"300" the movie: facts and fiction

1974: The invasion of Cyprus, documentary by Michael Cacoyannis

2008-07-22T01:20:00.003+03:00

Alexander the Great

2008-06-13T14:59:00.002+03:00

The 13th (or the 10th) of June 323 is the most probable date of the death of Alexander the Great, the Doric-Hellene, conqueror of the world...

Read more about the extraordinary man on Wiki. Before the age of 33, Alexander, was the King of almost the entire known world, the man who spread the Hellenic culture and language and prepare a new world order for the spread of Christianity 4 centuries later. The only true GREAT OF HISTORY...

Historical continuity

2008-05-28T17:51:00.001+03:00

480 BC "μολών λαβέ" = "come and get them" Leonidas I, King of Sparta

When King Xerxes demanded from Leonidas to surrender his arms.

1453 AD "Το δε την Πόλιν σοι δούναι ούτ' εμόν εστίν, ούτε άλλου των οικούντων εν αυτή. Κοινή γαρ γνώμη πάντες αυτοπροαιρέτως αποθανούμεν και ου φεισόμεθα της ζωής ημών" =
"Surrendering the City to you is not my right, nor the right of anyone else, for we have all decided to die and we shall not spare our lives" Constantine XI Paleologos, Last Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire

When Sultan Mehmet II demanded from Constantine to surrended Constantinople.

PS: those two statues are less that 10 kilometers away, one in the city of Sparta and the other in Mistras, both great men of Lakonian-Hellenic stock, sacrificied their lives for a common cause: FREEDOM

Pheidias Bourlas, «An answer to professor Gary Leupp», Greek-Mythology list, 3 Apr 2007

2008-05-26T15:12:00.002+03:00

I am posting the answer of my friend Pheidias Bourlas to professor Gary Leupp who, among others, accused the film 300 of being "racist and insulting"...

An answer to professor Gary Leupp

By Pheidias Bourlas
3 Apr 2007
Greek-Mythology list

An answer to professor Gary Leupp's article, "A Racist and Insulting Film: 300 vs. Iran (and Herodotus)" (CounterPunch, 31 Mar/1 Apr 2007)

I would say, it's a film, just enjoy it. But, beyond this,

Prof. Gary Leupp's article seems so anti-greek biased, almost so much himself says that the film is anti-iranian! (Beyond the fact that I almost came to believe, reading the article, that Xerxes was a... preincarnation of Ariel Sharon! Well, I exaggerate; somehow the professor does too.) Of course, it's good to have in mind this other side that the professor expresses, I admit this, especially for the foreigners don't knowing a lot about ancient history.

But,

I inform the professor and anyone interested, that the the film "300" has been welcomed in Greece, making an all-time ticket record here. Frank Miller has been honoured by several authorities and people. He himself, many years before has been stated that he is an admirer of Greece, and he was motivated by the heroic battle for freedom, when he had visited Greece. (Even the name "Stelios" of a young Spartan at the comic, is in honour of a Greek friend of Miller himself.) The comic speaks about the free personality and the heroic battle for freedom.

The movie is more superficial and tends to aim much more at the effects, but, for God's sake, it's a film about our ancient heroes!

I understand the associations made by foreigners about the film, but I'm in position to assure that the Greeks today watch and enjoy the film with no anti-iranian feelings at all. Ancient Greeks, also, had no anti-Iranian racist feelings (the professor is right here), but they defended with totally devotion their political paradigm and way of life: the democratic polis. So, Herodotus is right saying that it was a fight against European democracy and Asian despotism; we have the independent Greek democratic polis, against the east monarchic Empire. (I'm not saying the latter is "evil", but it's totally different than the Greek polis.) It isn't needed to mention greek philosophy, logos and science etc.

The professor says: "Or rather, some of the Greeks. Greece at the time was a collection of city-states, politically disunited"
He says as if this is to blame for; it was in contrary the pride of the classic era Greeks.
"Some city-states, including Argos and Thebes, actually aligned themselves with Xerxes."
They were submitted before the tremendous power of Persian Empire; and I don't understand what makes difference with the one that fought.
"Herodotus, the "Father of History" and perhaps the world's first professional historian, paints a picture of a "free" Greece united against an oppressive "Asia." But that is a chauvinistic simplification. The fact is, Persia and the Greek city-states were all slave-based societies whose notions of "freedom" had little in common with our modern conception."
I myself find unacceptable oversimplification the above comment of the professor. Slavery was commonplace, but the idea and the status of the citizen-polites is the innovation which gave inspiration and formed our current democratic ideas too.

The professor says: "Again, I think the Iranians might be over-concerned, since much of the film-viewing crowd won't even associate the ancient Persians with the modern Iranians, but the "clash of civilizations" theme is definitely there."

I'm saying: Totally the opposite!

If we can make reasonably one connection between the story and our days, we should say that the imperialist Empire of today is USA authorities and the Globalisation power.

Every person motivated by the anti-globalisation movement, should admire the fight for freedom of the independent Greek states, each one with its own personality and free citizens, against the Globalization Empire which wipes out the individual personality of the person. If I was Ahmadinejad, I would say that today's 300 Spartans are the Iranias which stand against the empire superpower; the same I would say if I was an antiglobalist activist.

I understand the feelings of the Iranian people against the movie, but I'm telling them this: Look if you want at the subtle irony of the movie. The 300 of Leonidas are shouting and fight against Globalization and the Empire; defend the independent nations. Who is the empire today?

That's why as a Greek (and many many other compatriots of me) we felt pride and enjoyed watching the film, without any anti-Iranian feeling at all.

As for the comment: "Some western film critics have echoed Iranian objections. Dimitris Danikas notes that 300 depicts Persians as "bloodthirsty, underdeveloped zombies" and feeds "racist instincts in Europe and America.""
Oh well! Danikas is a well-known leftist in Greece, saying that the film is... fascist militaristic propaganda! Oh well, with this leftist pacifism! Remember, please, that the ancient Greeks were saying "eleftheron to efpsychon" (free is the courageous); freedom is not a gift it is gained every day with personal fight and responsibility. That's the point.

Just enjoy the film!

Pheidias Bourlas
Athens, Greece

2008-04-04T21:01:00.004+03:00

Dear imposters of Greek history (also known an Monkeydonias)... this is the ONE and ONLY REAL MACEDONIA:

And these are the young Hellenes who will defend it if anyone tries to take a single square cm of Macedonian land:

THE END

March 25 1821...

2008-03-24T18:29:00.001+02:00

Η μάχη των Θερμοπυλών κατά το Διόδωρο το Σικελιώτη

2008-02-25T09:35:00.002+02:00

Η μάχη των Θερμοπυλών κατά το Διόδωρο το Σικελιώτη, αναδημοσίευση από το Μαύρο Φως του Απόλλωνα

Προετοιμασίες των Περσών

Όταν άρχοντας της Αθήνας ήταν ο Καλλιάδης, οι Ρωμαίοι κατέστησαν υπάτους τον Σπόριο Κάσσιο και τον Πρόκλο Ουεργίνιο Τρίκοστο, ενώ οι Ηλείοι τελούσαν την εβδομηκοστή πέμπτη Ολυμπιάδα, κατά την οποία ο Συρακόσιος Αστύλος νίκησε στον αγώνα δρόμου ενός σταδίου. Κατά τη διάρκεια αυτής της περιόδου, ο βασιλιάς Ξέρξης εκστράτευσε εναντίον της Ελλάδας για την παρακάτω αιτία. Ο Μαρδόνιος ο Πέρσης ήταν εξάδελφος του Ξέρξη και συγγενής του εξ αγχιστείας, και θαυμαζόταν εξαιρετικά από τους Πέρσες για τη σύνεση και την ανδρεία του. Αυτός ο άντρας, όντας περήφανος και με υψηλό φρόνημα αλλά και βρισκόμενος στην ακμή της ηλικίας του, επιθυμούσε να γίνει αρχηγός μεγάλων στρατιωτικών δυνάμεων, γι’ αυτό έπεισε τον Ξέρξη να υποδουλώσει του Έλληνες που ήταν πάντα εχθροί με τους Πέρσες. Ο Ξέρξης, πεισμένος από αυτόν και θέλοντας να διώξει όλους τους Έλληνες από την πατρίδα του, έστειλε πρέσβεις και συνήψε συμφωνία μαζί τους, έτσι ώστε ο ίδιος να εκστρατεύσει εναντίον των Ελλήνων που κατοικούσαν στην Ελλάδα, ενώ ταυτόχρονα οι Καρχηδόνιοι να συγκεντρώσουν μεγάλες δυνάμεις και να υποτάξουν τους Έλληνες που κατοικούσαν στην περιοχή της Σικελίας και στην Ιταλία. Σύμφωνα λοιπόν με τις συνθήκες που συνήψαν, οι Καρχηδόνιοι, αφού μάζεψαν μεγάλη ποσότητα χρημάτων, συγκέντρωσαν μισθοφόρους τόσο από την Ιταλία όσο και από τη Λυγιστική καθώς επίσης και από τη Γαλατία και την Ιβηρία, και, επιπλέον, στρατολόγησαν δυνάμεις πολιτών από όλη τη Λιβύη και την Καρχηδόνα. Τελικά, αφού ασχολήθηκαν επί τρία χρόνια με τις προετοιμασίες, συγκέντρωσαν περισσότερους από τριακόσιες χιλιάδες πεζούς και διακόσια πλοία.

Ο Ξέρξης αμιλλώμενος τους Καρχηδονίους στον ζήλο, τους ξεπέρασε σε όλες τις προετοιμασίες στον βαθμό που υπερείχε των Καρχηδονίων σε πλήθος εθνών υπό τις διαταγές του. Άρχισε να ναυπηγεί πλοία σε όλη την παραθαλάσσια περιοχή που βρισκόταν υπό την εξουσία του, στη Φοινίκη και στην Αίγυπτο, αλλά και στην Κιλικία, την Παμφυλία, και την Πισιδική, καθώς επίσης στη Λυκία, την Καρία, τη Μυσία, την Τρωάδα και στις πόλεις που βρίσκονταν στον Ελλήσποντο, στη Βιθυνία και στον Πόντο. Σε διάστημα προετοιμασίας τριών ετών, όπως και οι Καρχηδόνιοι, κατασκεύασε περισσότερα από χίλια διακόσια πολεμικά πλοία. Τον βοήθησε και ο πατέρας του ο Δαρείος που, πριν τον θάνατό του, είχε εξοπλίσει μεγάλες δυνάμεις. Γιατί κι εκείνος, ηττημένος από τους Αθηναίους στο Μαραθώνα, με αρχηγό του στρατού του τον Δάτη, εξακολουθούσε να είναι οργισμένος με τους νικητές Αθηναίους. Ο Δαρείος όμως, ενώ ήταν ήδη έτοιμος να διαβεί εναντίον των Ελλήνων, εμποδίστηκε να το κάνει γιατί πέθανε, οπότε ο Ξέρξης, τόσο λόγω της απαίτησης του πατέρα του όσο και από τη συμβουλή του Μαρδόνιου, αποφάσισε να πολεμήσει τους Έλληνες.

Ετοιμασίες για την αναχώρηση

Όταν λοιπόν όλα είχαν ετοιμαστεί για την εκστρατεία του, ο Ξέρξης παρήγγειλε στους ναυάρχους να συγκεντρώσουν τα πλοία στην Κύμη και στη Φώκαια, ενώ ο ίδιος, αφού συγκέντρωσε τις δυνάμεις του πεζικού και του ιππικού από όλες τις σατραπείες, ξεκίνησε από τα Σούσα. Μόλις έφτασε στις Σάρδεις, έστειλε κήρυκες στην Ελλάδα προστάζοντάς τους να πάνε σε όλες τις πόλεις και να ζητήσουν από τους Έλληνες «γη και ύδωρ» Έπειτα, διαίρεσε τη στρατιά του κι έστειλε ικανό αριθμό αντρών να γεφυρώσουν τον Ελλήσποντο και να σκάψουν μια διώρυγα στον Άθω κατά μήκος του αυχένα της Χερρονήσου, κάνοντας έτσι όχι μόνο τη διάβαση ασφαλή και σύντομη για τις δυνάμεις του αλλά και ελπίζοντας να τρομοκρατήσει τους Έλληνες προκαταβολικά με το μέγεθος των έργων. Αυτοί λοιπόν που στάλθηκαν για την κατασκευή των έργων τα ολοκλήρωναν με ταχύτητα λόγω των πολλών χεριών των εργαζομένων. Οι Έλληνες, μαθαίνοντας το μέγεθος της δύναμης των Περσών, έστειλαν στη Θεσσαλία δέκα χιλιάδες οπλίτες για να καταλάβουν τα περάσματα γύρω από τα Τέμπη. Επικεφαλής των Λακεδαιμονίων ήταν ο Ευαίνετος και ο Αθηναίος ο Θεμιστοκλής. Αυτοί, αφού έστειλαν πρεσβευτές στις πόλεις, ζητούσαν να τους στείλουν στρατιώτες για να φυλάξουν από κοινού τα περάσματα, διότι ήθελαν να κάνουν όλες τις ελληνικές πόλεις να συμμετάσχουν στην εμπροσθοφυλακή και να κάνουν κοινή υπόθεση τον πόλεμο με τους Πέρσες. Επειδή όμως οι περισσότεροι από τους Θεσσαλούς και τους λοιπούς Έλληνες που κατοικούσαν κοντά στα περάσματα είχαν δώσει «γη και ύδωρ» στους αγγελιαφόρους που είχαν φτάσει από τον Ξέρξη, οι δύο στρατηγοί, απελπίστηκαν σχετικά με τη φύλαξη των Τεμπών και ξαναγύρισαν στα μέρη τους.

