One can't help but notice that the Spartan warriors as depicted in Frank Miller's '300' are devoid of most of the armor that they would have worn during the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Therefore, to clarify any misconceptions about their armor, here is an illustration in John Warry's book entitled 'Warfare in the Classical World' which shows how a Greek hoplite would have been armed when meeting the Persian army.When you factor in the opressive heat of the Greek summer in August 480 B.C. along with the weight of the armor, one must marvel at the condition of these warriors. Even more astonishing is that King Leonidas was in his 50's, which would have been considerably older than the Spartiates that he was leading!
If you would like to see other illustrations like this one, please let me know.
Many thanks to Patti, Dotty & Jane. Cheers!
1 comment:
Superior heavy body armor and weapontry were a significant factor in many Greek-Persian battles. The Persian infantry were no match for a well trained, armored and appropiately equipped Greek hoplite in formation. While Frank Miller's artistic rendition of the battle may have been somewhat appropiate for a comic book, it seems a little ridiculous to portray the battle with the Spartans without their body armor in a movie; too much artistic license over realism.
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