300 Spartans
Greek last stand
The 300 Spartans refers to the legendary Greek warriors who defended the pass at Thermopylae against the Persian army in 480 BCE.
The phrase evokes hopeless but heroic resistance against overwhelming odds: They fought like the 300 Spartans.
The 2006 film *300* renewed popular interest in the story, making it a touchstone for last-stand imagery and masculine bravado.
- ThermopylaeGreek coastal pass, ancient battle
- LeonidasAncient Spartan warrior-king
- phalanxMassed infantry formation
- shield wallLinked defensive barrier formation
- spearsPointed pole weapons
shields · Persians · battle · fight to the death · warriors · hoplites · bronze · bronze age · helmets · glory · sacrifice · defiance · bloodshed · pass · mountains · last stand · valor · Greece
- Greco-Persian WarsThermopylae, Marathon, Salamis, Xerxes, Darius
- Spartaagoge, helots, phalanx, Leonidas, Thermopylae
300 Spartansdecisive victory
Overwhelming win, clear outcome
total victory · Battle of Marathon · Mongol horde · Norman Conquest · blitzkrieg
300 Spartansguerrilla fighters
Irregular combatants using ambush tactics
strategic retreat · cowardice · Viet Cong · hit-and-run tactics · live to fight another day