Sparta

Sparta

Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...

has long been the topic of cultural inspiration. Such admiration of the Spartans is referred to as Laconophilia. In modern popular culture this is typically centered on the Battle of Thermopylae

Battle of Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place simultaneously with the naval battle at Artemisium, in August...

, which is perhaps the most famous military last stand

Last stand

Last stand is a loose military term used to describe a body of troops holding a defensive position in the face of overwhelming odds. The defensive force usually takes very heavy casualties or is completely destroyed, as happened in "Custer's Last Stand" at the Battle of Little Big HornBryan Perrett...

 of all time.

Battle of Thermopylae in popular culture

The Battle of Thermopylae

Battle of Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place simultaneously with the naval battle at Artemisium, in August...

 has long been the topic of cultural inspiration, as it is perhaps the most famous military last stand

Last stand

Last stand is a loose military term used to describe a body of troops holding a defensive position in the face of overwhelming odds. The defensive force usually takes very heavy casualties or is completely destroyed, as happened in "Custer's Last Stand" at the Battle of Little Big HornBryan Perrett...

 of all time. This "against all odds" story is passed to us from the writings of the Greek Herodotus

Herodotus

Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...

, who was not present at the battle himself. He relates the story of 300 Spartans and 700 Thespiae defending the Pass of Thermopylae

Thermopylae

Thermopylae is a location in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur springs. "Hot gates" is also "the place of hot springs and cavernous entrances to Hades"....

 against almost "2 million" [sic] Persians for three days.

Other

The development of the English Public School

Public School (UK)

A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...

s was influenced by the schooling of Spartan children.

Novels

Author	Novel	Description
Jerry Pournelle Jerry Pournelle Jerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....	Novels set in the Empire of Man Universe	Go Tell the Spartans Go Tell the Spartans Go Tell the Spartans is a 1978 American war film based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel Incident at Muc Wa, about U.S. Army military advisors during the early part of the Vietnam War in 1964, a time when Ford was a correspondent in Vietnam for The Nation.The film's title is from Simonides's epitaph to...  (1991) Prince of Sparta (1993). The seat of the Empire of Man is located on the planet Sparta, not Earth. An Emperor at the time of the Mote in God's Eye(1974) stories (co-authored with Larry Niven Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics... ) is named Leonidas.
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...	Gulliver's Travels Gulliver's Travels Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of... , 1726	In the third book, in a part dealing with summoned spirits, Gulliver writes: "A helot of Agesilaus Agesilaus II Agesilaus II, or Agesilaos II was a king of Sparta, of the Eurypontid dynasty, ruling from approximately 400 BC to 360 BC, during most of which time he was, in Plutarch's words, "as good as thought commander and king of all Greece," and was for the whole of it greatly identified with his...  made us a dish of Spartan broth Black soup The ancient Spartan melas zomos , or black soup / black broth, was a staple soup made of boiled pigs' legs, blood, salt and vinegar. It is thought that the vinegar was used as an emulsifier to keep the blood from clotting during the cooking process. The armies of Sparta and Athens mainly ate this... , but I was not able to get down a second spoonful."
Gene Wolfe Gene Wolfe Gene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...	Soldier of the Mist, 1986 Soldier of Arete, 1989	Narrated by Latro, a soldier who fought on the Persian side at Plataea (after Thermopylae) and suffered a serious head wound there, which makes him forget everything after 24 hours.
Steven Pressfield Steven Pressfield Steven Pressfield is an American novelist and author of screenplays, principally of military historical fiction set in classical antiquity...	Gates of Fire Gates of Fire Gates of Fire is a 1998 historical fiction novel by Steven Pressfield that recounts the Battle of Thermopylae through Xeones, a Spartan Helot and the sole Greek survivor of the battle.... ,1998	Focuses on a boy, Citizen of a destroyed Greek city-state who goes to Sparta, where he becomes a helot and squire to a Spartan. He learns much about Spartan culture, and accompanies the Spartan force to Thermopylae. The story is told in flashbacks, as told by him to Xerxes Xerxes I of Persia Xerxes I of Persia , Ḫšayāršā, ), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fifth king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire.-Youth and rise to power:... 's scribe while he is a prisoner of the Persians.
Halina Rudnicka	Trilogy set in ancient Sparta	Krol Agis (King Agis, 1963), Syn Heraklesa (Heracles' son, 1966) and Heros w okowach (Hero in manacles, 1969). The biography novels about Spartan kings Agis IV and Cleomenes III.