[ ... ]

Όταν ο Ξέρξης έμαθε ότι ο Ελλήσποντος είχε γεφυρωθεί κα η διώρυγα στον Άθω είχε σκαφτεί, κίνησε από τις Σάρδεις με πορεία προς τον Ελλήσποντο. Φτάνοντας στην Άβυδο, πέρασε το στρατό του μέσα από τη Θράκη αλλά και από τους Έλληνες που συνόρευαν με αυτούς. Μόλις έφτασε στον ονομαζόμενο Δορίσκο, κάλεσε εκεί το ναυτικό έτσι ώστε να έχει και τις δύο δυνάμεις [ναυτικές και χερσαίες] συγκεντρωμένες σε έναν τόπο. Εκεί, έκανε και την επιθεώρηση ολόκληρης της στρατιάς. Ο αριθμός της δύναμης του πεζικού ξεπερνούσε τις οκτακόσιες χιλιάδες άντρες, ενώ το σύνολο των πολεμικών πλοίων ξεπερνούσε τα χίλια διακόσια, από τα οποία τα τριακόσια είκοσι ήταν ελληνικά· τα πληρώματα παρείχαν οι Έλληνες ενώ τα σκάφη τα είχε χορηγήσει ο βασιλιάς. Όλα τα υπόλοιπα λογαριάζονταν ως βαρβαρικά [ ... ]

Οι πρώτες αντιδράσεις των Ελλήνων - Η μάχη στις Θερμοπύλες

Όταν αναγγέλθηκε στους συνέδρους των Ελλήνων ότι οι δυνάμεις των Περσών βρίσκονταν κοντά, θεώρησαν καλό να αποστείλουν γρήγορα τη ναυτική δύναμη στο Αρτεμίσιο της Εύβοιας, θεωρώντας τον τόπο κατάλληλο για την αντιμετώπιση των εχθρών, και ικανό αριθμό οπλιτών στις Θερμοπύλες για να καταλάβουν εκ των προτέρων τα περάσματα στα στενά και να εμποδίσουν τους βαρβάρους να προχωρήσουν εναντίον της Ελλάδας, διότι προσπάθειά τους ήταν να περιλάβουν όσους είχαν επιλέξει την πλευρά των Ελλήνων και να κάνουν ό,τι ήταν δυνατόν για να διαφυλάξουν τους συμμάχους. Αρχηγός ολόκληρου του στόλου ήταν ο Ευρυβιάδης ο Λακεδαιμόνιος, ενώ εκείνων που εστάλησαν στις Θερμοπύλες ο Λεωνίδας ο βασιλιάς των Σπαρτιατών, άντρας που εκτιμούσε τα μέγιστα την ανδρεία και τη στρατηγική ικανότητα. Όταν ανέλαβε την εξουσία, έδωσε εντολή να τον ακολουθήσουν μόνο χίλιοι στην εκστρατεία. Όταν οι έφοροι του είπαν ότι οδηγούσε πάρα πολύ λίγους εναντίον μεγάλης δύναμης και τον πρόσταξαν να πάρει περισσότερους, τους είπε ανεπίσημα ότι για να εμποδίσουν τους βαρβάρους να περάσουν από τα περάσματα ήταν λίγοι, αλλά για την πράξη προς την οποία πορεύονταν ήταν ήδη πολλοί. Καθώς η απάντηση που δόθηκε ήταν αινιγματική και ασαφής, τον ξαναρώτησαν αν θεωρούσε πως τους οδηγούσε προς κάποια ευτελή πράξη. Εκείνος αποκρίθηκε ότι, στα λόγια, τους οδηγούσε να φυλάξουν τα περάσματα, αλλά, στην πράξη, για να πεθάνουν για την κοινή ελευθερία· έτσι, αν πήγαιναν οι χίλιοι, η Σπάρτη θα γινόταν πιο επιφανής όταν θα πέθαιναν, αλλά αν οι Λακεδαιμόνιοι εκστράτευαν πανδημεί, η Λακεδαίμονα θα χανόταν παντελώς, γιατί κανείς απ’ αυτούς δε θα τολμούσε να τραπεί σε φυγή, ώστε να σωθεί. Υπήρχαν λοιπόν χίλιοι Λακεδαιμόνιοι και μαζί με αυτούς τριακόσιοι Σπαρτιάτες, ενώ οι υπόλοιποι Έλληνες που στάλθηκαν μαζί τους στις Θερμοπύλες ήταν τρεις χιλιάδες. Ο Λεωνίδας λοιπόν μαζί με τέσσερις χιλιάδες άντρες βάδιζε προς τις Θερμοπύλες, ενώ οι Λοκροί που κατοικούσαν κοντά στα περάσματα είχαν δώσει γη και ύδωρ στους Πέρσες και είχαν υποσχεθεί ότι θα καταλάμβαναν εκ των προτέρων τα περάσματα. Μόλις έμαθαν ότι ο Λεωνίδας έφτανε στις Θερμοπύλες, μετάνιωσαν και πήγαν με την πλευρά των Ελλήνων. Πήγαν λοιπόν στις Θερμοπύλες χίλιοι Λοκροί, άλλοι τόσοι Μηλιείς και περίπου χίλιοι Φωκείς, καθώς και περίπου τετρακόσιοι Θηβαίοι από την άλλη παράταξη, γιατί οι κάτοικοι των Θηβών είχαν διχαστεί ως προς τη συμμαχία με τους Πέρσες. Οι Έλληνες λοιπόν που είχαν συνταχθεί με τον Λεωνίδα, όντας τόσοι σε αριθμό, κάθονταν στις Θερμοπύλες περιμένοντας την άφιξη των Περσών.

Ο Ξέρξης, μετά την επιθεώρηση των δυνάμεων, προχώρησε με όλο του το στράτευμα, ενώ όλος ο στόλος έπλεε παράλληλα με την πορεία του πεζικού μέχρι την πόλη Άκανθο. Από εκεί τα πλοία πέρασαν, μέσα από το μέρος όπου είχε ανοιχτεί η διώρυγα, στην άλλη θάλασσα γρήγορα και με ασφάλεια. Όταν όμως ο Ξέρξης έφτασε στον Μαλιακό κόλπο, πληροφορήθηκε ότι οι αντίπαλοι είχαν προκαταλάβει τα περάσματα. Γι’ αυτό, αφού συγκέντρωσε πάλι εκεί το σύνολο της δύναμής του, κάλεσε τους συμμάχους του από την Ευρώπη, που ήταν κάτι λιγότερο από διακόσιες χιλιάδες άντρες. Έτσι λοιπόν, είχε συνολικά όχι λιγότερους από ένα εκατομμύριο στρατιώτες, χώρια τη ναυτική δύναμη. Το πλήθος των ανδρών που βρίσκονταν στα πολεμικά πλοία και που μετέφεραν τις προμήθειες και τον υπόλοιπο εξοπλισμό δεν ήταν μικρότερο από αυτό που προαναφέραμε, ώστε δεν υπάρχει τίποτα το εκπληκτικό σε ό,τι λέγεται για το πλήθος που είχε συγκεντρώσει ο Ξέρξης, γιατί λένε πως τα ποτάμια που είχαν πάντα νερό στέρεψαν εξαιτίας του ατελείωτου πλήθους, ενώ τα πελάγη καλύφθηκαν ολότελα από τα πανιά των πλοίων. Οι μεγαλύτερες λοιπόν δυνάμεις των οποίων η περιγραφή έχει παραδοθεί στην ιστορική μνήμη είναι αυτές που συνόδευαν τον Ξέρξη. Αφού οι Πέρσες στρατοπέδευσαν κοντά στο Σπερχειό ποταμό, ο Ξέρξης έστειλε αγγελιαφόρους στις Θερμοπύλες για να ανακαλύψουν, μεταξύ άλλων, τι σκόπευαν να κάνουν οι Έλληνες σχετικά με τον πόλεμο μαζί του. Πρόσταξε επίσης τους αγγελιοφόρους να τους παραγγείλουν ότι ο βασιλιάς Ξέρξης προστάζει να αφήσουν όλοι τα όπλα τους, να επιστρέψουν χωρίς κανένα κίνδυνο στις πατρίδες τους και να συμμαχήσουν με τους Πέρσες· όταν θα τα έκαναν αυτά, τους υποσχέθηκε ότι θα έδινε στους Έλληνες μεγαλύτερη και καλύτερη χώρα από αυτή που κατείχαν τώρα. Ο Λεωνίδας, αφού άκουσε τους αγγελιαφόρους, αποκρίθηκε ότι, ακόμα κι αν συμμαχούσαν με το βασιλιά, θα του ήταν πιο χρήσιμοι με τα όπλα τους, αλλά και αν αναγκάζονταν να πολεμήσουν εναντίον του, θα αγωνίζονταν με αυτά με μεγαλύτερη γενναιότητα υπέρ της ελευθερίας· όσο για τη χώρα που υποσχόταν να τους δώσει, αποκρίθηκε πως είναι πατρογονική συνήθεια στους Έλληνες να μην αποκτούν γη με τη δειλία αλλά με την ανδρεία.

6. Ο βασιλιάς, όταν έμαθε από τους αγγελιαφόρους την απάντηση των Ελλήνων, κάλεσε τον Σπαρτιάτη Δημάρατο, που είχε εξοριστεί από την πατρίδα του και είχε καταφύγει σ’ αυτόν, και, περιγελώντας τις απαντήσεις, ρώτησε το Λάκωνα: «Θα το βάλουν στα πόδια οι Έλληνες γρηγορότερα από τα άλογά μου ή θα τολμήσουν να αντιπαραταχθούν σε τόσο μεγάλες δυνάμεις;» Λένε πως ο Δημάρατος είπε: «Ούτε εσύ ο ίδιος αγνοείς την ανδρεία των Ελλήνων, γιατί τους βαρβάρους που εξεγείρονται τους πολεμάς με ελληνικές δυνάμεις. Μη φαντάζεσαι λοιπόν ότι εκείνου που μάχονται καλύτερα από τους Πέρσες για διατηρήσουν τη δική σου εξουσία, για τη δική τους ελευθερία θα διακινδυνεύσουν τη ζωή τους λιγότερο ενάντια στους Πέρσες. Ο Ξέρξης όμως τον περιγέλασε και τον πρόσταξε να ακολουθήσει για να δει τους Λακεδαιμονίους να τρέπονται σε φυγή. Πήρε λοιπόν το στρατό του και βάδισε εναντίον των Ελλήνων στις Θερμοπύλες, τοποθετώντας τους Μήδους μπροστά από όλα τα έθνη· επιλέγοντάς τους είτε λόγω της ανδρείας του ή επειδή ήθελε να τους εξολοθρεύσει. Διότι οι Μήδοι εξακολουθούσαν να έχουν υψηλό φρόνημα, μια που η ηγεμονία των προγόνων τους δεν είχε πολύ καιρό που είχε καταβληθεί. Συνέβη μάλιστα να είναι στους Μήδους αδελφοί και γιοι εκείνων που είχαν πεθάνει στον Μαραθώνα, ... πιστεύοντας ότι θα επιζητούσαν με όλη τους την καρδιά να πάρουν εκδίκηση από τους Έλληνες. Οι Μήδοι λοιπόν, αφού συντάχθηκαν για μάχη με τούτο τον τρόπο, επιτέθηκαν στους υπερασπιστές των Θερμοπυλών, ο Λεωνίδας όμως, καλά προετοιμασμένος, συγκέντρωσε τους Έλληνες στο πιο στενό σημείο του περάσματος.

7. Η μάχη που ακολούθησε ήταν πεισματική, και, επειδή οι βάρβαροι είχαν θεατή της ανδρείας τους το βασιλιά, ενώ οι Έλληνες, από την πλευρά του, είχαν στο νου τους την ελευθερία και παρακινούνταν στον αγώνα από το Λεωνίδα, το τολμηρό εγχείρημα κατέληξε να είναι εκπληκτικό. Διότι, επειδή η μάχη δινόταν εκ του συστάδην και τα χτυπήματα δίνονταν σώμα με σώμα και επίσης οι γραμμές των αντιπάλων ήταν πολύ πυκνές, η μάχη επί πολύ χρόνο ήταν ισόρροπη. Καθώς οι Έλληνες υπερείχαν σε ανδρεία και σε μέγεθος ασπίδων, οι Μήδοι άρχισαν να ενδίδουν, γιατί πολλοί από αυτούς έπεσαν και ουκ ολίγοι γέμισαν τραύματα. Τους Μήδους διαδέχτηκαν στη μάχη οι Κίσσιοι και οι Σάκες, που είχαν επιλεγεί για την ανδρεία τους και είχαν τοποθετηθεί ακριβώς μετά από τους Μήδους. Όπως συγκρούστηκαν, φρέσκοι αυτοί με ήδη καταπονημένους, για λίγη ώρα άντεξαν τη μάχη, αλλά καθώς σκοτώνονταν και πιέζονταν ισχυρά από τους άντρες του Λεωνίδα, υποχώρησαν. Γιατί οι βάρβαροι, χρησιμοποιώντας μικρές στρογγυλές και ελαφριές ασπίδες, πλεονεκτούσαν όταν πολεμούσαν σε ευρύχωρο τόπο γιατί είχαν την ευκινησία, αλλά σε στενά μέρη δεν μπορούσαν να τραυματίσουν εύκολα τους αντιπάλους, που είχαν πυκνή διάταξη και ήταν ολόκληροι καλυμμένοι από μεγάλες ασπίδες, και οι ίδιοι, μειονεκτώντας λόγω της ελαφρότητας των όπλων που τους προστάτευαν, δέχονταν απανωτά τραύματα. Τέλος, ο Ξέρξης, βλέποντας όλο τον τόπο στα περάσματα στρωμένο με νεκρούς και τους βαρβάρους να μην αντέχουν στην ανδρεία των Ελλήνων, έστειλε μπροστά τους επίλεκτους Πέρσες που ονομάζονταν αθάνατοι κα θεωρούνταν οι πρώτοι σε ανδραγαθήματα από τους συμπολεμιστές τους. Όταν όμως τράπηκαν και αυτοί σε φυγή, αφού αντιστάθηκαν για σύντομο χρονικό διάστημα, τότε, καθώς έπεφτε η νύχτα, έθεσαν τέρμα στις εχθροπραξίες, έχοντας από τους βαρβάρους σκοτωθεί πολλοί ενώ από τους Έλληνες είχαν πέσει μόνο λίγοι.

8. Την επομένη, ο Ξέρξης, τώρα που η μάχη είχε τελειώσει αντίθετα από τις προσδοκίες του, διάλεξε από όλα τα έθνη τους άντρες οι οποίοι θεωρούνταν ότι υπερείχαν σε ανδρεία και τόλμη και μετά από πολλές παρακλήσεις τους ανήγγειλε προκαταβολικά ότι αν μεν κατάφερναν να παραβιάσουν την είσοδο θα τους έδινε αξιόλογα δώρα, αλλά αν τρέπονταν σε φυγή η ποινή θα ήταν ο θάνατος. Ετούτοι όρμησαν στους Έλληνες σε πολύ πυκνή διάταξη και με μεγάλη βιαιότητα, αλλά τότε οι άντρες του Λεωνίδα πύκνωσα κι αυτοί τις γραμμές τους και κάνοντας την παράταξή τους σαν τοίχος αγωνίζονταν μανιασμένα. Ο ζήλος τους έφτασε σε τέτοιο βαθμό ώστε οι γραμμές που συνηθίζεται να μετέχουν εκ περιτροπής στη μάχη δεν υποχωρούσαν, αλλά υπομένοντας αδιαλείπτως τα δεινά σκότωναν πολλούς από τους επίλεκτους βαρβάρους. Πολεμώντας όλη την ημέρα, αμιλλόταν ο ένας τον άλλο· οι μεγαλύτεροι σε ηλικία παραβάλλονταν με την ακμή των νέων, ενώ οι νεότεροι συναγωνίζονταν την εμπειρία και τη δόξα των μεγαλυτέρων. Όταν τελικά τράπηκαν σε φυγή κα οι επίλεκτοι, οι βάρβαροι που ήταν παραταγμένοι πίσω από αυτούς, πύκνωσαν πάλι τις γραμμές τους και δεν άφηναν τους επίλεκτους να τραπούν σε φυγή, κι έτσι αναγκάζονταν να στραφούν πάλι κατά μπρος και να πολεμήσουν. Κι ενώ ο βασιλιάς δεν ήξερε τι να κάνει και πίστευε πως κανένας δε θα τολμούσε πια να μπει στη μάχη, πήγε σ’ αυτόν κάποιος ντόπιος Τραχίνιος, που γνώριζε καλά την ορεινή περιοχή. Αυτός, αφού παρουσιάστηκε στον Ξέρξη, του υποσχέθηκε να οδηγήσει τους Πέρσες μέσα από κάποιο στενό και απόκρημνο μονοπάτι, έτσι ώστε εκείνοι που θα πήγαιναν μαζί του θα βρίσκονταν πίσω από τους άντρες του Λεωνίδα, οι οποίοι θα βρίσκονταν έτσι περικυκλωμένοι και θα ήταν εύκολο να σκοτωθούν. Ο βασιλιάς καταχάρηκε και, αφού τίμησε με δώρα τον Τραχίνιο, έστειλε μαζί του τη νύχτα είκοσι χιλιάδες στρατιώτες. Κάποιος όμως από τους Πέρσες ονόματι Τυρραστιάδας, που καταγόταν από την Κύμη, έντιμος άνθρωπος και καλού χαρακτήρα, δραπέτευσε από το στρατόπεδο των Περσών τη νύχτα και πήγε στους άντρες του Λεωνίδα φανερώνοντάς τους τα σχετικά με τον Τραχίνιο που αγνοούσαν.

