A question here. Are the highly civilized Spartians or the highly civilized Persians the barbarians?
_________
Magdar Bluefletch, Legendary Barbarian of M'Riss

i cant wait for this movie for the most part it seems pretty historicaly correct. But i wonder if they will show the other 700 that stayed to fight with them. But even with the full number of 1000 the odds they faced and shear devastion they caused the invading force was just awesome and some all barbarians should strive to achive. I know i do.

Somebody in the Seattle IMAX office determined that this would be a good time to show Happy Feet rather than 300. We are not amused.

-Durnil

>I think this comment would be more appropriate for the Warrior Mage folders.

Pfft, you're limiting yourself. Whatever arguments between barbs and WMs exist, the fact that WMs can dance is NOT one of them.

-Durnil

>I can't wait either but I doubt it's going to be super factually correct. I suspect they'll get the proper spirit (Go Sparta!), tell a damn fine and entertaining story and leave you with a super experience.

I believe it's actually pretty much verbatim to Miller's graphic novel. From the reviews I've read, there is very little stray from the novel. Guessing from the content of the novel being, well, fiction in all but the grandest scheme, I'm looking forward to a great battle and not learning a whole lot about history.

-Durnil

That dude was using tailwind :(

I am --- Navak

If your every interested, read about the Greeks in World War Two.

For a small, then weak nation still recovering from 400 years of slavery, armed with only weapons that would have considered rudimentary and dated during world war I, they resisted German dominance the longest of any non English European Nation(They resisted the Germans for 219 days, compared to Norway (61), France (43) and Poland (30)). They were the only country to endure simultaneous attacks from 4 different countries (Albania, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria). Where as Poland lost 1.8% of its total population in resistance, and the Soviet Union lost 2.8%, Greece lost over 10%. Most importantly Greece was to be the launching point of attacks into many weaker areas of Russia. The Greek resistance caused excessive delays in the German plan which allowed Russia to move troops into position in preparation.

(quotes)

"For the sake of historical truth I must verify that only the Greeks, of all the adversaries who confronted us, fought with bold courage and highest disregard of death"-Adolf Hitler

"Regardless of what the future historians shall say, what we can say now, is that Greece gave Mussolini an unforgettable lesson, that she was the motive for the revolution in Yugoslavia, that she held the Germans in the mainland and in Crete for six weeks, that she upset the chronological order of all German High Command's plans and thus brought a general reversal of the entire course of the war and we won"-Sir Robert Antony Eden

"The war with Greece proved that nothing is firm in the military and that surprises always await us"-Benito Mussolini

"I am sorry because I am getting old and shall not live long to thank the Greek People, whose resistance decided WWII"

"You fought unarmed and won, small against big. We owe you gratitude, because you gave us time to defend ourselves. As Russians and as people we thank you" -Moscow Government Radio following initial Nazi attacks.

"On the 28th of October 1940 Greece was given a deadline of three hours to decide on war or peace. But even if a three day or three week or three year deadline were given, the response would have been the same. The Greeks taught dignity throughout the centuries. When the entire world had lost all hope, the Greek people dared to question the invincibility of the German monster raising against it the proud spirit of freedom" - Franklin D Roosevelt

"Until now we used to say that the Greeks fight like heroes. Now we shall say: The heroes fight like Greeks" - Winston Churchill

"Because only we, Contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle" - Aeschyllus





Farewell, remorse: all good to me is lost; Evil, be thou my good.
~Paradise Lost (bk. IX, l. 171)

There's no reason we can't be civil.


Gamemaster Iayn
Barbarian Guru

Mmm i kind viewed them as non magic utilizing paladins/barb half breeds. The observance of the law, the strict discipline in fighting in large groups, the primary emphasis on the shield. If there was a guild like someone the spartans were in 300, probably be armor prim, weapon / survival secondary. Real life spartans of course wore some of the heaviest armor in the world at that time.

Farewell, remorse: all good to me is lost; Evil, be thou my good.
~Paradise Lost (bk. IX, l. 171)

<< Most paintings from that time period show only lightly clad men (mostly nude) so that offers no help :/

Works for me! Men fighting in loincloths and helms with shield and spear. Yup, works just fine for me. ;)


GameMaster Niamah
Barbarian Liaison

"Give them nothing, take from them, everything!"

>>Actual armor consisted of a mostly full-body cover of mesh chain (can't remember the exact type off the top of my head) with some leather underlay.

No, what they had on was pretty accurate minus the bare rippling torso (sorry Niamah). Hoplite armor, though variable due to citizens being responsible for procuring their own, consisted of greaves, a breastplate, a helmet (Corinthian, not Thracian -- Thracian were the ones with a wide brim and full facemask as seen in the Thracian gladiator style), a wooden shield, spear, and a xiphos or kopis (which was the sword shown in the movie). All the armor would be made of bronze. The Spartans wore red cloaks and had a red lambda painted on their shield (standing for Lakedaimon, the Spartan territory).

Here's an image from a red-figure kylix that shows hoplite gear in fine detail: http://www.livius.org/a/1/greece/hoplite_kmkg.JPG

~Thilan

I'm sure Niamah wouldn't mind settling for a 6-pack. Greek armor was not always full-body.

J'Lo, no that other one
The Manipulation List -- http://symphaena.com/index.html

>>Werent the Greeks obsessed with physique making the rippedness not so unplausible?

By implausible I meant fighting barechested as they did in the movie. Real hoplites would have worn a breastplate.

Interestingly enough, the Spartans were pioneers of calisthenics, and the Persians laughed at them as they did their exercises the morning of the battle. (Calisthenics for Spartans had a religious significance on top of the physical benefits.) Oops.


~Thilan

This:

http://ashleykathbilsky.com/db1/00057/ashleykathbilsky.com/_uimages/gerard-butler-300-3.jpg

---

Fuquois

>>What is that sound?

>>Oh, that's Niamah swooning.


No no, swooning don't make sounds, thats her rifling through her plastic wrap on her pack of handy wipes to get rid of the drool.


::chortles::

::flees::

~Dalkin~