Ping to read the full text later.
IMO 300 was a entertaining movie with a good core message on freedom. But it has almost zero value on history.
The core truth of the film is that few brave Spartans held off a superior Persian army, which was later defeated at Platea. That’s about it. Admittedly the film never claims to be historical. It’s a grapic novel adaption narrated through the eyes of an Spartan specator. Fair enough.
It is fully justified for Freepers (and a lot of other people) to hold this film in high esteem, especially in the face of the evil Islamic Republic of Iran, our arch-enemy.
But the point is that it’s ISLAM which makes them evil. Islam is the problem, not Persia. The Mullahs despise the old Persian heritage and are since 30 years eradicating it.
The Zoroastrian faith is the older cousin of Christianity and Judaism, and we should look not only to Greek authors but also to the Bible when learning about Persia.
Let us also not forget the long and close friendship between Americans and Iranians which reaches back to 1906 when the American Missionary Baskerville died fighting alongside the Persian constitutionalists in the struggle for an modern Iran. Also don’t forget the numerous Americans like Millspaugh, Shuster who were Iranian finance ministers and not at least the close Iranian-American military and political partnership under the Shah.
Maybe when the Islamic regime in Iran is dead we’ll see a shift in perception of Persian history again.
Source of strain on American-Iranian relations:
JIMMY CARTER’S FAULT
in the hope of thereby preserving from decay the remembrance of what men have done, and of preventing the great and wonderful actions of the Greeks and the Barbarians from losing their due meed of glory...
Claiming the Herodotus was anti Persian is a bold face lie.