Films

Film	Date	Description
The 300 Spartans The 300 Spartans The 300 Spartans is a 1962 Cinemascope film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. Made with the cooperation of the Greek government, it was shot in the village of Perachora in the Peloponnese...	1962	A dramatization of the Battle of Thermopylae Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place simultaneously with the naval battle at Artemisium, in August... .
Troy Troy (film) Troy is a 2004 epic war film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on the events of the Trojan War. Its cast includes Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector.It was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.-Plot:...	2004	Sparta is one of the invading Greek city-states to besiege Troy. Sparta's famous king was Menelaus at the time, and he led his army in the invasion such that he might recover his runaway wife, Helen.
300 300 (film) 300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant...	2007	A highly stylized recounting of the Battle of Thermopylae Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place simultaneously with the naval battle at Artemisium, in August...  based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller Frank Miller (comics) Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300... . The film depicts the struggle of King Leonidas I Leonidas I Leonidas I was a hero-king of Sparta, the 17th of the Agiad line, one of the sons of King Anaxandridas II of Sparta, who was believed in mythology to be a descendant of Heracles, possessing much of the latter's strength and bravery...  and his personal guard against the massive Persian army under Xerxes I Xerxes I of Persia Xerxes I of Persia , Ḫšayāršā, ), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fifth king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire.-Youth and rise to power:... .
Last Stand of the 300 Last Stand of the 300 Last Stand of the 300 is a TV documentary/reenactment which premièred on The History Channel in 2007. It was directed by David Padrusch known for directing projects such as Journey to 10,000 BC and Aftershock: Beyond the Civil War for the History Channel.-Synopsis:In 480 B.C, during the...	2007	Documentary. Broadcast on The History Channel The History Channel History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-... .
United 300 United 300 United 300 is an American short film that spoofs United 93 and 300 . It won the MTV Movie Spoof Award at the MTV Movie Awards 2007. The short was created by Andy Signore along with some of his friends...	2007	A spoof of United 93 and 300 where Leonidas and the 300 Spartans defend a United airline flight against German terrorists and their emperor Jerxes.
Meet the Spartans Meet the Spartans Meet the Spartans is a 2008 parody film directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Similar to past movies, such as Scary Movie, Date Movie, and most recently Epic Movie, it directs parodies at various films. Although it references many movies, TV shows, people and pop cultural events, it...	2008	A spoof of 300.

Television

Show	Episode	Description
Samurai Jack Samurai Jack Samurai Jack is an American animated television series created by animator Genndy Tartakovsky that aired on both Cartoon Network and Toonami from 2001 to 2004. It is noted for its highly detailed, outline-free, masking-based animation, as well as for its cinematic style and pacing...	"Jack and the Spartans"	A group of 300 warriors, similar in appearance to Spartans, defend a narrow gateway against a vast robot army. They have been in combat for five generations. At the end of the episode the King remarks the 300 and 1 (300 warriors and Jack) when retelling the tale on his death bed.
Xena: Warrior Princess Xena: Warrior Princess Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....	"One Against an Army"	Xena and Gabrielle have to defend the pass of Thermopylae from the invading Persian army. However, in this version of the story, Xena herself is up against 300 Persian soldiers, and not 300 Spartans against thousands of Persians.
Robot Chicken Robot Chicken Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...	Moesha Poppins	A highly stylized trailer for 1776 (film) 1776 (film) 1776 is a 1972 American musical film directed by Peter H. Hunt. The screenplay by Peter Stone was based on the 1969 stage musical of the same name. Portions of the dialogue and some of the song lyrics were taken directly from the letters and memoirs of the actual participants of the Second...  that parodies the trailer for Three Hundred. Includes the line This! Is! AMERICA!  Another Episode has Leonidas saying THIS IS SPARTA-like quotes in mundane situations, such as watching Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake... .
seaQuest DSV SeaQuest DSV seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...	"Spindrift"	After being shot during a rescue mission of his shipmate Lonnie Henderson, SeaQuest's chief of security Jim Brody's last dying words are "With your shield or on it", a reference to a saying attributed to mothers of Spartan men as they went to war. Captain Hudson later explains to Henderson that Brody meant his sacrifice for her, just like the Greeks at Thermopylae, was worth it.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...	"What You Leave Behind"	Dr. Julian Bashir Julian Bashir Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:... , who has a penchant for last stand Last stand Last stand is a loose military term used to describe a body of troops holding a defensive position in the face of overwhelming odds. The defensive force usually takes very heavy casualties or is completely destroyed, as happened in "Custer's Last Stand" at the Battle of Little Big HornBryan Perrett... s, offers to take Ezri Dax Ezri Dax Ezri Dax , played by Nicole de Boer, is a counselor aboard Deep Space Nine in the seventh season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Casting:The role of Ezri Dax was created when Terry Farrell decided to leave the show and her character was subsequently killed by Dukat.When Nicole de Boer read for the...  on a date in a holosuite program depicting the Battle of Thermopylae.
South Park South Park South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...	"D-Yikes! D-Yikes! "D-Yikes!" is episode 1106 of Comedy Central's animated comedy series South Park, first aired on April 11, 2007. The episode is rated TV-MA, and is a parody of the film 300.-Plot:When the episode begins, Mrs... "	In a parody of the aforementioned film 300 300 (film) 300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant... , Mrs. Garrison goes to a "girl bar" which is being bought out by Persians. She is indignant about it, especially their tacky blue carpet and gold curtain rods. When the representative comes, she kicks him in the balls and starts a war. They go tell their boss, Xerxes, who sends many more Persians in a wave. The Lesbians are able to fend them off, and they retreat. Mrs. Garrison then gets Mexicans, disguised as Persians, to infiltrate the Persian club. They find out that Xerxes is a woman and they use that to get him to keep Les Bos a girl bar. Lesbos is an actual island in Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... .

