The movie rendition of it nowhere near fact, so in that sense it is a myth.
I mean come on, what soldier would fight in a speedo?

[spacemonkey]

Originally Posted by rojse

The 300 was not a myth, but the way they were presented in the movie "The 300" was.

Whatever methods they used to train their soldiers, or their armour standards, it is a good accomplishment, in terms of military strategy, to have three hundred soldiers hold out against half a million Persians.

Didn't the 300 Spartans actually beat the Persians, unlike what was presented in the movie, or have I got this incorrect?

No, the Persians won that battle, but casulties were so high that they quickly grew weary of the war and were made short work of by the Athenian navy who was given valuable preperation time by King Leonidas's last stand. One point of note, that famed last stand was actually 300 Spartan and 700 Thespians (not the kind of thespians that made the film 300 however, inhabitants of the Greek city-state of Thespiae) bringing the actuall number of final defenders at 1000. Still vastly outnumbered nonetheless.

[Blindinglight]

Didn't the 300 Spartans actually beat the Persians, unlike what was presented in the movie, or have I got this incorrect?

No. There were a few factors that lead to the ultimate demise of the Spartan army. The only one the movie had right was a traitor showing the Persians a secret path leading behind the Spartans.
The Spartans still fought, and eventually, there armor and weapons began breaking. Still the Spartans fought using fist and tooth.
Eventually, the Persians losses were so high, that Xerxes ordered a volley of arrows be fired upon the remaining Spartans. Also, I do believe Leonidas died in battle before the battles end.
One thing that should be pointed out, that even the Athenians proved to be better warriors than the Persians, when they defeated them at the battle of Marathon, and they did not receive any aid from the Spartans, even though it was requested. The Spartans were in the middle of celebrating a religious festival, and did not dare interrupt it. (Another myth in the movie. The religious festival was already done with by the time the battle of Thermopolyae came, and the Spartans in reality honored the celebration.) By the time the festival was over, and the Spartans arrived, the Athenians were victorious.

And what a horrible disgusting reality it was. A deranged military dictatorship installed to keep up the system of slavery. A rite of passage was murdering slaves...

Spartan society was disgusting.

I find the Spartan society to be highly honorable. Very brutal, but honorable.
Also, the rite of passage was being beaten, stealing, beaten others to a bloody pulp, being beaten some more, fighting, and receiving even more vicious beatings.
There was even a yearly event that was going out and killing random slaves too keep there numbers down so they could eventually outnumber and rise against their masters.
I will even go as far to say that Spartan loyalty and fierceness rivals that of the Nazi's SS and Hitler youth.

[madhatter85]

Spartan Society was an incredible one. They lived for honor and respect, they respected those around them, they were not a war-mongering people.

Thier society in the realm of killign babies with defects was horrible, but you have to think back then, they onyl wanted the best people for thier people.

Thier king faught along side them, led them in battle. Very honorable and noble compaired to other civilizations in that time. Thier king had alot of power but thier government was very similar to the U.S. the king still had to go before the council to mobilize thier army, or to do anything major.

the Spartan civilization goes down in my book as one of the greatest civilizations ever, and definitely the best civilization of its time.

[d.n.irvin]

DYK: The "300", are also mentioned in Bible Prophecy.

[rojse]

Originally Posted by d.n.irvin

DYK: The "300", are also mentioned in Bible Prophecy.

Where?

[Blindinglight]

The "300", are also mentioned in Bible Prophecy.

It would be a safe bet, that the Persian army invading Greece happened before the Bible was wrote.