"300" ' History or Controversy
The movie 300 has been much debated and accused against since its release on March 8, 2007. It has been alleged that it shows the Persian culture in wrong light and promotes the western supremacy. This article was inspired by ongoing controversy and debates on the issue and is a result of some internet searches with an attempt to reach a conclusion. It includes some citations along with my personal opinion.
About 300
300 (film) is a 2007 film adaptation of the graphic novel 300 by Frank Miller and is a fictional account of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. The film is directed by Zack Snyder with Frank Miller attached as an executive producer and consultant.
Is 300 Historically Correct?
The Film’s Director Zack Snyder stated in an MTV interview that “The events are 90 percent accurate. It’s just in the visualization that it’s crazy…. I’ve shown this movie to world-class historians who have said it’s amazing. They can’t believe it’s as accurate as it is.” He continues that the film is “an opera, not a documentary. That’s what I say when people say it’s historically inaccurate”.
I have searched the internet and found that most of the events covered in the movie are historically accurate.
Battle of Thermopylae
In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC, an alliance of Greek city-states (shown as Spartans in the movie) fought the invading Persian Empire at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the Persians for three days in one of history’s most famous last stands. A small force led by King Leonidas of Sparta blocked the only road through which the massive army of Xerxes I could pass. After three days of battle, a local resident named Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks by revealing a mountain path that led behind the Greek lines. Dismissing the rest of the army, King Leonidas stayed behind with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespian volunteers. The Persians succeeded in taking the pass but sustained heavy losses, extremely disproportionate to those of the Greeks. The fierce resistance of the Spartan-led army offered Athens the invaluable time to prepare for a decisive naval battle that would come to determine the outcome of the war. The subsequent Greek victory at the Battle of Salamis left much of the Persian Empire’s navy destroyed and Xerxes I was forced to retreat back to Asia, leaving his army in Greece under Mardonius, who was to meet the Greeks in battle one last time. The Spartans assembled at full strength and led a pan-Greek army that defeated the Persians decisively at the Battle of Plataea, ending the Greco-Persian War and with it the expansion of the Persian Empire into Europe.
The performance of the defenders at the battle of Thermopylae is often used as an example of the advantages of training, equipment, and good use of terrain to maximize an army’s potential, and has become a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds. The sacrifice of the Spartans has captured the minds of many throughout the ages and has given birth to many cultural references as a result.
The geopolitical origins of the battle actually predate Xerxes I, as it was his father, Darius the Great, who initially sent heralds to all Greek cities offering blandishments if they would submit to Persian authority. Many of the 700 Greek states submitted, including the Argives, the sworn enemies of Sparta.
Herodotus - "father of history"
Herodotus was a Dorian Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BC (484 BC'ca.425 BC) and is regarded as the “father of history”. He is almost exclusively known for writing The Histories, a collection of ‘inquiries’ into the origins of the Persian invasions of Greece which occurred in 490 and 480/79 BC?especially since he includes a narrative account of that period, which would otherwise be poorly documented. On going through what Herodotus has written, I have come to understand the turns of events as shown in the movie 300.
1. Persians attached the Spartans: The Persians at that time were not as peaceful race as we all think. Xerxes I, king of Persia, had been preparing for years to continue the Greco-Persian Wars started by his father Darius. In 481 BC, after four years of preparation, the Persian army and navy arrived in Asia Minor. Herodotus who wrote the first history of this war, gave the size of Xerxes’s army as total 2,641,610. This is the account for the land armies present at Thermopylae. Regarding the total number of forces Xerxes I assembled to invade Greece (land army, fleet crew, etc.), this number is nearly doubled in order to account for support troops and thus Herodotus reports that the total Persian force numbered 5,283,220 men, a figure which is regarded as erroneous by modern estimations.
2. Why to sacrifice the 300 Spartans: The legend of Thermopylae as told by Herodotus is that Sparta consulted the Oracle at Delphi before setting out to meet the Persian army. Oracle’s warning was that either Sparta would be conquered and left in ruins or one of her two hereditary kings, descendant of Hercules, must sacrifice his life to defend her. That is why Leonidas took charge of his personal fighting unit, the 300 Spartans, and headed to Thermopylae. Doesn’t this fact tell us about how much the Spartans loved their home land? All the 300 Spartans knew that they would die, but they fought till death with bravery that they were not sure world would come to know one day. Not a single Spartan fled or betrayed. If only our Hindu soldiers were as united along with their bravery, then India would not be ruled over by Muslim invaders for 1000 years and then by then British for another 100 years.
3. Not inhuman fighters: Herodotus writes that Leonidas was idolized by his men. He was convinced that he was going to certain death and his forces were not adequate for a victory, and so selected only men who had fathered sons who were old enough to take over the family responsibilities. Doesn’t this show that the Spartans were not as barbaric as we think them to be?
4. The last scene: The last scene shows the Persian king Xerxes-I order the hill surrounded and the Persians rain down arrows until the last Greek was dead. Modern archaeologists have found evidence of the final arrow shower. So the film even uses a historical fact to build its climax. There is no fiction.
5. Was Persian king as barbaric as shown: Historian Herodotus writes that when the body of Leonidas was recovered by the Persians, Xerxes I, in a rage at the loss of so many of his soldiers, ordered that the head be cut off and the body crucified. This was very uncommon for the Persians; they had the habit of treating enemies that fought bravely against them with great honor. However, Xerxes I was known for his rage, as when he had the Hellespont whipped because it would not obey him.
Conclusion:
Representation of Spartans: Spartans have been represented in the movie as freedom loving, military oriented race, who love to die for their soil. They are as brave as any men could ever be. And even the women, as represented by the queen played an important role of preparing for the final battle.
Statue of King Leonidas in Sparta |
Representation of Persians: Persians have been represented as bloodthirsty invaders. They keep slaves and are inhuman in many ways. It is true that 300 has shown the Persians king Xerxes I in a wrong light. It has shown him as androgynous, which has no historical proof.
The historical facts and figures give the movie a particular vantage. Though based on historical grounds, it has represented the Persians of that time in a manner which hurts many a people and could have been played down.
[Kumar Rahul, Sunday, April 8, 2007, 4.17 PM]