9. Μαθαίνοντάς τα οι Έλληνες συνεδρίασαν μέσα στη μέση της νύχτας και συσκέπτονταν σχετικά τους επικείμενους κινδύνους. Μερικοί λοιπόν είπαν ότι έπρεπε να εγκαταλείψουν αμέσως τα περάσματα και να αναζητήσουν ασφάλεια κοντά στους συμμάχους, γιατί ήταν αδύνατο να σωθούν όσοι θα έμεναν. Ο Λεωνίδας όμως, ο βασιλιάς των Λακεδαιμονίων, φιλοδοξώντας να περιβάλει τόσο τον εαυτό του όσο και τους Σπαρτιάτες με μεγάλη δόξα, πρόσταξε όλους τους άλλους Έλληνες να φύγουν και να σωθούν, έτσι ώστε στις άλλες μάχες να πολεμήσουν μαζί με τους Έλληνες, οι ίδιοι όμως οι Λακεδαιμόνιοι, είπε, έπρεπε να μείνουν και να μην εγκαταλείψουν τη φύλαξη των περασμάτων, διότι εκείνοι που ηγούνται της Ελλάδας οφείλουν να πεθαίνουν πρόθυμα αγωνιζόμενοι για τα πρωτεία. Αμέσως λοιπόν όλοι οι άλλοι έφυγαν, ενώ ο Λεωνίδας μαζί με τους συμπολίτες του εκτέλεσε ηρωικές και εκπληκτικές πράξεις. Μολονότι οι Λακεδαιμόνιοι ήταν λίγοι, γιατί είχε κρατήσει μόνο τους Θεσπιείς και συνολικά δεν είχε περισσότερους από πεντακόσιους άντρες, ήταν έτοιμος να υποδεχτεί το θάνατο για χάρη της Ελλάδας. Μετά από αυτά, οι Πέρσες που συνόδευαν τον Τραχίνιοι, αφού έκαναν το γύρο της δύσβατης περιοχής, βρέθηκαν ξαφνικά πίσω από τους άντρες του Λεωνίδα, και οι Έλληνες, έχοντας παραιτηθεί από κάθε ελπίδα σωτηρίας και επιλέγοντας την καλή φήμη, ζητούσαν με μια φωνή από τον αρχηγό τους να τους οδηγήσει εναντίον των εχθρών, πριν μάθουν οι Πέρσες ότι οι δικοί τους είχαν κάνει τον κύκλο. Ο Λεωνίδας, αποδεχόμενος την ετοιμότητα των στρατιωτών του, τους παρήγγειλε να ετοιμάσουν γρήγορα το πρωινό τους, αφού το δείπνο τους θα το έπαιρναν στον Άδη. Όσο για τον ίδιο, έφαγε επίσης, σύμφωνα με τη διαταγή που είχε δώσει, πιστεύοντας πως έτσι θα μπορούσε να διατηρήσει τις δυνάμεις του για πολύ χρόνο και να έχει αντοχή στους κινδύνους της μάχης. Μόλις ανέλαβαν μετά από λίγο τις δυνάμεις τους και ήταν όλοι έτοιμοι, ο Λεωνίδας πρόσταξε τους στρατιώτες να επιτεθούν στο στρατόπεδο των αντιπάλων, να σκοτώσουν όσους συναντήσουν και να ορμήσουν στην ίδια τη σκηνή του βασιλιά.

10. Εκείνοι λοιπόν, σύμφωνα με τις εντολές του, έπεσαν, ενώ ήταν ακόμη νύχτα, σαν ένα σώμα στο στρατόπεδο των Περσών, με τον Λεωνίδα επικεφαλής να τους οδηγεί. Οι βάρβαροι, τόσο λόγω του αναπάντεχου της επίθεσης όσο και από άγνοια, έβγαινα από τις σκηνές όλοι μαζί τρέχοντας άτακτα μέσα σε μεγάλη ταραχή, και νομίζοντας ότι οι στρατιώτες που είχαν φύγει με τον Τραχίνιο είχαν χαθεί και ότι είχε έρθει καταπάνω τους όλη η δύναμη των Ελλήνων, κατατρόμαξαν. Γι’ αυτό και σκοτώθηκαν πολλοί από τους άντρες του Λεωνίδα, αλλά ακόμη περισσότεροι χάθηκαν από τους ίδιους τους συντρόφους τους που, μέσα στην άγνοιά τους, τους περνούσαν για εχθρούς. Γιατί, από τη μια, η νύχτα στερούσε την αληθινή επίγνωση των πραγμάτων και, από την άλλη, η ταραχή που είχε απλωθεί σε όλο το στρατόπεδο ήταν λογικό να δημιουργεί μεγάλο μακελειό, αφού αλληλοσκοτώνονταν, καθώς οι περιστάσεις δεν επέτρεπαν λεπτομερή εξέταση, επειδή δεν υπήρχαν εντολές από κάποιον αρχηγό ούτε κάποιο σύνθημα για να το ζητήσουν ούτε, γενικά, κάποια λογική στην όλη κατάσταση. Αν λοιπό ο βασιλιάς είχε μείνει στη βασιλική σκηνή, εύκολα θα είχε σκοτωθεί κι αυτός από τους Έλληνες και όλος ο πόλεμος θα είχε φτάσει σε γρήγορο τέλος. Όπως όμως είχε το πράγμα, ο Ξέρξης είχε πεταχτεί έξω στην αναταραχή, και οι Έλληνες, ορμώντας μέσα στη σκηνή, σκότωσαν σχεδόν όλους όσους βρήκαν μέσα. Όσο ήταν ακόμα νύχτα, περιπλανιόνταν μέσα σε όλο το στρατόπεδο αναζητώντας, όπως ήταν λογικό, τον Ξέρξη. Όταν όμως ξημέρωσε και φανερώθηκε η όλη κατάσταση, οι Πέρσες, βλέποντας πως οι Έλληνες ήταν λίγοι, τους αψήφησαν. Δεν συγκρούστηκαν βέβαια μαζί τους πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο, φοβούμενοι την ανδρεία τους, αλλά τους κύκλωσαν από τα πλάγια και από πίσω και, ρίχνοντας τους από παντού βέλη και ακόντια, τους σκότωσαν όλους. Έτσι λοιπόν τελείωσαν τη ζωή τους οι άντρες που φύλαγαν τα περάσματα στις Θερμοπύλες μαζί με τον Λεωνίδα.

[...]

Όχι μόνο οι ιστορικοί συγγραφείς αλλά και πολλοί από τους ποιητές ύμνησαν τις ανδραγαθίες τους. Ένας από αυτούς ήταν και ο Σιμωνίδης, ο λυρικός ποιητής, που συνέθεσε ένα εγκώμιο, αντάξιο της αρετής τους, στο οποίο λέει:

Για κείνους που πέθαναν στις Θερμοπύλες,

ένδοξη η τύχη, ωραίος ο θάνατος,

βωμός ο τάφος, μνήμη παντοτινή αντί για θρήνος,

κι η μοίρα τους αντικείμενο εγκωμίων.

Σάβανο σαν κι αυτό μήτε η σαπίλα

μήτε ο χρόνος ο πανδαμάτορας θα αμαυρώσει

των γενναίων ανδρών.

Και το μνήμα την καλή φήμη της Ελλάδας διάλεξε για ένοικό του.

Μάρτυρας είναι ο Λεωνίδας, ο βασιλιάς της Σπάρτης, που μέγα στολίδι άφησε πίσω του την αρετή και δόξα αιώνια.

Διόδωρου Σικελιώτη, Βιβλιοθήκης Ιστορικής Βίβλος Ενδεκάτη

Η μεταφράση είναι από τη σειρά
"ΟΙ ΕΛΛΗΝΕΣ" των εκδόσεων ΚΑΚΤΟΣ

***

NAPOLEON'S BLOODLINE

2008-02-15T18:05:00.001+02:00

Was Napoleon a "Spartan" as well?

Hellenic Civilization Part 1

2008-01-05T17:56:00.003+02:00

Hellenic Civilization Part 2

2008-01-05T17:56:00.001+02:00

300 - The Last Stand (No Retreat, No Surrender)

2007-12-08T19:49:00.001+02:00

THE SPARTANS/ΟΙ ΣΠΑΡΤΙΑΤΕΣ

2007-12-08T19:44:00.001+02:00

Εl Greco TRAILER / ΕΛ ΓΚΡΕΚΟ 2007

2007-11-10T19:24:00.001+02:00

Ancient Greek influence all over the world

2007-11-07T22:17:00.001+02:00

Well, I can't say I have enough knowledge to support thee theories, but here's a clip for you to watch and think...

In 1987 the University of Haidelberg published a book with the tittle:" Greek lingustic elements in the Polynesian languages - Greek Pacific" Writer was the German Nors.S.Josephson, who insists that there are more than 1000 Greek words in the Polynisian languages, result of influence at around 950 B.C, by.. ancient Greek coloners..Furthermore, the influence is so amazing that the way of living, the clothes, the ship constructions and the music even today, have so many similarities with the Greek. And not only in Melanesia,Polynesia but also in Easter islands .

Ίνκας και μυκηναϊκή γλώσσα
Ο καθηγητής V.F.Lopez στα τέλη του 19ου αιώνα, μελετώντας την επίσημη 'βασιλική' γλώσσα των Ίνκας διαπίστωσε εντυπωσιακές ομοιότητες με την Μυκηναϊκή γλώσσα. Στο έργο του 'Les Races Aryenes du Perou' Αναφέρεται λεπτομερώς στα στοιχεία που συγκέντρωσε.

Το 1380 μ.Χ., ανακαλύφθηκε ο λεγόμενος "χάρτης του Ζήνωνος", στον οποίο φαινόταν οι χώρες του Αρκτικού κύκλου. Μάλιστα στον ίδιο χάρτη παρουσιάζονται όρη της Γροιλανδίας, που εμείς τα ανακαλύψαμε μόλις το 1947.
Το ίδιο ισχύει και για την Ανταρκτική, όπως απέδειξε η εύρεση του χάρτη που σχεδίασε το 1737 μ.Χ. ο Γάλλος ακαδημαϊκός Φιλίπ Μπυά. Σχεδίασε ένα χάρτη ως αντίγραφο πανάρχαιων Ελληνικών χαρτών. Στον ίδιο χάρτη, η Ανταρκτική παρουσιάζεται να αποτελείται από δύο νησιά, πράγμα που ανακαλύφθηκε μόλις το 1958.

Η ανακάλυψη των χαρτών του Πιρί Ρέις δείχνει ότι οι αρχαίοι Έλληνες γνώριζαν όλο τον κόσμο.
Σημαντικό επίσης να σημειωθεί, είναι ότι οι χάρτες αυτοί έχουν σχεδιαστεί με την μέθοδο της Γεωγραφικής προβολής, που υποτίθεται ότι εφευρέθηκε τον 20ο αιώνα. Οι αποστάσεις που αναφέρονται μεταξύ Ευρώπης, Αφρικής και Αμερικής, έχουν μεγάλη ακρίβεια. Οι αποστάσεις αυτές, μετρήθηκαν τον 18ο αιώνα. Πάνω στους ίδιους χάρτες, φαίνονται οι περιοχές κάτω από το Νότιο παγωμένο Ωκεανό -όπως θα ήταν χωρίς τους πάγους-, οι οποίες ανακαλύφθηκαν τον 18ο αιώνα. Παρουσιάζουν επίσης την Ανταρκτική η οποία ανακαλύφθηκε το 1830, σημειώνοντας τα βουνά της με τα ύψη τους που ακόμα και σήμερα δεν έχουν υπολογιστεί.

Ancient Hellas (Greece)

2007-10-19T11:03:00.001+03:00

Music by Vangelis

The (hi)story of a word...

2007-08-22T14:37:00.001+03:00

"Λαλούδα" or "Lalouda", written with Latin letters, is a word found in Homer (approx 800 B.C.), it means "rock", more specifically, it's a white round rock which has been shaped by the sea.

Believe it or not, it is still being used by the inhabitants of Mani today...

Above, an authentic lalouda from the beach of St Nicolaos.

Cretan dance

2007-08-02T18:15:00.001+03:00

Speaking of Crete the other day, the Arkadi and the Doric ancestry of Cretans, here's a video with a traditional Cretan dance, called Pendozali.

The Ephors

2007-07-24T22:09:00.001+03:00

Article from Wiki:

An ephor (Classical Greek Ἔφορος) (from the Greek ἐπί, epi, "on" or "over", and ὁράω, horaō, "to see", i.e. "one who oversees") was an official of ancient Sparta. There were five ephors elected annually, who swore each month to uphold the rule of the two kings, while the kings swore to uphold the law.

Herodotus claimed that the institution was created by Lycurgus, but it may have arisen from the need for governors while the kings were leading armies in battle. The ephors were elected by the popular assembly, and all citizens were eligible for election. They were forbidden to be reelected. They provided a balance for the two kings, who rarely cooperated with each other. Plato called them tyrants who ran Sparta as despots, while the kings were little more than generals.

The ephors presided over meetings of the Gerousia, the oligarchic council of elders. They were in charge of civil trials, taxation, the calendar, foreign policy, and military training for young men. The year was named after one of them, like the eponymous archon of Athens. Two ephors accompanied the army in battle, and they could arrest and imprison the kings for misconduct during war. The ephors were also considered to be personally at war with the helots, so that they could imprison or execute any of them for any reason at any time without having to bring them to trial or violate religious rituals.

Cleomenes III abolished the ephors in 227 BC, but they were restored by the Macedonian king Antigonus III Doson after the Battle of Sellasia. The position existed into the 2nd century AD when it was probably abolished by the Roman emperor Hadrian.