Video games

Developer	Year	Video Game	Description
Mattel Mattel Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...	1982	Space Spartans Space Spartans Space Spartans was a game released for the Mattel Intellivision, initially programmed by Brian Dougherty, and later completed by William C. Fisher and Steve Roney. It is notable for being the first game released which supported the Intellivoice voice synthesis module.-Concept:The overall objective...	The first talking game for the Intellivision Intellivision The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"... , the guide related that like the Spartans of old, you had to hang on as long as possible to give others time for a counterattack.
Bungie Studios		Marathon (computer game series) and Halo (series) Halo (series) Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...	Bungie games often contain classical references. Among the references to Sparta, Marathon 2 contains a level called "My Own Private Thermopylae." In addition, the main character in the Halo series is a military super soldier trained in the SPARTAN-II program, which is a futuristic equivalent to the training Spartan children received.
Creative Assembly Creative Assembly The Creative Assembly is a British video game developer established in 1987 by Tim Ansell and based in the West Sussex town of Horsham. An Australian branch is also operated from Fortitude Valley, Queensland...	2005	Spartan: Total Warrior Spartan: Total Warrior Spartan: Total Warrior is a spin-off action game of the Total War series, developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. It was released on Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube...	The protagonist is a soldier in the Spartan army. Notable characters from Greek mythology and history also make an appearance in the game (ie. King Leonidas).
Creative Assembly	2004	Rome: Total War Rome: Total War Rome: Total War is a PC strategy game developed by The Creative Assembly and released on by Activision...	Greece is a faction in the game, and Spartan warriors as well as the city-state of Sparta are in the game.
Firaxis Games Firaxis Games Firaxis Games is a computer game developer. It was founded in 1996 by Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs, and Brian Reynolds upon leaving MicroProse. The company focuses on strategy games and is based in Sparks, Maryland in the United States....	2000	Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is the critically acclaimed science fiction 4X turn-based strategy video game sequel to the Civilization series. Sid Meier, designer of Civilization, and Brian Reynolds, designer of Civilization II, developed Alpha Centauri after they left MicroProse to join the newly...	One of the seven factions in the game is named The Spartan Federation, and follows a similar ideology and culture as the original Sparta.
SCEA SCEA SCEA can refer to:* Sun Certified Enterprise Architect, a professional certification* Sony Computer Entertainment of America, the American division of Sony Computer Entertainment* Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis* Single Choice Early Action...	2005	God of War (series) God of War (series) God of War is a series of action-adventure video games based on Greek mythology.The main trilogy—God of War I, II, & III—in the series were developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica division , with Ready at Dawn Studios developing the PSP and Javaground the mobile phone installment...	The protagonist, Kratos Kratos Kratos may refer to:*The Greek word κράτος krátos, 'power', which is the second root in words like aristocrat and democracy. Its mythological personification was the god Kratos, a son of Styx.*Kratos MS 50, a tool for Electron ionization... , is portrayed as an former general of the Spartan Army. In the sequel, Kratos has usurped Ares Ares Ares is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...  as the god of war, and is shown guiding the Spartans in wars across the world, and even joins in on the Spartan assault against Rhodes Rhodes Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within... .
Slitherine	2002	Sparta Sparta Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c... n	A turn based strategy game set in late Sparta.
Slitherine	2004	Gates of Troy Sparta Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...	The sequel to Spartan. One of the scenarios is the battle of Thermopylae, where the player must resist the Persian army for 20 turns.
collision studios	2007	300: March to Glory 300: March to Glory 300: March to Glory is a video game for the PlayStation Portable that was released on February 27, 2007, based on the comic book mini-series 300 by Frank Miller and the movie of the same name.- Story :...	A video game based upon the film with the same name 300 (film) 300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant... , which in turn is based upon the Battle of Thermopylae Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place simultaneously with the naval battle at Artemisium, in August... .