300

What is it?

i think the 'real' event as recounted was in a narrow mountain pass wasn't it, so blocking it off for a bit with 300 people on a shift system probably wasn't that difficult. didn't they all die in the end though?

actually i'm going to shut up so grace has less to correct me on

Quintus est in atrium.

Also, I really want to see that film.

Well kinda, it's Latinised, I could have been pedantic and said Thermopulai.

It's my favourite thing I've learned about in my whole time at uni, without a doubt.

Emo hegel?

The main stupid things about the legend are -

1. 300 Spartan warriors = an army of thousands - each "Spartan" warrior had shit loads of assistants and stuff, and there were also a load of (iirc) non-Greek troops too.
2. There is no fucking way an army anywhere near the size claimed for the Persians could have been supported at that time.

Troy was awful and Brad Pitt was utterly dire in it. I hope this film isn't as bad as Troy, it could be made pretty entertaining.

I do agree that the guy who played Hektor was good, in that he was basically the only good character in the whole film.

What? Clearly brad pitt was genius in that film, hector was better but his character wouldn't have worked if he hadn't had a good dominant achilles to play off.

How can you watch the first duel between the two champions at the begiining of the film, after achilles turns to the kid and says 'and thats why men will nto remember your name' and not think it was awesome.
The only thing i think the film failed to do is bring in more of the ideas of the genuine beleif in the favour of the gods in battle and society. But i think that was more because it was too much to fit into two and a half hours.

Have you read Persian Fire by Tom Holland, it covers all of the Persian wars in a fair bit of detail talking about how Persia built up a massive empire and then looking at what happened in the wars. Apparently the Greek force was about 5,000 or so in total, I'm not entirely sure as I don't have my copy at the moment, there was a load of people that were there but a lot fled. The Persian army was definately huge by those days standards, they supported it by moving from city to city forcing them to provide them with food etc.

he was easily mighty enough, though your right he was a little bit too nice for achilles, but its a moot point overall surely, and brad pitt is well hot

Very excited about this film. For those who've not seen the trailers, it's all Sin City style, based on a Frank Miller comic book also. It has like, people riding monsterous rhinos and stuff, and a 9 ft tall Xerxes. Also, that woman who was in the terrible Bertolucci film about incest and May '68. Out 22nd March I believe. Down with historical accuracy!

Yeah but A. might not have felt able and willing to embark on a therapeutic relationship.. and i did say that is how i didn't WANT to see him, not that he wouldn't be troubled...

And of course Pitt didn't capture him - it would have been amazing if he had tbh!! Never gonna happen..

you're trying to provoke me, aren't you