The Apella

2007-07-24T22:06:00.001+03:00

After a break with references to the more recent past of the descendants of the Spartans, lets return to the main scope of this blog with an article from wikipedia about the Apella:

Apella was the official title of the popular assembly in the Ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, corresponding to the ecclesia in most other Greek states. Every Spartan male full citizen who had completed his thirtieth year was entitled to attend the meetings, which, according to Lycurgus's ordinance, must be held at the time of each full moon within the boundaries of Sparta.

They had in all probability taken place originally in the Agora, but were later transferred to the neighbouring building known as the Skias (Paus. iii. 12. 10). The presiding officers were at first the kings, but in historical times the ephors, and the voting was conducted by shouts; if the president was doubtful as to the majority of voices, a division was taken and the votes were counted. Lycurgus had ordained that the apella must simply accept or reject the proposals submitted to it, and though this regulation fell into neglect, it was practically restored by the law of Theopompus and Polydorus which empowered the kings and elders (gerousia) to set aside any "crooked" decision of the people (Plut. Lycurg. 6). In later times, too, the actual debate was almost, if not wholly, confined to the kings, elders, ephors and perhaps the other magistrates. The apella voted on peace and war, treaties and foreign policy in general: it decided which of the kings should conduct a campaign and settled questions of disputed succession to the throne: it elected elders, ephors and other magistrates, emancipated helots and perhaps voted on legal proposals. There is a single reference (Xen. Hell. iii. 3. 8) to a "small assembly" ἡ μικρα καλουμενη εκκλησια) at Sparta, but nothing is known as to its nature or competence. The term apella does not occur in extant Spartan inscriptions, though two decrees of Gythium belonging to the Roman period refer to the μεγαλαι απελλαι (Le Bas-Foucart, Voyage archéologique, ii., Nos. 242a, 243).

The apella was responsible for electing men to the gerousia for life. Candidates were selected from the aristocrats and presented before the apella. The candidate who received the loudest applause became a member of the gerousia.

The apella also elected the five ephors annually. Ephors presided over meetings of the gerousia and the apella. They could not run for re-election.

The gerousia presented motions before the apella. The apella then voted on the motions. However, unlike the ecclesia in Athens, the apella did not debate; it merely approved or disapproved of measures. Moreover, the gerousia always had the power to veto the decision of the apella.

Recent Thermopylae of the Greeks, Part IV

2007-07-20T21:03:00.000+03:00

The Holocaust of Arkadi
By MARIA A. KARAMITSOS

A little known historical fact to many, the Holocaust of Arkadi is a significant date in Hellenic history. This key event was an important precursor to the emancipation of Crete from the Turks in 1898, and in enosis (union) with Greece in 1913.

The Holy Monastery of Arkadi is one of Crete's most acclaimed symbols of freedom. Here, hundreds of people perished in the fight for freedom. Its history dates back to Byzantine times, and this fortress- like monastery is said to be named for Arkadios, a monk who founded the holy order. By the 16th century, the monastery played an important role in the cultural life of Crete, as it contained a library and a school. This legendary monastery still stands today, as a reminder of the great sacrifices made by these brave individuals for freedom. One can visit the monastery, located in the area near Rethymnon. There is a museum inside, which houses relics from the holocaust as well as some beautiful icons. Currently, two monks reside there and a massive restoration effort began a few years ago.

The Cretans and the Turks had a long history of frequent and bloody uprisings. Cretans, long known for their bravery and survival skills, were determined to fight with every available tool-whether a rifle or farm implements. They wished to guard family and country, with the ultimate goal of gaining independence and union with Greece. Steadfast in this mission, by 1866, a 16-member revolutionary committee had formed, and with its strategic placement, made Arkadi Monastery its headquarters.

When the Turkish Pasha that ruled in Rethymnon became aware of the committee, he ordered Abbot Gabriel Marinakis to disarm the committee immediately and eject the rebels, or the monastery would be destroyed. Little did the Pasha know, Abbot himself was acting as chairman of the committee.

Therefore, Abbot Gabriel refused the command. The rebels began to prepare, as they knew a Turkish attack was imminent.

In the early morning hours of November 8, 1866, the rebels were wakened to the sight 15,000 Turkish soldiers surrounding the monastery, and at least 30 cannons ready to fir members, were guarding the monastery walls. To further complicate matters, there were 700 women and children within the confines of monastery, who had sought refuge from the Turks.

The Turkish commander demanded surrender. The response was gunfire, and the battle ensued. Turkish forces attacked the monastery and met with heavy fire from the Cretan rebels, as well as snipers hiding in a windmill. As that first day drew to a close, the area was filled with Turkish corpses. The snipers were killed, but somehow, the gate and walls were held.

During the night, two of the rebels snuck out, dressed as Turkish soldiers. They went for help in a nearby town. Unable to secure reinforcements, one of the rebels actually snuck back into the monastery, to continue the fight.

The next morning, utilizing heavy artillery, Turkish troops smashed the gate and destroyed the entry walls. The abbot gathered all the people into the chapel to administer the last sacrament. He advised them to die bravely, as he himself was going to do.

Undaunted, Abbot Gabriel went out on an unguarded terrace and began shooting at the Turks. The Pasha ordered the abbot to be taken alive. The Turks tried to follow orders, but one Turkish soldier found the ease of murdering Abbot too tempting. Abbot was shot in the stomach and fell to his death. Shortly before dying, Abbot gave his blessing to a rather desperate plan, developed by rebel Konstantine Giaboudakis. The refugees preferred death to falling into the hands of the Turks, so they went along with the plan. The committee unanimously approved and they moved forward.

Though the rebels waged a fierce battle, resulting in hundreds of Turkish casualties, they knew they couldn't continue at that level, as munitions were running low. By nighttime, the Turks launched a massive assault, storming the monastery and entering the inner courtyard. Fearless, the rebels fought them in hand-to-hand style combat.

During this time, Giaboudakis led the women and children into the gunpowder storage room. They prayed together and waited until the Turkish troops were pounding at the door. As the door began to break, Giaboudakis lit a gunpowder keg, resulting in a massive explosion. All the refugees were killed, as well as hundreds of Turkish soldiers. The final death toll was 864 Cretans, including men, women and children, plus 1500 Turkish troops. Of the 114 prisoners taken by the Turks, all were put to death. Somehow, three rebels escaped and lived to tell of the astonishing events that took place.

News of the holocaust rocked Europe, and won much support for the Cretan freedom movement. In 1898, with the assistance of Greece, England, France, Italy and Russia, the Turks withdrew, ending their occupation of the island that dated back to 1669. At long last Crete had won its independence. By 1913, the ultimate goal was achieved-unity with Greece.

This is yet another tale of the bravery and unwavering courage of our Hellenic ancestors in the fight for freedom from the Turks. May these brave individuals rest in peace and may we always remember their courage and determination. Visit this historical place when visiting Crete; yet another piece of our proud Hellenic history.

Links:
Original Text
About the Arkadi monastery (in greek)

Recent Thermopylae of the Greeks, Part III

2007-07-14T22:03:00.001+03:00

the Greeks were actually celebrating their entrance to WW 2 (!!!)

Recent Thermopylae of the Greeks, Part II

2007-07-14T21:59:00.001+03:00

Recent Thermopylae of the Greeks, Part I

2007-07-14T20:44:00.000+03:00

A new chapter in this blog celebrating more recent heroic deeds of the descendants of the Spartans.

Begining with the Ottoman-Egyptian invasion of Mani and following with a couple of videos about the first allied victories of the second World War...

Quiz: Where are the Spartans today? THE ANSWER

2007-07-13T16:51:00.000+03:00

Finally some time to answer my quiz question, I am copy/pasting from Wikipedia part of the chapter on the Maniots (the history of Maniots from Mycenaean to Medieval times, records prove that the inhabitants of the area remained faithful to the old Gods until at least the 9th century AD):

The Maniots (or Maniates; Greek: Μανιάτες) are the Greek inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula (the middle leg of the Peloponnese) located in the southern Peloponnese in the Greek prefecture of Laconia and prefecture of Messinia. They were also formerly known as Mainotes in English and the peninsula as Maina. Etymologically, the name "Maniot" means "one who comes from Mani". Geographically, the peninsula itself is an extension of the Taygetus mountain range. Modern Maniots claim descent from the ancient Lacedaemonians (Spartans). Throughout history, the Maniots have been known by their neighbors and their enemies as fearless warriors who practice blood feuds.

As early as Byzantine times, the Maniots were also known as pirates, as a result of lack of raw materials and resources, and insufficient capital for trade. For the most part, the Maniots lived in fortified villages (and "house-towers") where they defended their lands against the Ottomans and even against the armies of William II Villehardouin.

Mycenaean Mani
Homer's "Catalogue of ships" in the Iliad mentions the cities of Mani: Messi (Mezapos), Oetylus (Oitylo), Kardamili (or Skardamoula), Gerenia, Teuthone (Kotronas) and Las (Passavas). Under the Mycenaeans, Mani flourished and a temple dedicated to the Greek god Apollo was built at Cape Tenaro. The temple was of such importance that it rivaled Delphi which was then a temple dedicated to Poseidon. Eventually, the temple of Tenaro was dedicated to Poseidon and the temple at Delphi was dedicated to Apollo. According to other legends, there is a cave near Tenaro that leads to Hades. Mani was also featured in other mythological tales such as the one where Helen of Troy and Paris spent their first night together on the island of Cranae, off the coast of Gytheio.

In the 12th century BC, the Dorians invaded Laconia. The Dorians originally settled at Sparta, but they soon started to expand their territory and by around 800 BC they had taken over Mani and the rest of Laconia. Mani's inhabitants were given the social caste of Perioeci. During that time, the Phoenicians came to Mani and were thought to have established a colony at Gythium. The Phoenicians built the colony at Gythium in order to collect murex, a sea shell that was used to make purple dye and was plentiful in the Laconian Gulf.

Classical Mani
While the Spartans ruled Mani, Tenaro became an important gathering place for mercenaries. Gythium became a major port under the Spartans as it was only 27 kilometres away from Sparta. In 455 BC, during the First Peloponnesian War, it was besieged and captured by the Athenian admiral, Tolmides, along with 50 triremes and 4,000 hoplites. The city and the dockyards were rebuilt and by the late Peloponnesian War, Gythium was the main building place for the new Spartan fleet. The Spartan leadership of the Peloponnese lasted until 371 BC, when the Thebans under Epaminondas defeated them at Leuctra. The Thebans launched a campaign against Laconia and managed to capture Gythium after a three day siege. The Thebans only briefly managed to hold Gythium, which was captured by 100 elite warriors posing as athletes.

Hellenistic Mani
During the Hellenistic period of Greece, Mani remained under Spartan control. The Macedonians under the command of Philip V of Macedon invaded Mani and Laconia (219 BC - 218 BC) and unsuccessfully besieged the cities of Gythium, Las and Asine. When Nabis took over the Spartan throne in 207 BC, he implemented some reforms. One of these reforms entailed making Gythium into a major port and naval arsenal. In 195 BC, during the Roman-Spartan War, the Roman Republic and the Achean League with assistance from a combined Pergamese and Rhodian captured Gythium after a lengthy siege.

The allies went on to besiege Sparta and forced Nabis to surrender. As part of the terms of the peace treaty, the coastal cities of Mani were liberated. The cities formed the Koinon of Free Laconians with Gythium as the capitol under Achean protection. Nabis not content with losing his land in Mani, built a fleet and strengthened his army and advanced upon Gythium in 192 BC. The Achean League's army and navy under Philopoemen, tried to relieve the city but the Achean navy was defeated off Gythium and the army was forced to retreat to Tegea. A Roman fleet under Atilius managed to re-capture Gythium later that year. Nabis was murdered later that year and Sparta was made part of the Achean League. However, the Spartans, while searching for a port, attacked Las and captured it. The Acheans responded by seizing Sparta and forcing their laws on it.

Roman Mani
The Maniots lived in peace until 146 BC with the advent of the Battle of Corinth. The conflict resulted in the destruction of Corinth by the forces of Lucius Mummius Achaicus and the annexation of the Achaean League by the Roman Republic. Even though the Romans conquered the Peloponnese, the Koinon was allowed to retain its independence. The Maniots suffered from pirate raids by Cretan and Cilicians who plundered Mani and pillaged the temple of Poseidon. The Maniots were delivered from the pirates when Pompey the Great defeated them. Most probably in gratitude, the Maniots supplied Pompey with archers in his battles against Julius Caesar during Caesar's civil war (49 BC - 45 BC).

During the Civil war between Antony and Octavian (32 BC - 30 BC), the Maniots and Laconians assisted Augustus by sending him men to join his navy. Augustus defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt at the Battle of Actium (September 2, 31 BC) and in gratitude, he officially recognized the Koinon and visited Psamathous and it became a semi-independent state. This signified the beginning of the Golden Age of the Koinon.

Mani flourished under the Romans. The Koinon consisted of 24 cities (later 18), of which Gythium remained the prominent. However, some parts of Mani remained under the also semi-independent Sparta, the most notable being Asine and Karymili. The Mani became the center of the purple dye, which was popular in Rome as well as being well known for it's rose antique marble and porphyry. Las is recorded to have been a comfortable city with Roman baths and a gymnasium.

Pausanias the geographer left us a description of the town as it existed during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161 - 180). The agora, the Acropolis, the island of Cranae (Marathonisi) where Paris celebrated his nuptials with Helen of Troy, the Migonium or precinct of Aphrodite Migonitis (occupied by the modern town), and the hill Larysium (Koumaro) rising above it. Nowadays, the most noteworthy remains of the theatre and the buildings partially submerged by the sea all belong to the Roman period.

The Koinon remained semi-independent until the provincial reforms of Roman Emperor Diocletian in 297. With the barbarian invasion affecting the Roman Empire, Mani became a haven for refugees. In 375, a massive earthquake in the area took its toll on Gythium which was severely devastated.

Medieval Mani

From Theodosius I to the Avar invasion
On January 17, 395, Theodosius I who had managed to unite the Roman Empire under his control died. His eldest son Arcadius succeeded him in the Eastern Roman Empire while his younger son Honorius received the Western Roman Empire. The Roman Empire had split for the last time and Mani became part of the Eastern or Byzantine Empire. Between 395 and 397, Alaric I and his Visigoths plundered the Peloponnese and destroyed what was left of Gythium. Alaric captured the most famous cities, Corinth, Argos, and Sparta, selling many of their inhabitants into slavery. He was at last defeated by Stilicho and then crossed the Gulf of Corinth towards the north.

In 468, Genseric of the Vandals, trying to conquer Mani, with the purpose of using it as a base to raid the Peloponnese and then conquer the Peloponnese. Genseric tried to land his fleet at Kenipolis but as his army disembarked the inhabitants of the town attacked the Vandals and made them retreat after they suffered heavy casualties. Byzantine general Belisarius on the way to his campaign against the Vandals, stopped at Kenipolis to get supplies, honor the Kenipolians, for their victory and to recruit some soldiers. According to Greenhalgh and Eliopoulos, the Eurasian Avars (along with the Slavs) attacked and occupied most of western Peloponnese in 590. However, there is no archaeological evidence for any Slavic (or Avaric) penetration of imperial Byzantine territory before the end of the 6th century. Overall, traces of Slavic culture in Greece are very rare.

