300is still considered by many to beZack Snyder’s greatest movie (in close contention withWatchmen). The bloody historical action film depicts the battle between 300 Spartan soldiers and the Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480BC. Starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, and David Wenham, the movie is filled with all the beautiful fight choreography, muddied color palette, and slow motion thatZack Snyder fans lose their minds over.But, it’s far from historically accurate.
Ancient Greek historian, Roel Konijnendijk, sat down withHistory Hitto examine300, and assess whether it is accurate or not. Unfortunately for rookie history buffs, who use movies as their templates for real history,300should never be quoted as a source. Konijnendijk broke down many scenes, but focused on the fights and action sequences. But, before studying the armor, weapons, and tactics, the film’s title might not actually be accurate.“Some sources tell us there were only 300. But there are just as many sources, or even more, that say that the Spartans sent 1000,“he began.
The Spartans in their revealing armor is one of themost recognizable images from300.“This is where we see the Spartans in armor for the first time.You see how completely ridiculous they look,“Konijnendijk pointed out, continuing:
“It’s become such an iconic thing. It’s become very hard now to avoid this impression. You have these guys dressed in just their capes with their very bad rendition of shields and spears. The Spartans would have worn armor in battle. They, of course, wear tunics and armor over their tunics. And they’re supposed to have helmets and greaves. Their shields are supposed to be made of wood, with bronze covering… This is a cartoony version that appears in the graphic novel.”
Sorry ‘300’, War Rhinos Aren’t Real
As King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans battled the Persian forces, King Xerxes sent wave after wave of elite troops from across Persia’s empire at them. In Zack Snyder’s film, they included war rhinos, elephants, and the dreaded Immortals. “They do a number of really weird things,” Konijnendijk continued.“Some of them have brought war rhinos, which are not a thing. I shouldn’t have to really specify that war rhinos are not a thing.“While the war rhinos are pure fantasy, war elephants were real. But, they weren’t used until a century later.“War elephants obviously did feature in ancient warfare. But, not at this time.We don’t know of any Persian army using war elephants until the Battle of Gaugamela in 330 [BC].”
“I have no idea what Frank Miller was snorting when he came up with this!”
Henry Cavill & The Rock Lead Sequel to a Zack Snyder Favorite in Epic Concept Trailer
No doubt many a Snyder fan would love to see this movie happen.
The most dangerous foes in300were undoubtedly Xerxes' Immortals, an elite group of Persian soldiers. But, the way Frank Miller (who wrote the300graphic novel) andZack Snyder depict them is pure fiction.“It’s so weird. What is going on with these guys?,” Konijnendijk said, watching the Immortals' introduction.
“The Immortals are real, they’re a real unit, that we struggle to understand because they only appear in Herodotus [the Greek historian], and never again in history. They would have looked absolutely nothing like this. These guys are just weird monster… ninjas? I have no idea what Frank Miller was snorting when he came up with this! The movie even says that they’ve been serving the Persians for 500 years. The Persian empire had existed for about 70 years at this point. Or even less.”
Still, while300may not be anywhere close to a documentary, that was never really the point. So sit back and enjoy Snyder’s ridiculously fantastical retelling whileawait the arrival of the prequel.
