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The heaviest-hitting response to the Battle of Thermopylae is of course Zac Snyder’s 2007’s hit-film ‘300’. The problem is that within this modern imagination of Thermopylae sit seemingly harmless and wildly eulogising cultural responses to the battle, and that these images have been appropriated in order to legitimise a range of political groups (often on the further right). The Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, recently ruled to have been run as a criminal organisation by the Greek courts, and which is infamous for its rallies at the modern-day site of Thermopylae, is another example. The UK Conservative Party’s European Research Group, a bunch of hard-line Eurosceptics nicknamed ‘The Spartans’ is one example. Owen is the author of 'Great Naval Battles of the Ancient Greek World.' (Some mildly-strong language.) Listen Now Dr Owen Rees discusses this clash, explaining its significance and how it paved the way for one of the most famous naval battles in history: Salamis. At the same time, the Battle of Artemisium was taking place, an often-overlooked and overshadowed military encounter of the Persian Wars. Songs were composed to commemorate the dead, and vast monuments were set up, this all seemed to confirm the picture.Īround this time 2,499 years ago the famous Battle of Thermopylae was raging. If the Spartans all died, who could have accurately reported on what they said?īut the ancient Spartans were consummate brand-managers, and the bravery and skill with which they fought at Thermopylae did much to consolidate the idea that the Spartans were warriors without peers in ancient Greece.
Also, there were a few thousand allies who turned up to Thermopylae, as well as the Spartans’ helots (state-owned slaves in all but name).Īnd those pithy one-liners that you might know from the 2007 film ‘300’ (“Come and get them”, “Tonight we dine in hell”)? While ancient authors do actually attribute these sayings to the Spartans at Thermopylae, they were likely later inventions. They didn’t all die either, two of them were absent from the final battle (one had an eye injury, the other was delivering a message).
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Yet despite the widespread acknowledgement of the occasion, there is a lot about the Battle of Thermopylae that is often misrepresented or misunderstood.įor a start, there were 301 Spartans at the battle (300 Spartans plus King Leonidas).
In Greece, the occasion has been commemorated with a new set of stamps and coins (all very official). Listen Now Thermopylae todayĢ020 marks the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE (technically it is the 2,499th). We're joined by Paul Cartledge, a professor from the University of Cambridge and one of the world's leading experts on ancient Sparta, to sort the fact from the fiction about this iconic clash. King Leonidas, his 300 (or so) Spartans and their Hellenic allies fought off against King Xerxes' mighty Persian army for three days. 2,499 years ago one of the most famous battles in antiquity, indeed one of the most famous battles in history, was fought at the Pass of Thermopylae in central Greece.