During the Macedonian dynasty
There is a description of Mani and its inhabitants in Constantine VII's De Administrando Imperio:

“ Be it known that the inhabitants of Castle Maina are not from the race of aforesaid Slavs but from the older Romaioi, who up to the present time are termed Hellenes by the local inhabitants on account of their being in olden times idolaters and worshippers of idols like the ancient Greeks, and who were baptized and became Christians in the reign if the glorious Basil. The place in which they live is waterless and inaccessible, but has olives from which they gain some consolation. ”

The area inhabited by the Maniates was first called by the name "Maina" and was associated with the castle of Tigani. The Maniots at that time were called "Hellenes", that is, pagans (see Names of the Greeks), and were only Christianized fully in the 9th century AD, though some church ruins from the 4th century AD indicate that Christianity was practiced by some Maniots in the region at an earlier time. The Maniots were the last inhabitants of Greece to openly follow the pagan Hellenic religion. This can be explained by the mountainous nature of Mani's terrain, which enabled them to escape the attempts of the Eastern Roman Empire to Christianize Greece by force.

Also see: Grand Magne, Mani Hellas, Mani on Wiki, Photos of Mani

300 - Patrida mou

2007-07-10T21:27:00.001+03:00

Battle of Thermopylae 480 BC (repeat)

2007-07-03T23:38:00.001+03:00

Taygetus - Taleton - translated

2007-07-02T19:19:00.000+03:00

I have added the English translation to the documentary about the mountain of the Ancient Spartans in the COMMENTS. The translation is almost literal from Greek to English, so please forgive some "greeklish" expressions.

For your better view you can open the "comments section" and watch the movies at the same time.

Enjoy!!

Taygetos Taleton 1

2007-07-02T00:39:00.001+03:00

This is a series of 5 small documentary films about Taygetus the mountain of the Ancient Spartans

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taygetus

Taygetos Taleton 2

2007-07-02T00:36:00.007+03:00

Taygetos Taleton 3

2007-07-02T00:36:00.005+03:00

Taygetos Taleton 4

2007-07-02T00:36:00.003+03:00

Taygetos Taleton 5

2007-07-02T00:36:00.001+03:00

MACEDONIA - The PANHELLENIC Sun Of Vergina

2007-06-21T12:54:00.001+03:00

Before answering the quiz (Lindsay of course knows the answer) here's a video about the Doric-Spartan connection of Alexander the Great.

Quiz: Where are the Spartans today?

2007-06-19T11:59:00.001+03:00

A challenge for you... Sparta lost it's status as the leading power of Greece in 362 B.C. when the Thebans, under Epaminondas, invaded the Peloponnese and crashed the Spartans at the Battle of Mantinea. The Thebans liberated the helots and Sparta was reduced into a second-class city-state in the Hellenic world.

Unlike all the other Hellenic Kingdoms and Democracies of mainland Greece, Sparta was not conquered by Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, and the Spartans did not march into Asia together with the other Greeks, simply, because their ancient laws prohibited them to go to war unless they were the leaders of the campaign.

Then came the Hellenistic period and the Spartans built a wall around their city for the first time in history. During the Roman period Sparta became a kind of amusement park for travellers who visited the city in search of what remained of its ancient Glory.

What happened next?

Doric philosophy: Life is War

2007-06-15T11:06:00.000+03:00

The society of ancient Sparta was indeed orientated to WAR... war, or better the preparing for war was what Spartans were doing all their lives.

Our friend W. Lindsay Wheeler was kind enough to send me the following link about Doric Philosophy (thank you very much Lindsay!!): http://www.internet-encyclopedia.org/index.php/Life_is_War#Doric_philosophy

ps: I am sorry but I've been pretty busy these days at work and don't have time to update this blog as often as I would like.

Homosexuality in Ancient Greece

2007-06-13T18:00:00.001+03:00

A friend of the blog had mailed me some time ago to mention something about homosexuality in ancient Greece. I have read some arguements on whether it's a more modern invention of some historians or the alleged tolerance of same sex relations was a fact in classical antiquity... Well, there are some ancient Greek texts which argue against it and they are very interesting to look at.

Για την Αμαλία...

2007-06-01T14:14:00.001+03:00

June 1, 479 BC

2007-06-01T11:11:00.000+03:00

2486 years since the Battle of Platea, where the united Hellenic army, under the command of Spartan Vice-King Pausanias, although outnumbered at least three to one, crashed the Persians and expelled them once and for all from Greece.

The first and only battle in ancient history were Sparta mobilized almost its entire reserves, offering an army of 50,000 men, including 5,000 full citizens, 10,000 perioikoi and 35,000 helots.

More one wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Platea

Historical continuity

2007-05-29T14:41:00.000+03:00

480 BC "μολών λαβέ" = "come and get them" Leonidas I, King of Sparta

When King Xerxes demanded from Leonidas to surrender his arms.

2007-05-23T11:29:00.001+03:00

LIAKOPOULOS - 300

2007-05-23T01:47:00.001+03:00

Δεν είμαι φαν του Λιακόπουλου, αλλά μου αρέσει η περιγραφή του!!

Αν και κάνει ένα λαθάκι... δεν ήταν ο Ξέρξης που γύρισε στον Μαρδόνιο και του είπε "Παπαί, Μαρδόνιε, κοίους επί άνδρας ήγαγες μαχησομένους ημέας, οι ου περί χρημάτων τον αγώνα ποιεύονται, αλλά περί αρετής" (Δηλαδή: "Αλίμονο, Μαρδόνιε, με ποιους άνδρες μας έφερες να πολεμήσουμε, που δεν κάνουν τους αγώνες τους για χρήματα, παρά για την αρετή") αλλά ο στρατηγός Τριτανταίχμης (ή κατά άλλους Τιγράνης-γιός του Αρτάβανου) όταν έμαθε από κάποιους Έλληνες λιποτάκτες για τους Ολυμπιακούς αγώνες και το κλαδί ελιάς με το οποίο στεφάνωναν τους νικητές.

Just a minor historical note for english speakers: a famous quote about the virtue of the Greeks which was attributed to Persian General Tritantechmes (or Tigranis, son of Artavanus) has been recorded by Herodotus. It is said that following the Naval Battle of Artemisium (which took place at the same time as the Battle of Thermopylae) the Persians were amazed when they were informed by some Greek defectors about the Olympic games, the importance they had for all Greeks, and the fact that the only award of the winner was an olive branch!! At this point General Tritantechmes turned to Mardonie (the mastermind of the invasion of Greece) and said:

"My God! Mardonie, what kind of people did you bring us to fight against? They do not compete for money but for glory and virtue!"

2007-05-04T10:08:00.001+03:00

Shut up and watch!!

300 - It's Raining Men (full version)

2007-04-27T09:55:00.001+03:00

Hell of a video from YouTube!!

2007-03-28T16:15:00.000+03:00

Victor Davis Hanson's History and the Movie "300"

2007-03-21T17:34:00.000+02:00

http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/hanson101106.html

October 11, 2006History and the Movie “300”by Victor Davis HansonPrivate Papers
[Adapted from the introduction to the forthcoming book trailer published by Dark Horse Comics, Inc. to accompany Director Zack Snyder’s new film “300”]

The phrase “300 Spartans” evokes not only the ancient battle of Thermopylae, but also the larger idea of fighting for freedom against all odds — a notion subsequently to be enshrined through some 2500 years of Western civilization.

Even today we remember the power of the Spartans’ defiance. “Come and take them,” they tell the Persian emissaries who demand their arms. “Then we will fight in the shade,” the Spartans boast when warned that the horde of Persian arrows will soon blot out the very sunlight. “Go tell the Spartans that here we lie obedient to their commands” the tombstone of their dead reads.

In 480, an enormous force of more than a quarter-million Persians under their King Xerxes invaded Greece, both to enslave the free city-states, and to avenge the Persian defeat a decade earlier at Marathon. The huge force of ships and soldiers proved unstoppable on its way west and southward until it reached the narrow pass at Thermopylae (“The Warm Gates”) in northern (central) Greece. There a collection of 7,000 Greeks had blocked the way. They hoped to stop Xerxes’ horde outright — or at least allow enough time for their fellow countrymen to their rear to mobilize a sufficient defense of the homeland.

Among the many Greek contingents was a special elite force of 300 Spartans under their King Leonidas — a spearhead that offered the other Greeks at Thermopylae some promise that they could still bar the advance of the vastly superior invader. And that hope proved real for two days of hard fighting. The vastly outnumbered, but heavily-armed Greek infantrymen in their phalanx — taking advantage of the narrow terrain and their massed tactics — savagely beat back wave after wave of advancing Persian foot soldiers and cavalry.

But on the third day of battle, Leonidas’s Greeks were betrayed by a local shepherd Ephialtes, who showed the Persians an alternate route over the mountains that led to the rear of the Greek position. When he realized that he was nearly surrounded, Leonidas nevertheless made a critical decision to stay and fight, while ordering most of the other various allies to flee the encirclement to organize the growing Greek resistance to the south.

Meanwhile the King and his doomed 300 Spartans, together with other small groups of surrounded Thespians and Thebans, would indeed battle to buy the Greeks time. They ranged further out from the pass on this third and last day of battle — at first with spears and swords, finally with teeth and nails —killing scores more of Persians. The last few Spartan survivors were buried under a sea of Persian arrows. The body of Leonidas was found among the corpses, his head soon impaled on a stick as a macabre reminder of the wages of resistance to the Great King of Persia.

The Greeks took encouragement from the unprecedented sacrifice of a Spartan King and his royal guard on their behalf. And so a few weeks later at the sea battle of Salamis near Athens — and then again the next year at the great infantry collision on the plains of Plataea — the Greeks defeated, and eventually destroyed, the Persian invaders. The rallying cry of the victors was Thermopylae, the noble sacrifice of the final stand of the outnumbered Greeks, and especially the courage of the fallen Three Hundred Spartans under King Leonidas.

So almost immediately, contemporary Greeks saw Thermopylae as a critical moral and culture lesson. In universal terms, a small, free people had willingly outfought huge numbers of imperial subjects who advanced under the lash. More specifically, the Western idea that soldiers themselves decide where, how, and against whom they will fight was contrasted against the Eastern notion of despotism and monarchy — freedom proving the stronger idea as the more courageous fighting of the Greeks at Thermopylae, and their later victories at Salamis and Plataea attested.

Greek writers and poets such as Simonides and Herodotus were fascinated by the Greek sacrifice against Xerxes, and especially the heroism of Leonidas and his men. And subsequently throughout Western literature poets as diverse as Lord Byron and A.E. Houseman have likewise paid homage to the Spartan last stand — and this universal idea of Western soldiers willing to die as free men rather than to submit to tyranny. Steven Pressfield’s novel Gates of Fire and the earlier Hollywood movie The 300 Spartans both were based on the Greek defense of the pass at Thermopylae.

Recently, a variety of Hollywood films — from Troy to Alexander the Great — has treated a variety of themes from classical Greek literature and theater. But 300 is unique, a sui generis in both spirit and methodology. The script is not an attempt in typical Hollywood fashion to recreate the past as a costume drama. Instead it is based on Frank Miller’s (of Sin City fame) comic book graphics and captions. Miller’s illustrated novelette of the battle adapts themes loosely from the well-known story of the Greek defense, but with deference made to the tastes of contemporary popular culture.

So the film is indeed inspired by the comic book; and in some sense its muscular warriors, virtual reality sets, and computer-generated landscapes recall the look and feel of Robert Rodriquez’s screen version of Sin City. Yet the collaboration of Director Zack Snyder and screenwriters Kurt Johnstad and Michael Gordon is much more of a hybrid, since the script, dialogue, cinematography, and acting all recall scenes of the battle right from Herodotus’s account.

300, of course, makes plenty of allowance for popular tastes, changing and expanding the story to meet the protocols of the comic book genre. The film was not shot on location outdoors, but in a studio using the so-called “digital backlot” technique of sometimes placing the actors against blue screens. The resulting realism is not that of the sun-soaked cliffs above the blue Aegean — Thermopylae remains spectacularly beautiful today — but of the eerie etchings of the comic book.

The Spartans fight bare-chested without armor, in the “heroic nude” manner that ancient Greek vase-painters portrayed Greek hoplites, their muscles bulging as if they were contemporary comic book action heroes. Again, following the Miller comic, artistic license is made with the original story — the traitor Ephialtes is as deformed in body as he is in character; King Xerxes is not bearded and perched on a distant throne, but bald, huge, perhaps sexually ambiguous, and often right on the battlefield. The Persians bring with them exotic beasts like a rhinoceros and elephant, and the leader of the Immortals fights Leonidas in a duel (which the Greeks knew as monomachia). Shields are metal rather than wood with bronze veneers, and swords sometimes look futuristic rather than ancient.

Again, purists must remember that 300 seeks to bring a comic book, not Herodotus, to the screen. Yet, despite the need to adhere to the conventions of Frank Miller’s graphics and plot — every bit as formalized as the protocols of classical Athenian drama or Japanese Kabuki theater — the main story from our ancient Greek historians is still there: Leonidas, against domestic opposition, insists on sending an immediate advance party northward on a suicide mission to rouse the Greeks and allow them time to unite a defense. Once at Thermopylae, he adopts the defenses to the narrow pass between high cliffs and the sea far below. The Greeks fight both en masse in the phalanx and at times range beyond as solo warriors. They are finally betrayed by Ephialtes, forcing Leonidas to dismiss his allies — and leaving his own 300 to the fate of dying under a sea of arrows.

But most importantly, 300 preserves the spirit of the Thermopylae story. The Spartans, quoting lines known from Herodotus and themes from the lyric poets, profess unswerving loyalty to a free Greece. They will never kow-tow to the Persians, preferring to die on their feet than live on their knees.

If critics think that 300 reduces and simplifies the meaning of Thermopylae into freedom versus tyranny, they should reread carefully ancient accounts and then blame Herodotus, Plutarch, and Diodorus — who long ago boasted that Greek freedom was on trial against Persian autocracy, free men in superior fashion dying for their liberty, their enslaved enemies being whipped to enslave others.

2007-03-14T16:08:00.001+02:00

"300" a monumental masterpiece

2007-03-14T15:45:00.000+02:00

Frank Miller's graphics come alive in ya-gotta-see-'em-to-believe-'em images

By Phil Villarreal
Pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
Tucson, Arizona Published: 03.08.2007

The movie "300" is rated R for "RAAAAAR!" and is about as inspirational as "Field of Dreams" multiplied by "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," plus infinity.

High school football coaches who show this to their players before games are guaranteed to win 55-0. Should opposing coaches show the DVD to each of their teams before the matchup, a rupture in the space-time continuum will occur and the game will be declared a tie.

In "300," set in 480 B.C., the marauding Persian empire — led by Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) — attempts to romp over the Greeks.

The only thing between Western society and oblivion is a group of 300 brave Spartans who defy timid politicians and make a stand, fully aware that they'll be giving up their lives.

