Posted on 08/09/2016 4:07:55 AM PDT by harpygoddess
A legendary battle of western history:
Today is the anniversary of the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Thermopylae is a pass in east central Greece between the cliffs of Mount Oeta and the Malic Gulf, and in ancient times, it was a principal entrance into southern Greece from the north.
It was there that the Greeks confronted the third Persian expedition of the Persian Wars - an army of as many as a half-million men under Xerxes. When they found that their position had been turned, however, the Greeks retreated precipitously - all except for a 300-strong Spartan contingent under their king, Leonidas.
Leonidas and his men fought a delaying action in the narrowest part of the pass until they were overcome by the Persians and slaughtered to a man.
(Excerpt) Read more at vaviper.blogspot.com ...
The Persians were the good guys in that battle. If you don’t believe me then go check your bible to see who is viewed more favorably. It seems perverse to glorify these sick in the mind Spartans.
“third Persian expedition”? Darius was first, Junior (Xerxes) was next. What’s this “third” stuff? Maybe I remember incorrectly.
You appear to be a blog pimp.
It wasn’t just the 300 Spartans who made the final stand against the Persians. Larger groups of Thespians and Thebans fought to the death with the Spartans. The total is thought to have been 1400 - 1500 Greeks making the final stand; still an exceptional episode in history.
Also Leonidas was more like 60 during that battle, not 30 like the movie 300 portrays.
“The Persians were the good guys in that battle. If you don’t believe me then go check your bible to see who is viewed more favorably. It seems perverse to glorify these sick in the mind Spartans.”
Sick in the mind Spartans as compared to the Persians? I think you’ve missed the essence of the story. Think Alamo. Maybe that will be easier for you to comprehend :)
Very fitting since our elected officials all have pockets full of Xerxes’ gold.
It’s properly here in “Bloggers and Personal” to link to one’s blog and (imo) you ought to be safe from pimp shots. I have a history blog too, so I appreciate. (Nope, never shared it here.)
Some very interesting stuff you have! “Nazis With Cats.” LOL. I will be stealing that pic of the guy with the cat on his head.
Thanks for posting this.
The first was when the Persian fleet was destroyed in a storm, and the second was the Greek victory at Marathon in 490 BC. The expedition which included Thermopylae was the third, according to this reckoning; it’s valid, though, to leave out the first of these, since the fleet was destroyed prior to any battle.
There were no “good” guys in that particular war. Xerxes was used by God to fulfill God’s purposes, but that does not make Xerxes good.
Also the bombing of Nagasaki....
In 4 years it will be the 2500th anniversary. All of Western Civilization should celebrate democratic Greece being saved from Persian barbarians...if their descendants haven’t nuked us first.
Leonidas would be voting for Trump.
In a religious context, pagan boy buggering Greeks versus monotheist (Zoroastrian) Persians, you have a point. Xerxes’ imperial army may even have included some conscripted Judeans. Judea had been part of the Persian Empire for over a hundred years following Cyrus’ ending the Babylonian Captivity. But in terms of race and politics it’s the swarthy monolithic imperialist East versus the fair haired and proto-democratic individualistic West. The real context of the modern legend of Thermopylae was the oppressed Christian Greeks of the 19th century liberating themselves from the Ottomans (whose career and ambitions in Europe did truly parallel Darius and Xerxes).
Was this fleet part of Darius’ invasion, or did it come some time before?
In addition the Naval battle fought by the Athenians at Salamis which occurred shortly thereafter (~a month) was at least as important in stopping the Persians as it decimated their ability to protect their flank and maintain a logistics supply to the force since it opened the strait (Hellsponte) crossing to attack.
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