Battle of Thermopylae

Kyle Floyd The Spartans, led by Leonidas took a stand at Thermopylae. Leonidas led the Spartans against the Persians, who were led by King Xerxes. They were exceedingly valiant in battle. Although they were outnumbered, but they still fought for everything they believed in, their pride for Polis, their hate towards the Persians, the phalanx, and their thoughts towards death. Leonidas and the “300” confronted the Persians at Thermopylae even though it was impossible to stop their invasion…

flaws within the movies that do not relate to the story. When the movie 300 was created based upon Herodotus’ account of the War at Thermopylae, there were a few faults within the film; two of the main flaws being, the matter in which Xerxes’ messengers were sent to King Leonidas to request earth and water, with the other key difference being the point of the battle in which the Spartan king Leonidas was killed. The film was flawed by the fact that Xerxes did not send messengers to Sparta. “But…

Thermopylae is the story of the Greeks fighting the Persians. The saga begins with the Persian army advancing close to the Greeks territory. Fearing the worst, the Greeks hold a conference to discuss their options. Interestingly, some of the Greeks where adamant about holding their ground rather than retreating despite the foes they faced. Around the time of the conference, a Persian spy lurked in the distance. Watching the Greeks, the spy looked with astonishment at what lay before him. The…

Leonidas’s terrain analysis of Thermopylae especially in choosing the pass to defend gave a great advantage to the Spartans. In order for the Persian Army to successfully conquer the Greeks, they needed the Army to stay close with the Navy. The Persians Army’s route to Athens went along the coast of the Malian Gulf. The route went through Thermopylae, “there was at this time, however, a choke point on this route- a narrow shelf of land lying between the slopes of Mount Kallidromos and the waters…

to be one of the most successful civilizations to ever roam the earth. Part of the reason why the Greek civilization has stood the test of time and still exists today is due to their extremely successful militaries. Even though they lost lots of battles and even lots city states completely, their militaries allowed them to expand their boarders at a fast rate. With that being said, this essay will focus on the factors that made the Greek civilization a militaristic powerhouse and it will argue…

When Xerxes asks a Greek citizen, Demaratus, if the Greeks would put up a fight to his large Persian army, he responds “for if a thousand of them should take the field, they will meet thee in battle, and so will any number, be it less this or be it more.” (Herodotus, 6) This statement by Demaratus shows the pride and patriotism that was built from the poleis and embedded into the Greek infantry. Regardless of their numbers, the infantry performed…

In fact, this procedure is very much true. Throughout Spartan history, babies were brought to the council by their parents, for an inspection. This inspection would now be called infanticide. Infanticide is the killing of a child within a year of birth. During the inspection, council men who are generally sixty years old or older would check for any deformities in the children before deciding if they were fit to be a Spartan. The inspection determined their fate. Would they grow up to be a…

Throughout history, leadership is the trait that can propel a society to be successful, or it can lead to a catastrophic failure. Specifically, leadership impacted the lives of citizens in Greece, China, and Israel. Ancient Greece is well-known for epic battles and the bravery of the soldiers and leaders. For example, Sparta boasted that they had extremely skilled warriors. Spartans sought for a king that would encourage the men and women to be the best at what they…

The movie 300 depicts the legend of the 300 Spartans who were able to hold off the Persian infantry at Thermopylae. Their stand gave more time for the Greeks to develop further plans and evacuate. The movie is able to follow the journey of the Spartan soldiers as described by many historians, while still adding “Hollywood touches” to make the movie more successful. The movie 300 is able to give a fairly accurate account of what happened during the Persian invasion of Greece and the stand of the…

The impact of war can be both detrimental and restorative to not only people, but the environment as well. Aside from culture growing and nations expanding, the outcome of a war can also influence and be influenced by geography. The history of all warfare can give us the facts, but geography can open up new windows of opportunities for learning about what society does not already know. War and geography go hand in hand including political, physical, economic, and human subgroups. The result…