Their doomed, idealistic quest is reminiscent of "Letters From Iwo Jima," only without the self-pity. The heroes fight for pride, honor, democracy and the right to leave the toilet seat up.
Forget the hype over supposed parallels with the war in Iraq. Depending on your purview, you could read the Americans as either the evil empire or the dogged defenders of democracy.

Loosely based on the Battle of Thermopylae, much of the film was shot digitally in a studio, with the backgrounds and special effects rendered in "Star Wars" fashion. The film has a stylized look that matches what would happen if "The Matrix" had hot, dirty sex with "Clash of the Titans."
"300" is a moving, shouting, blood-spurting comic book in the same way as "Sin City," which, like this one, is based on a Frank Miller graphic novel.

Director Zack Snyder alternates between sepia-toned slo-mo and kaleidoscopic blasts of fever-dream adrenaline with scenes that look like they were cut with Ginsu knifes by teppanyaki chefs hopped up on Red Bull.

The Spartans are a super-human elite squad of lumberjack pirates who were trained by the the great-great-grandpa of Chuck Norris' paternal ancestor. A prologue explains that from the age of 7, Spartans are forged into die-hard dynamos of fury who can kill with their bare hands. It was either their forced sojourn into wilderness that makes them that way or that they played violent video games.

They battle the millions-strong army of the Persians, which includes wave after wave of easily disposed screaming maniacs, followed by black-hooded elite Delta Force Persians who are like zombies — gotta take their heads off or impale their hearts if you want 'em dead.

The Persians also trot out gimongous armored rhinos and war elephants that got kicked out of the zoo for being too big and angry.

Sparta is led by warrior King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), whose idea of a strategic troop surge is to round up a few of his buddies and stomp out on the battlefield for an eight-hour slaughterfest, with a snack break to munch an apple while watching his lackeys rake up the corpses.

While Leonidas and his boys are doing their thing, funneling the Persians into a narrow mountain passage that lets the troops slaughter the enemy at will, the king's wife, Gorgo (Lena Headey), takes on a crucial quest to persuade the rulers to send out reinforcements to back up her husband's cause.

The flick would be mesmerizing enough if it were all cheap thrills, but there's also a depth that makes you hurl your allegiance to the Spartans. This is the sort of film that comes along about once every few years. You cherish the experience so much that the only disappointment comes in knowing it will be a long time until you see another new movie this good.

It's called "300" because that's how many stars it deserves. I'm sad I only have four to give.

GREECE LOVES 300!!

2007-03-14T14:56:00.000+02:00

The movie is breaking all box office records in Greece, selling over 300,000 tickets in the first weekend. Cinema critics are, as usual, not very excited about the movie, but the people love it!!

I have spoken with friends who say they have never been so excited after watching a movie before, movie theatres are always packed and at the end of the film audiences raise from their seats and cheer!! It's just amazing!! For the first time an american movie makes Greeks so proud!!

Frank Miller and Zack Snyder we salute you!!

Historically, there in no major misinterpretation, and as we have said before, it's an epic based on a true story. Please keep that in mind.

Sparta a True Republic--Not a Democracy

2007-03-13T11:28:00.000+02:00

The other day, I got this very interesting mail from W. Lindsay Wheeler. I would like to thank him for his interest and I would be happy to publish his mail on this blog:

I saw your entries at Sparta Reconsidered.

Sparta was NOT a Democracy--was not considered that way by Socrates, Plato, Aristotle or Polybius. Cicero labeled Sparta a Republic, i.e. respublica Lacedaemoniorum because it was mixta.

Studying the mixed constitution of Sparta, Dicaearchus of Messana was to label his treatise; the Tripoliticus.

Hardly a Democracy!

Here is the true definition of what a Republic is:

http://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.php?title=Classical_definition_of_republic

The Philosophy of mixed government:
http://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.php?title=Philosophy_of_mixed_government

And Classical Republics and democracies contrasted:

http://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.php?title=Classical_republics_and_democracy_contrasted

Happy enlightenment. I have yet to hear from a single person of any errors I have committed in these three articles. I have sent them also to Dr. Helen but to no avail.

Socrates said, "We must insist on the Verbal Truth". That is the backbone of Western Culture--To Speak Truth at All Times".

PS: 300 is coming to Belgium on the 21st of March!! can't wait!!

Four more days!!

2007-03-06T09:56:00.000+02:00

It's almost the 9th of March!! What's so special about it? 300 is finally here!! This FRIDAY!! Don't forget to book your tickets!!

2007-02-12T15:40:00.000+02:00

The Battle Of Thermopylae part I

documentary from the History Channel

2007-02-12T15:39:00.000+02:00

The Battle Of Thermopylae part II

documentary from the History Channel

2007-02-12T15:37:00.000+02:00

The Battle Of Thermopylae part III

documentary from the History Channel

2007-01-29T15:10:00.000+02:00

300 - Trailer 2

Sparta Reconsidered

2007-01-19T11:03:00.000+02:00

I have added a new link to a website reconsidering Sparta: http://www.elysiumgates.com/~helena/index.html ... Actually there is a tendency among classical scholars to re-estimate our perception of Ancient Sparta, considering that most sources talking about Sparta derive from non-Spartan Greeks, their objectivity is now openly questioned.

For instance, the idea that Sparta was actually the first democracy in world history, about 150 years before Athens, has been proposed and is gaining popularity among experts. We will discuss about this issue and the so-called "Spartan Chimera" in future posts.

ΤΑΝ Ή ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ...

2007-01-12T15:29:00.000+02:00

A well written text about Spartan women... (from http://www.straightdope.com fighting ignorance since 1973)

Dear Straight Dope:
"With it or on it." We've all heard that Spartan mothers said it while giving their sons shields before their first battle. With it = victorious hero; on it = fallen hero; without it = coward. I've heard this quote attributed to Herodotus, but I've never seen any specific reference. It's consistent with modern conceptions of Sparta, but is it real? Is it just an old wives' tale concocted to make us believe our own mothers aren't so bad? --HCPIII

Guest contributor Una Persson replies:
You've got a point. After you hear about the mothers of Sparta, it's hard to believe your own mom is so bad because she makes you drink your milk.
Your question is more complex than it might seem. To answer it properly, several different aspects must be considered. First, where and when does the quote first appear? That part is easy. Typically translated as, "Another woman handed her son his shield, and exhorted him: 'Son, either with this or on this,'" the quote is found in the writings of the Roman writer Plutarch--specifically, in his collection of 78 morals, tales, and short stories (of which more than half survive) called the Moralia, in a section called Sayings of Spartan Women.
Plutarch was a Greek, born approximately 46 AD in the town of Chaeronea in the region of Boeotia. He isn't a contemporary source of the saying, as the days of Spartan military glory had ended more than three centuries earlier. As a modern commentator observes, he could have been taking poetic license:
At the beginning of his Life of Alexander (Plut. Alex. 1) Plutarch says, explicitly, that his purpose is not to write political history, but to bring out the subjects' particular virtues and vices and to illustrate his character. This purpose is worth bearing in mind--Plutarch's lives are not necessarily objective historical accounts, but narrative pictures aiming to convey a particular moral point. [See reference 1.]
In his work Plutarch consistently portrays the Spartans as having a tough, no-nonsense warrior culture, a characterization backed up by other Greek writers, including contemporaries of Sparta in its glory.
Second, is the quote typical of the attitude of Spartan women towards men, including their family members? It's certainly representative of what we find in Plutarch. Here are some other quotes from the Sayings of Spartan Women:
Because Damatria heard that her son was a coward and not worthy of her, she killed him when he arrived. This is the epigram about her: His mother killed Damatrius who broke the laws, She a Spartan lady, he a Spartan Youth.
Another Spartan woman killed her son, who had deserted his post because he was unworthy of Sparta. She declared: "He was not my offspring for I did not bear one unworthy of Sparta."
Another, hearing that her son had fallen at his post, said: "Let the cowards be mourned. I, however, bury you without a tear, my son and Sparta's."
As a woman was burying her son, a shabby old woman came up to her and said, "You poor woman, what a misfortune!" "No, by the two goddesses, what a good fortune," she replied, "because I bore him so that he might die for Sparta, and that is what has happened for me."
Clearly a Spartan mother was not one to whom you would turn for comfort if you got a boo-boo on your knee. Some more quotes:
Some Amphipolitans came to Sparta and visited Archileonis, the mother of Brasidas, after her son's death. She asked if her son had died nobly, in a manner worthy of Sparta. As they heaped praise on him and declared that in his exploits he was the best of all the Spartans, she said: "Strangers, my son was indeed noble and brave, but Sparta has many better men than he."
Once her grandson Acrotatus was brought home from some boys' combat badly battered and seemingly dead, and both her family and friends were sobbing, Gyrtias said: "Won't you keep quiet? He's shown what kind of blood he has in him," and she added that brave men should not be howled over but should be under medical care.
Away to the darkness, cowardly offspring, where out of hatred / Eurotas does not flow even for timorous deer. / Useless pup, worthless portion, away to Hell. / Away! This son unworthy of Sparta was not mine at all.
Another woman, as she was sending her lame son up the battlefield, said: "Son, with each step you take bear courage in mind."
Although translation can give various slants to ancient Greek, the meaning of these quotes seems clear. Nonetheless they suffer from an obvious defect: They all come from Plutarch and can't be corroborated, since few others wrote in detail on the attitude of Spartan women towards their men. Herodotus testifies to their mettle by telling of the strength of Gorgo, the wife of the great Spartan king Leonidas. He also writes of Spartan women freeing their husbands from the Lakedaimonians by bravely entering their prison and switching clothes with them, allowing the men to escape and return to the fighting while they remained behind. But he has little to say specifically about their attitudes towards the military service of their sons and family members.
Pomeroy (reference 3) reports that the "goal of the educational system devised for Spartan girls was to create mothers who would produce the best hoplites and mothers of hoplites," a hoplite being a type of Greek warrior. Noting that some have questioned whether Spartan women had the education and ability to write letters to their sons, she writes, "though the source of the anecdotes is late and they can not be dated or verified, considering the fact that mothers were separated from their sons who were on military service for long periods of time, the idea that they communicated by letters is not unthinkable."
Spartan women were known to be competitive at sports and even light combat--something that set them apart from other Greek societies at the time. Physical fitness training of girls was mandatory and financed by the state. It's easy to imagine that a desire to be "brave, strong, and unyielding" would be common among the women of Sparta.
Spartan men also encouraged their sons to be brave in the service of the state. According to Plutarch, when asked why it was dishonorable to return without a shield and not without a helmet, the Spartan king Demaratos (510-491 BC) is said to have replied: "Because the latter they put on for their own protection, but the shield for the common good of all."
Finally, a practical question: Could Spartan shields be used as stretchers, and were they?
The shield was a key part of the equipment of the Greek hoplite warrior--in fact, "hoplite" is said to derive from the Greek word for a type of heavy shield, hoplon. We often think of Greek shields as being relatively small and round, but having seen Greek shields in museums in Athens, I can say that their size varied considerably over time. Though small in the early days of Greek warfare, Greek shields increased in size in middle to later eras, evolving to a much larger round form, and later still to a rectangular shape, similar to Roman-style shields, like a door. Although there is some variation in size and shape among the armies of the various city states, most military forces did have access to large shields that could carry a body. The shield was made of multiple layers of metal (bronze, copper, or sometimes tin), wood, and tough linen, cloth, or leather, and could weigh as much as 15 to 20 pounds. In the Greek battle formation known as the phalanx, the shield protected not only the warrior holding it (while leaving his right arm free to wield a spear), but also the warrior on his left. A phalanx that stayed in tight formation was well protected by the interlocking shields.
Because of its size and the strength of its laminated structure, a shield did make a good battlefield stretcher--and if the shield used for that purpose belonged to the stretchee, no one else needed to go unprotected. Carrying someone back on his shield served another purpose as well. A shield was one of the more complicated and valuable parts of a Greek hoplite's arms and armor. It and other items of equipment were traditionally passed down from father to son, brother to brother, or even uncles to cousins. Families of a warrior culture such as the Spartans depended on re-use of the family shield if possible. Returning without one's shield typically meant that the warrior had either:
Thrown it away in panic,
Was too weak to carry the heavy item back home, or
Had lost it due to carelessness or stupidity.
In sum, while Plutarch's quote is far removed from the source, anecdotal, and unverifiable, it seems at least likely to be true. Welcome to the world of classical studies, my dear.
--Guest contributor Una Persson (nee Anthracite)Straight Dope Science Advisory Board
References:
1. Christopher W. Blackwell, "Plutarch," in Dêmos: Classical Athenian Democracy (C. Blackwell, ed.), a publication of The Stoa: A Consortium for Electronic Publication in the Humanities (www.stoa.org), April 8, 2003.
2. Herodotus, Histories.
3. Sarah B. Pomeroy, Spartan Women, Oxford University Press, 2002.
--Guest contributor Una PerssonFor the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board

Related Books

2007-01-12T11:48:00.000+02:00

I recently finished Frederick Raphael s latest book "Some talk of Alexander" and I thought to recomend some good (or less controversial) books about Ancient Greek History, The Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae... of course first in the list can be no other than...

"The Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield, an excellent novel based on the Battle of Thermopylae, with nice historical details about the life of the Spartans.

Then comes "Thermopylae: the Battle of the West" by Ernle Bradford, a well presented overview of the Greco-Persian wars, with special focus on Thermopylae.

And finally, two books by Paul Cartledge, professor of Greek History at Cambridge University, he is considered a world expert in Spartan history (though I have a couple of objections to some of his points/conclusions) "Spartan Reflections" and "The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece" ...

All books are available at amazon.com

2007-01-07T03:42:00.000+02:00

Spartans

An interesting video from youtube... the first post of 2007.

(happy double o seven everybody!!)

video journals

2006-11-29T10:43:00.000+02:00

I was browsing the official website of the movie: http://300themovie.warnerbros.com/ and was very impressed with the video journals.

You may find them on the section "Making of 300", 8 very interesting videos about how the movie was made. I think they are also available on youtube.

2006-11-28T10:52:00.000+02:00

Statue of King Leonidas in modern Sparta.

2006-11-28T10:32:00.000+02:00

King Xerxes I, watching the naval Battle of Salamis from the top of mount Egaleon.

The Great King expected an easy victory over the Greeks, instead he witnessed the Greek triremes triumph over his fleet and his men being slaughtered or drowned.

Leonidas I

2006-11-27T18:11:00.000+02:00

Leonidas (Λεωνίδας=Lion’s son) the first, one of the two Kings of Sparta, reigned from 488 to 480 BC. He was the 17th King of the Agiad line, son of Anaxandridas II and was born around 508 BC. According to legend his father’s bloodline descended from the mythical Hercules. Leonidas succeeded his half brother Cleomenes I, who was put to death by the Ephors (5-member council elected by the citizens every year), the Ephors however, claimed he committed suicide. Leonidas was married to Gorgo, daughter of Cleomenes.

