The Battle of Thermopylae and the 300

Cinema’s biggest historical lie

What many people may not know is that the movie "300" is not based on historical facts. The movie is an adaptation of Frank Miller's comic book, so today you will learn the true story of the battle of Thermopylae.

Prologue

It was times of war, the Greek City-States were at the forefront of a Persian threat, which was invading Hellenic territory, under the command of Xerxes, who continued a war already started by his father, Darius I. In the year 484 BC , Xerxes arrives with his army and navy in the lands of Asia Minor and, according to the philosopher Herodotus of Halicarnassus, he had more than 5 million men, but today it is speculated that the number is around 250 thousand soldiers , which is still a huge threat, which certainly gave a vertiginous numerical advantage over the Greeks.

Preparation

An alliance was soon forged between the Greek city-states, led by the militaristic Sparta. Leonidas I, king and Spartan general studied the terrain very well and chose Thermopylae as the ideal place for a combat of this caliber, where the Persian numerical superiority could not be enjoyed, due to the small passage that exists in Thermopylae. The idea is simple, and can be easily exemplified, thinking about a corridor in a school, where only 10 students can pass side by side, with the rest limited to the speed at which the first 10 students walk, due to physical limitations of the place. Applied in battle, the thousands of Persians could not all enter into combat at the same time due to the physical limit of the terrain, thus being a combat not of numbers, but of quality and military value.

Distribution

The Greek troops consisted of 300 Spartan Hoplites, the elite of the Hellenic warrior elite, and over 7000 allies from other Greek cities(yes no one went to war with only 300 soldiers). The Greek troops were masters in the use of the phalanx formation (Phalanx), that is, a mass of soldiers, lined up in a cohesive line and columns, protected by a large shield and spears pointed forward, becoming a virtually insurmountable barrier when fought. face to face.
Among the troops of Xerxes, there were the famous Immortals, the elite troops of the King, who promised to cause terror in enemy troops when required for combat.

The Battle

Persian scouts informed Xerxes that the Spartans were waiting, with an infinitely smaller military force, however, they still seemed unconcerned as they combed their hair, oiled their bodies, without apparent anxiety. Expecting the Greeks to surrender, Xerxes waited 4 days and, when he saw that no one was willing to leave without first fighting or dying, he ordered an attack on the fifth day.

As mentioned above, the Greeks disposed themselves in Phalanges, forming a wall of spears and shields from end to end of the passage of Thermopylae. The Persians, with their light clothing, light spears and arrows, could not get past the valiantly struggling Greek wall, where they could not be outflanked or surrounded due to the terrain, thus brutally reducing the advantage of the much larger Persian army.

On the second day of battle, the Persians were being annihilated as on the first day and Xerxes ordered the attack of his elite, the Immortals, thinking in this way to break the Greek formation, however, it was a mistake, and the Spartan phalanx inflicted very heavy casualties on the Persian elite, forcing them to retreat(in real battle Xerxes never said his arrows would eclipse the sun and Leonidas never said he would fight in the shade)

Still on that second day, Ephialtes(who wasn’t crippled like in the comic book), one of the Greeks, defected to the Persian side and informed Xerxes of an alternative passage through Thermopylae, which would result in an outflanking of the Greek troops. Some Greeks, around 100, guarded this passage, but they were attacked by surprise by the Persian contingent, which passed and started the beginning of the end for the Greeks.

The Setback – It was clear that defeat was certain and Leonidas dismissed the non-Spartan and non-Theban Greeks, but still, 600 other soldiers refused to abandon the battle and decided to die fighting to delay the Persian advance.

The fighting was brutal and the Greeks were driven to a small mountain as their numbers dwindled. Spartans were elite soldiers, trained from childhood to give their lives for Sparta and they would. After a time of very violent combat, Leonidas, the Spartan king, is killed and battle, which normally would demoralize his troops, but the opposite happened, the Spartans fought bravely to protect his body. It is said that when their spears broke, the Spartans fought with their swords (xiphos) and when these broke, the fight was with bare hands and teeth. Until the last Spartan soldier was shot down with arrows.

The Aftermath

The Greeks managed to make a huge impact on Xerxes' troops, killing two of his brothers and greatly weakening the invading Persian force, where in later battles, the Persians were easily defeated, including at sea, forcing an end to the invasion campaign. Persian.
In addition to being a great achievement, this battle showed how the terrain and the quality of troops influence combat, and it is still remembered and studied today because it is more than a battle, it is a milestone in history.