The greatest battle ever fought in the world
Another great movie series in the world is “The 300”. No doubt many people have watched this movie. But if you haven’t seen it yet, we suggest you watch it soon. What takes place in this film is a war between Greece and Persia. But did you know that ‘The 300’ is a film based on a true story? This war can be identified as the greatest battle ever fought in the world.
Thermoplyae City – The 300
This battle took place between 480BC and 490BC between Greece and Achaemenid Empire of Persia. The Battle of Thermopylae is a battle which happened at Thermopylae. Thermopylae was a city under Greek rule. Thermopylae means “The Hot Gates”. The name derives from the sulfur-filled hot springs associated with these areas. There is a myth about this. According to that, Hercules killed Hydra and washed Hydra’s poison that fell on his cloak from these springs. It is said that after that those springs became poisonous springs forever. Also, some sources say that these springs got the name Thermopylae because they were considered to be the gateways to Hades (the underworld).
Background of the Battle – The 300
In that batte, Greece Army led by king Leonidas 1 of Sparta and Persian army led by Emperor Xerxes. Somehow the Persians marched through this city to attack Greece. This road to Greece is also described as a very narrow and difficult road. If you have watched The 300, you will remember that it says that this battle was fought by only 300 Spartans. But in fact, about 7000 Greeks have participated in this battle. There have been nearly 7,000 Greeks, including more than 700 Thespians warriors, 500 warriors from Mantineia, more than 1,500 warriors from various parts of Arcadia, about 400 Thebans warriors, 900 helots and 300 famous Spartan warriors.
There were about 100 000 – 150 000 soldiers in the Persian army against this Greek army. According to early mythologies, this was written in excess of several million, but recent research suggests that there was a 100,000 – 150,000 soldiers in Persian army. At the start of the battle, the 7,000-strong Greek army was able to prevent more than 100,000 Persian troops from passing through the Thermopylae. Greek Army able to hold off them for seven days. It is stated that 3 battles have taken place during these 7 days. But due to a betrayal at finally, the Greeks are unexpectedly defeated.
Betrayal of the Greeks
One Greek man named Ephialtes betrayed the Greek army by pointing out to the Persians a small road used by the shepherds. This enabled the Persian army to go round and attack the Greek army. By this time, Leonidas, the leader of the Spartan regiment, realized that they would be defeated by this betrayal, and he ordered a large part of the Greek army to withdraw.
About 300 Spartans remain in the final battle, with about 700 Thespians. With this small army, Leonidas fights to the best of his ability to defend Thermopylae and guarded their retreat part of army. But by the end of the battle all the Spartans were dead, and Thermopylae fell to the Persians. But that time a large army was coming to Greece to help. Because of this the Persians could not go through Thermopylae and attack the capital city of Greek. This is why Thermopylae Battle is considered one of the greatest battles ever fought in the world.
The 300
For several days, other warriors, including the Spartans, defended Thermopylae without allowing the Persians to enter, so the Greeks were able to assemble a large army against the Persians. Thus, despite the defeat of the Battle of Thermopylae, the Greeks were able to win the war against the Persians. In movies, the story is different. The gist of the story, however, is the same. There have been several films in this regard. Those are,
- The 300 Spartans (1962)
- 300 (2006)
- 300 – Rise of an Empire (2014)
Reminds you again, if you haven’t seen these movies yet, watch them as soon as possible.