In spring 480 BC the Persians crossed to Europe and moved towards Greece. At the initial war council, held at the Isthmus of Corinth, the Greek city-states, failed to reach an agreement on the defense strategy which they would follow. Moreover a number of city-states had secretly agreed with the Persians to appear neutral and refuse any aid to the cause. The allies were warned by Alexander I of Macedon (the north-most Greek Kingdom) about the intentions of the Persians and planned to dispatch a defense force at the vale of Tempe in Thessaly, however they did not trust the Thessalians (who later joined of the Persians anyway) and decided to abandon their positions.

While most Greek city-states were undecided on how to defend their land, Leonidas was ordered by the council of the Ephors to leave for Thermopylae with an expedition force of 300 Spartan equals. All men sent to Themopylae had sons to ensure the continuation of their bloodline.

Leonidas, obeying the laws of Sparta, marched in August 480 BC and arrived at the site of the Battle where he met an army of Greek allies not more that 6,000 or 7,000 strong. Most city-states had not sent any troops at all, or they had sent a lot less than they could afford. Being a professional soldier and an excellent tactician Leonidas predicted the outcome of the Battle for two reasons: (a) although the chosen battleground favored the smaller army, the Persian outnumbered the Greeks, at least 20 to 1 (possibly a lot more), and (b) the Asopos river pass which was leading directly behind the Greek line could be the “Achilles tendon” of the allied army (as it indeed happened).

Still Leonidas decided to stay and fight, he desperately asked re-enforcements, but his requests were ignored. When Xerxes offered him to become King of all Greeks once the Persians conquer Greece, Leonidas refused, and when Xerxes demanded from the Greeks to surrender their arms (weapons) Leonidas replied with the legendary “Μολών λαβέ” (“Molon lave”=come and get them).

During the first two days of the Battle the Greeks under Leonidas leadership defended their position successfully crashing continues waves of Persian assaults. They inflicted terrible losses to the Persians and enraged Xerxes. During the night of the second day, a local traitor, Ephialtes, led the Persians through the Asopos river pass, which was guarded by the Phocians. The Phocians under a shower of Persian arrows fled their position without a fight.
Leonidas was informed that he would soon be encircled and was offered a chance to retreat to the South. The Athenians, at that time fighting the naval Battle of Artemisium off the coast of Thermopylae, sent a trireme to evacuate Leonidas. In both cases the Spartan King bravely refused to leave his post.

He immediately ordered a battle council among the allies and asked them to leave the battleground and join the rest of the Greeks, preparing a defensive southwards at the Isthmus of Corinth (according to another version the other Greeks abandoned Leonidas and ran to save their lives). Of the 6,000 Greeks, only 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians remained. Leonidas also forced 400 Thebans to remain and fight for them, since Thebes was obliged to Sparta. The Thebans however, surrendered immediately to the Persians without a fight and their city joined Xerxes after the Battle. It is said that on the dawn of the third day, before the approach of the Persians, Leonidas urged his men to eat a full breakfast, because that night they would all dine in Hades (the Greek underworld).

The Persians soon encircled the Spartans and the Thespians. Leonidas was one of the first to die during this last stage of the battle, he charged towards the Persians and was fatally wounded. His men fought a desperate fight to retrieve his body. According to Herodotus, the Greeks “were fighting with daggers, if they had one, with their hands and their teeth” «μαχαίρησι, τοίσι αυτών ετύγχανον έτι περιέουσαι και χερσί και στόμασι». Two of Xerxes brothers were killed during the final stand of the Greeks and the Persians were so disheartened that they killed the last defenders with arrows.

When the body of Leonidas was recovered, Xerxes ordered the head to be cut off and the body crucified. He later regretted this act and returned the remains of Leonidas to the Spartans. Leonidas was then buried on the hill where his men took their last stand, together with his 300 braves. A stone lion was set to commemorate their sacrifice. Forty years after the battle, Leonidas body was moved to Sparta were he was buried with full honors. As Perikles later noted (not for Leonidas, but still quite fitting): «Ανδρών επιφανών πάσα γη τάφος» meaning: “To Great Mean all earth may be their grave”.

On top of the burial mound of the 300 Spartans, an Epitaph composed by Simonides engraved on a commemorative stone was placed. The epitaph said:

«Ώ ξείν, αγγέλειν Λακεδεμονίοις ότι τήδε
κείμεθα, τοίς κείνων ρήμασι πειθόμενοι»

Which could be translated as: “Oh stranger, announce to the Lacedomonians, that here we lie, obeying their word/laws”. A number of more loose translations have been recorded, this is probably my favorite:

“Go tell the Spartans, thou that passest by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie”

Frank Miller in his graphic novel 300 uses the following:

“Go tell the Spartans, passerby,
That here, by Spartan law, we lie”

Xerxes I

2006-11-27T15:10:00.000+02:00

I think that a short biography of the leaders at the Battle of Thermopylae would be a good introduction to the events before, during and after the epic battle. I will begin with Xerxes the first, King of Kings and absolute ruler of the Persian Empire.

Xerxes I, son of Darius I (the Great) and Atossa daughter of Cyrus the Great, was born in 522 BC, his name is the Hellenized version of the ancient Persian Ksayarsha (or Ksayar) which means "Ruler of men" or simply "King". Before the death of his father and his ascend to the throne (485 BC), he was commander of Babylon for 12 years, where he acquired military and administrative experience. His father proclaimed him his successor, bypassing his older half-brothers, because in Xerxes the two branches of the Achaemenid dynasty met, thus guaranteeing the safe continuation of the dynasty.

Following his father’s death, two major rebellions: in Babylon and Egypt, shook the foundations of his Kingdom and forced him to campaign against the local Satraps and restore the Empire’s unity by force. He plundered the delta of the river Nile and demolished the walls of Babylon, enslaving most of it’s population. From that point on he seized using the title "King of Babylon and Pharaoh of Egypt" (terms his predecessors used) and was referred to by his subjects as "King of Persia and Media".

These victories improved his status and increased the influence of the pro-war fractions within the royal palace. Xerxes brother-in-law Mardonius (or Mardony) was able to convince Xerxes to lead a campaign against the Greeks. His motives were definitely not economic since he already possessed the most rich lands and kingdoms of the known world. It was more a matter of prestige and a display of his absolute power over all nations. It was considered an outrage that such a small nation was defying the will of the Great King.

This was actually one of the legacies his father Darius had left to him. Following the revolt of the Ionian Greeks (Asia Minor) in 493 BC which was encouraged by mainland Greek city-states (Athens, Eretria and Naxos), and the defeat of the Persians at Marathon (490BC) Darius had sworn revenge and had a slave to remind his daily "oh Great King, do not forget the Athenians". Darius was preparing a new campaign against the Greeks before his death. The campaign was delayed by the revolts in Babylon and Egypt. However, Xerxes did not begin to conquer Greece without adequate preparations. To the contrary, he worked for three whole years, from 484 to 481 BC, gathering the finest troops from all over the Empire and planning the supply and maintenance of a vast army which soon (Spring 480 BC) would cross from Asia to Europe. It is important to mention that in the Persian royal court there was a number of prominent Greeks, expelled by their countrymen. Among them, Xerxes most important advisor, was Demaratus, ex King of Sparta, who had fled his homeland a few years earlier. He also formed an alliance with Carthage and agreed on a simultaneous campaign of the Carthagians against the Greek city-states of Southern Italy and Sicily, thus blockading any re-enforcement of mainland Greece from the powerful Greek kingdoms of Italy.

Such was the determination of Xerxes that he ordered his army to build two floating bridges between Europe and Asia so they could cross the Hellispont entering Europe safely. His men also dug a channel through the peninsula of Mount Athos (the third peninsula of Chalkidiki) so his fleet would bypass the stormy weather at the edge of the peninsula (at the same spot his father’s fleet had been destroyed a decade earlier due to a storm).

Xerxes moved unopposed through northern Greece and Thessaly, until Thermopylae, all Greek city-states immediately surrendered at the sight of his endless hordes. The Battle of Thermopylae, though a bitter victory for Xerxes was the turning point of the Greco-Persian wars. Xerxes plundered Athens in September 480 BC, but was defeated in the naval Battle of Salamis by an outnumbered Greek fleet lead by the Athenian Themistokles (on the same day the Greeks of Southern Italy and Sicily crashed the Carthagians and forced them back to Africa). He returned to Asia after the Battle of Salamis and left Mardonius to continue the campaign. A year later in 479 BC, the Persians were annihilated at the battlefield of Platea where an army of over 100,000 Greeks crashed the troops of Mardonius (estimated about 300,000), killing Mardonius himself. On the same day the Greek fleet destroyed its Persian counterpart in the naval Battle of Mycale off the shores of Asia Minor.

These latter battles concluded Xerxes interest over Greece. He spent the rest of his life in more peaceful works, building grand palaces in Sousa and Persepolis. Very little is known about Xerxes final years, it is said that with age he gradually withdrew from power and lost control of the Empire. He and his oldest son and heir to the throne were assassinated in 465 BC by the commander of his personal guard Artabanus. He was succeeded by Artaxerxes I.

Xerxes tomb was carved in the great rock-complex of Naqsh-e Rustam, located 7km west of Persepolis, close the tomb of his father.

A few thoughts on the graphic novel

2006-11-27T11:31:00.000+02:00

Better late than never... I finally received the graphic novel "300" last week and had the opportunity to read it. I think I now have a pretty good idea about what we are going to see in the movie next March.

The storyline has some historical basis, but there are also some big faults (I will analyze further in future posts). I was impressed by how small the graphic novel actually is. It takes you only a couple of hours to read it (a lot more of course if you wish to enjoy the pictures). Another notable feature is that, at least from the movie trailer, it seems that the producers quote the novel word by word... of course I am sure they will add a lot more dialogues and battle scenes to fill the apprx 2 hours of the movie.

A few obvious differences, between the novel and the film, beginning with Gorgo (Leonidas wife) who in the novel appears very briefly, while her role in the movie seems a lot more significant. There is no rhino in the novel going crazy and running over the poor Persians...

I will return to this topic later. I sure don't want to spoil the movie to the visitors of this blog, so I will focus a bit more on the historical background of the movie in the next posts.

Thermopylae, poem by C.P. Cavafy

2006-11-23T17:05:00.000+02:00

Honor to those who in their lives

have defined and guard Thermopylae.

Never stirring from duty;

just and upright in all their deeds,

yet with pity and compassion too;

generous when they are rich,

and when they are poor,

again a little generous,

again helping as much as they can;

always speaking the truth,

yet without hatred for those who lie.

And more honor is due to them

when they foresee (and many do foresee)

that Ephialtes will finally appear,

and that the Medes in the end will go through.

movie posters

2006-10-31T12:26:00.000+02:00

Analyzing the trailer

2006-10-30T14:46:00.000+02:00

In the previous post you can watch the movie trailer of “300”, in this post I will try to interpret/analyze the main scenes of the short film.

At the beginning of the trailer, we have a brief scene of Greeks pushing Persians down a cliff into the sea. This may have some historical base, since, according to all accounts of the battle, the right flank of the Greeks was indeed “protected” by the sea, which made it impossible for the Persian to overrun them. In some stage of the battle the well armed Greek infantry could have driven the barbarians into the sea.

A second later we see a young Spartan fighting a (particularly evil looking) wolf with a stick. I guess that at the beginning of the graphic novel and the film, Frank Miller is giving some information about Sparta and the military training young Spartans received since a very early age. Spartan kids were probably tough enough to fight a wolf with a stick. However this scene is a bit “too much”.

The Persian King, Xerxes sitting on this golden throne appears in the early moments of the trailer, looking rather aloof and wicked. Xerxes was indeed carried on a golden throne from which he observed the battleground. The luxury surrounding the Persian King is not surprising, all historical sources agree that the Persian Empire was the richest kingdom of its time and was controlling the wealthiest lands of the ancient world. The Persian Kings literary lived in Gold and, unlike the Greek leaders, unless it was an absolute necessity, they would not be present in the battlefield. Occasionally, if it was an important campaign, they would follow the battle from a safe distance.
The appearance, however, of Xerxes, is very different from how he probably looked like in reality. In the movie he appears as a young man in his 30’s, half naked, covered with jewels and completely shaved. The real Xerxes, was somewhat older, wore a long tunic and a simple crown, and had a beard.

“Spartans!! Tonight we dine in Hell”... Leonidas knew he would die a long time before the battle (I will explain this in detail in another post), and the morning of the third day of the battle of Thermopylae, when it was known that the Persians were descending from the secret mountain path and would soon encircle the Greeks, he most certainly was aware that this was the end. He had the opportunity to withdraw and save his life, but it was an obligation for him to fight to the end, “Never to retreat”. It is reputed, that on that morning, he suggested to his men to eat a hearty breakfast, because “Tonight we will dine in Hades”.
Spartan loyalty to their country was demonstrated in every occasion. It is described that when Spartan men left for war, their women (whether wives or mothers) were handing them over their shields with an order: to return with the shield or (dead) on the shield, “ή ταν ή επί τας” (I TAN I EPI TAS). Spartan women were instructing their men to fight bravely and either win the war and return home with their shield, or die fighting. They were prohibited to run away from battle leaving their shield behind. That would be a great disgrace for their family and a stigma forever. Spartan women were very proud if their husbands or sons died in battle, it was the greatest honor a Spartan could achieve in his life.

When the four horsemen arrive at Sparta to meet the king, we can feel a changing mood in the trailer. This scene is loosely based in history. Two years prior to the first Greco-Persian war (in 492 B.C), while the Persians were planning to conquer Greece, they sent two emissaries/ambassadors (call them as you wish) to each Greek city-state and demanded “land and water” (“γη και ύδωρ”), literally, a handful of soil and water from the city-state as a symbolic submission to Persian rule. When the emissaries reached Sparta and went to the assembly of the citizens, the Apella, demanding “land and water”, the Spartans were so enraged that they killed them by throwing them down a well, where as they said “you may find plenty of soil and water”. The Athenians, since they didn’t have a well around, pushed the Persians down from the hill of the Acropolis.
This assault to diplomats, even in ancient times, was considered unacceptable and the Spartans soon regretted their act. In return they sent to Darius (father of Xerxes) two young men, among the finest of Sparta, allowing him to avenge for the loss of his diplomats. Darius considered this an act of honor and dignity and let the Spartans return home.
At this point I should note that the possibility of a black African Persian ambassador is completely false. The Persians probably had been in contact with sub-Saharan Africans, but in the best case they used them as slaves.

The next notable picture is the assault of masked Persian warriors to the Greek lines. If I was able to understand it correctly, the producers are trying to illustrate the elite Persian troops, known as the Immortals. They were considered the best fighting force of the Persian army, Persian princes, including brothers of Xerxes, served with the Immortals. They had never lost a battle and their presence alone would bring terror to the enemy. Of course, since “This is Sparta”, Leonidas and his 300 were not really scared. They annihilated most of the Immortals, killing 2 brothers of Xerxes. The masks were invented by Frank Miller. Persians did not need mask to terrify their opponents.

At the same time of the Battle of Thermopylae, an allied Greek fleet fought the Naval Battle of Artemisium. A glimpse of this event is shown in the trailer, the Battle of Artemisium was held at the straits between mainland Greece and the island of Evvoia, a location parallel to Thermopylae, but not visible from Thermopylae. It is therefore not probable that the defenders of Thermopylae could see the naval battle. Just for the record, Artemisium was an undecided battle, and the defending Greeks withdrew when they were informed that Thermopylae had fallen.

Later, a Persian emissary, or prisoner of war, informs the Greeks about the strength of the Persian army. He mentions that “A thousand nations of the Persian Empire descend upon you… Our arrows will blot out the sun!!”… It is true that Xerxes had assembled a huge army. He had forced all nations under Persian rule to contribute in men and supplies. He had enlisted Phoenicians, Arabs, Babylonians, Egyptians, even Greeks from Asia Minor to fight on his side. In all, Herodotus mentions 46 nations. The absolute size of this army remains a discussion topic to this day. Herodotus estimates the total number of troops around 1.7 million (!!!), and together with the supporting personnel concluded that for the massive invasion of Greece, the Persians had mobilized about 5 million people!! According to Ctesias of Cnedus, a Persian historian, contemporary of the Battle, the army of Xerxes exceeded 800,000 fighting men. More moderate figures assess the Persian expedition force to a number between 100 and 250 thousand soldiers. A number around half a million troops could easily be assembled by the Persian King. I believe that this is a number closer to reality.

I owe credit to the filmmakers for, accurately, presenting an amazing quote: “Then we will fight in the shade”… this was the remark of a brave Spartan warrior, probably the bravest to fight at Thermopylae, Dienekes. When the Greek army arrived at the site of the battle, an anonymous local visited the camp and warned that he had seen the Persians and they were so many that “their arrows could hide the sun”… Dienekes responded: “These are cheerful news you bring stranger, if the Persians hide the sun, we will fight in the shade!!”

I don’t know if it is necessary to point out that a fighting rhino, as the one seen in the trailer, is an absurd idea. It may make the graphic novel or the movie more impressive, but it’s just too unreasonable.

I should comment however, that the Greeks did not fight half-naked with just a helmet and a shield. The “hoplite” (heavy Greek infantry soldier) was the best equipped individual fighter of his era. Besides the long spear, and standard sword and shield, he wore heavy armor protecting his head, body and lower legs (more about the hoplite soon).

At the end of the trailer, we see Leonidas standing among mountains of broken weapons, shields, arrows and corpses, while the narrator says: “Before this battle is over, the world will know that few stood against many”. Thermopylae was probably the first recorded battle in history where such a minute number of men, stood bravely against an invincible army, one of the greatest, if not the greatest army ever to be assembled.

Herodotus wrote… “The Battle of Thermopylae proved that there may be many individuals, but only very few MEN”

2006-10-27T17:24:00.000+03:00

300 - Movie Official Trailer

This is the official movie trailer,you can already see in theatres around the world. In the above post you will find a detailed historical interpretation of what you see.

Ancient Lacedaemon

2006-10-26T10:45:00.000+03:00

The Ancient Greek/Hellenic World

2006-10-26T10:43:00.000+03:00

About Spartans (and a bit about ancient Greeks in general)

2006-10-25T14:57:00.000+03:00

Historical and archeological evidence strongly indicate that Greeks had inhibited the Balkanic Peninsula (the Peninsula of Hemos) since the third millennia before Christ. Pre-historic settlements have been found throughout the Aegean Sea islands and mainland Greece. “Grammical Alpha” a written alphabet found in the Minoic settlements of Crete dating back between the 16th and 18th centuries B.C. has been identified as the earliest alphabet of the ancient Greek world.

The Greeks entered the Balkans in separate waves, each wave consisting of a different Greek tribe: the Pelasgian tribe (Proto-Greeks), the Achaeans (Homer’s Greeks), the Ionians, the Aeolians, and finally the Dorians. The Doric invasion (around the 10th century B.C.) was undoubtedly the most violent and significant (from a historical point of view) migration wave, and marked the transition from the Bronze age to the age of Iron. At the same time the Greeks begun massive campaigns to explore and colonize the Mediterranean and expanded the Hellenic world to Asia Minor, the Black Sea, Southern Italy and Sicily (also referred to as Magna Grecia, Great Greece), Cyprus, Northern Africa, South France and Iberia.

Doric Greeks in the Greek mainland were settled to the North, establishing the Kingdom of Macedonia, and to the South, establishing the second Kingdom of Sparta. The first Kingdom of Sparta, described by Homer in the Iliad flourished during the Mycenaic period (Bronze age) and its most famous King was Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon King of Mycenae, and husband of Helen (the cause of the Trojan war). The Mycenaic Kingdom of Sparta was conquered by the Dorians (self-proclaimed descendants of Mythical Hercules), who at around 900 B.C. found the Doric state of Sparta. It was a strict militaristic state, governed be two Kings and a complicated Oligarchy (rule of the few). The every-day lives of Spartans, the political and economical systems were regulated by the laws of Lycurgus. The total dedication of Spartans to the traditions settled be the legendary lawmaker kept the Spartan society stable and, to a very large degree, unchanged for centuries. The assembly of citizens, the Apella, where only full Spartan citizens or the Equals (Homioi) could participate, was another source of power, which together with the council of the elders (the Senate or Gerousia), and the 5-member council of the Ephors (citizens elected by the Apella every year) consulted the Kings and played a major role in decision- and policy making.

Unlike most independent ancient Greek states or “city-states”, Sparta was not restricted to the limits of the city itself. It is characteristic that until the years of decay, during the Hellenistic period, Sparta did not even have a wall to protect it from enemy attacks. Actually, the state of Sparta comprised of the greater periphery of Lacedaemon and later, when the Spartans attacked, defeated and enslaved their Western neighbors, it included Messinia. Thus, two centuries after their appearance in the region, Doric Spartans effectively ruled the Southern half of Peloponesse.

The country of the Spartans was referred to as “Lacedaemon” by most Greeks, and the letter lamda “Λ” was engraved on the shields of Spartans when they marched to war. Full Spartan citizens were actually a minority group in their own country. They lived in the plains of the Eurotas river, in the four neighboring settlements which comprised the City of Sparta and a fifth settlement: Amykles, a few kilometers to the South. Full Spartan citizens were not required to work. They were professional soldiers and were mostly occupied with educating young Spartans and preparing for war.

In Lacedaemon (the eastern half of the Kingdom), the majority of the residents were Perioikoi, also Doric Spartans, who however did not have full political rights, and served as a national guard in case of war. They were occupied with more humble professions like farming, merchandising or craftsmanship. The largest ethnic group of the entire Kingdom were the Messinians, who were enslaved be the Spartans and were referred to as Helots. They were the cornerstone of the Spartan economy, providing almost all agricultural and farming goods for Sparta. They lived under the provision of either individual Spartans or the state itself. They were forced to follow the Spartans to military campaigns usually fighting as light infantry or assisting personnel.

Full Spartan citizens and the Perioikoi had a sense of individual freedom and co-existed in harmony, occasionally members of one class could move to the other and vice versa. On the other hand, the Helots were always held as an inferior race by the Spartans and hated their masters. They revolted whenever given the opportunity, usually to be crushed under Sparta’s military supremacy. The constant internal threat of the Helots is thought to be one of the most important reasons why the Spartan society was so insisting in intense military education and keeping all citizens alert at all times.

This is only an introduction… We will discuss the Spartan society in more details soon.

2006-10-24T15:16:00.000+03:00

Thermopylae 2005

downloaded from http://www.hoplites.net

The annual ceremony held every August at the battleground of Thermopylae commemorating the heroic stand of Leonidas and his 300 Spartans.

Was the Battle of Thermopylae a real event?

2006-10-23T18:10:00.000+03:00

Recently, while browsing the net for information about the upcoming movie “300”, I found a message written by a guy, claiming to be a history professor from Russia, who went as far as to question whether the Battle of Thermopylae was an actual event!! He did admit that there was some kind a conflict between Greeks and Persians, at which the Greeks eventually prevailed, but he considered the specific event as largely exaggerated and, as he said, possibly forged as part of the “Hellenic propaganda”. He therefore refuses to teach it and remains very critical towards the generally accepted approach of the Greco-Persian Wars. Well, I really feel sorry for his students and the history they are learning...

The Battle of Thermopylae (literary meaning: “Hot Gates”) is undoubtedly one of the best and most accurately recorded conflicts of ancient times. There are not only ancient texts describing it by also archeological evidence to support it. The names of all Spartans who fell on the side of their King were recorded and are well know today. The exact conditions of the battle and the number of casualties suffered, quotes from Greeks and Persians before the battle begun, even the negotiations between the army leaders have been written down and saved for future generations. Testimonies from contemporary Greeks and Persians have been recorded and monuments dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for the survival of their country have been excavated in both Thermopylae and Sparta. Furthermore, the battleground of Thermopylae because of the tactical advantage it offers to an outnumbered defending army has been the site of a number of battles throughout history. Most recently, the Greek Chef of staff during the World War II was planning to delay the advancing German forces fighting a desperate battle at the exact same place where Leonidas and Sparta’s finest shed their blood 2,500 years ago (fortunately he changed his mind considering the air supremacy of the Germans which cancelled any tactical advantage of the retreating Greeks and British).

Our main source of the Greco-Persian Wars is no other than the father of history, Herodotus of Halicarnassus. As his name indicates, he was born in the Greek city of Halicarnassus in Asia Minor (modern-day Bodrum on the Southern coastline of the Aegean Sea in Turkey) around 484 B.C. and lived until the age of 60, witnessing first hand the classical era of ancient Greece with Athens and Sparta at the peak of their glory. He was an enlightened man, a true scholar as people in the renaissance characterized him when they re-discovered his texts. He traveled around the entire known world trying to uncover historical events by interviewing eye-witnesses and fellow historians. He also recorded his trips to exotic destinations as far as Babylon or Egypt. He wrote nine books titled “Istories” or “The Histories” (simply meaning “stories” is Greek). The word was later borrowed by the Romans and ended up in all Western languages with its current etymology.

As I mentioned in my introduction, the Battle of Thermopylae took place in 480 B.C., when Herodotus was only about 4 years old, which, logically, makes his account of the events less credible. However, the scientific method he used to record his stories, secure to the maximum degree that his descriptions are as objective and as close to the actual events as possible. He went around the Greco-Persian world trying to find survivors of the recent Great War and talk with them about the events, with as much detail as possible. He interviewed Greeks and Persians, Greeks who fought with the Persians, allies of the Persians, such as Egyptians and Babylonians, even the personal biographers of the Persian Kings. Actually in his first six books Herodotus deals almost exclusively with the growth and expanse of the Persian Empire, providing more details about his contemporary superpower than any Persian historian. In his texts one can clearly observe that although a Greek himself, and an admirer of Athens and its Democracy, he treats the Persians with the outmost respect and tries to be objective in his judgment and the way he presents the story to his reader. Many may say he is biased or inaccurate, especially in the figures he provides about the size of the Persian armies. Herodotus is not only trying to collect stories from all available resources but also to balance them and come up with a realistic and objective account of events that happened years before he even begun his research. In some cases he gives more than one version of the same event, in order to avoid giving a false story. I strongly recommend to everyone to read Herodotus’ original texts and create a personal opinion about his credibility.

The accounts of Herodotus are confirmed by all his contemporary scholars, including Greeks and Persians. Their main disagreement concerns the size of the armies which took part in the various campaigns. From the Battle of Marathon run by Darius to the massive expedition of Xerxes, each historian and each witness give a different figure. However, this is not important since they all agree that in all battles the Greeks were heavily outnumbered, and their eventual triumph was a result of their superior battle tactics and the motivation of their cause. The Greeks were fighting to “liberate your motherland, your children, your women, the altars of the Gods of your fathers and the graves of your forebears”.*

The Battle of Thermopylae was a historical event. It did happen and it marked history forever. It continues to inspire men who fight for a righteous cause, even when desperately outnumbered by an invincible enemy. It was the turning-point of probably the most important war of ancient times. A war which literary saved the Greek world, and let it flourish for centuries to come. The Greco-Persian Wars gave birth to classical Greece and, therefore, the ideas of Freedom, Democracy, Individual human rights and Humanism as we understand them today. Scientific thinking, Medicine, Physics, Mathematics, Philosophy, Theology, the foundations of Western civilization were invented in classical Greece. All these would have never happened if a handful of brave men had not stood on the “Hot Gates” in a summer day, 480 years before Christ, and sacrificed their lives to unite the Greeks and eventually halt the Asiatic hordes from invading and conquering the whole of Europe.

* verse from the “Paean” (war song) the Greeks were singing at the dawn of the Naval Battle of Salamis (more about it on this blog soon).

2006-10-19T05:28:00.000+03:00

300

this is the unofficial (longer) version of the movie trailer

Introduction

2006-10-18T17:35:00.000+03:00

Hello and welcome to my blog!! My name is Constantinos, I am Greek and a HUGE history fan. Especially Greek history, of course. A couple of days ago I received a mail from a Belgian friend, Mathias, with the link to a new movie: "300". Based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City), the movie which will hit the theatres on March 9 2007, is inspired by a real historical event of the Greco-Persian wars: the Battle of Thermopylae which took place in central Greece in the summer of 480 B.C..

A handful of Greek hoplites (infantry soldiers) stood against an invading army of over 100,000 (according to Herodotus, the Persians and their allies exceeded 1,500,000 troops, or 5 million people including supporting personnel; slaves, craftsemen, even prostitutes). The defenders chose a narrow passage and fought a tactically brilliant battle for 3 days, only to be defeated after a local traitor showed to the Persians a mountain pass taking them behind the Greek lines. The heroic Greeks, led by one of the Kings of Sparta, Leonidas, fought to the last man inflicting great loses to the Asian horde. The Battle offered a moral boost and inspiration to the rest of the Greeks who after centuries of civil struggle united against the advancing Persians and defeated them in the naval Battle of Salamis, saving their country and Western civilization as we know it today.

The perspective of a Hollywood movie about an event of Greek history is always exciting for any Greek. However, the way the story will be presented is always a bit "fishy"... for example, "Troy" was by all means a disaster, totally different from the original version of Homer's "Iliad" and offending to anyone who has actually read the book. The "Iliad" by the way, is considered to be the oldest literature work in the history of the Western world, and has been taught to kids as an epic tale for at least 3000 years!! "Alexander", a movie directed by Oliver Stone, on the other hand, focused too much on the debatable sexual preferences of Alexander the Great, rather than the actual contribution of such an extraordinary personality to the world.

The good part about "300" is that it clearly states that it is a fictional movie, only loosely based upon a historical episode. Inspired by a comic book, the creators take full advantage of the "poetic freedom" offered and present the ancient Spartan society, the events around the Battle, and the Battle itself in a surreal background with fictional elements. It certainly looks like a great epic with a lot of exaggerations compared to the actual incidents.

In future posts I will give more information about the real events and what we will see on the big screen in March. I actually ordered the graphic novel from amazon.com today, and hope to receive it as soon as possible and will present more details about it.