'Gates of Fire'

If there is one book that has done more to glorify the heroism and tenacity of the 300 Spartans it is unquestionably Steven Pressfield's 'Gates of Fire'. When I first saw the movie 'The 300 Spartans' as a young child in Australia, it had such a profound impact on me that as I grew older I tried to read everything that I could about the battle of Thermopylae.

My first introduction to the literary form about the story of the 300 Spartans was Mary Renault's 'Lion in the Gateway' (see archives 9/26/04-10/9/04). This was my favorite story when I was growing up, so much in fact, that I tried to collect every different format that I came across, i.e, hardcover, softcover and paperbacks.

Well today, my favorite book is S.P.'s 'Gates of Fire' which has me once again collecting the different versions which are available. I've gone the same route once again, because on a personal level, the story of the battle of Thermopylae has come full circle and so has my desire to collect all things associated with it.

More to follow about the 'GOF' in the next several blogs!

The 700 Thespians

The military precision and effectiveness of the Spartan phalanx combined with the tenacity of the Spartan warriors which had been instilled since their youth, made Sparta the preeminent warrior state in Ancient Greece. It was this reputation that preceded the 300 Spartans before they arrived at Thermopylae and which together with their heroic self-sacrifice in 480 B.C. became part of the Spartan legend.

While the Thespian contribution to Thermopylae has not been totally overlooked, it has been easier to minimize because of the overwhelming Spartan superiority as described above. What must be remembered is that the city of Thespiae sent the majority of her army which was comprised of 700 hoplites and who together with the remaining Spartans fought to the bitter end at Thermopylae. For this action, the city of Thespiae received the same fate as the city of Athens by being burned to the ground.

Therefore, my belief is that the Thespians should be held in the highest esteem as the Spartan fallen. After all, they were given an opportunity to leave, however, they distinguished themselves by remaining to fight and die with the remaining Spartan heroes.

Comments from Spartiates

I've been very happy to receive comments and more than happy to respond to them, however, I realized the other day that there are some limitations to the web log format and to the comments received. Evidently, if you are not a member of Blogger, when leaving a comment you will have to post it anonymously. Therefore, if you do leave a comment, please leave me your first name as a minimum and the city/country that you reside in, i.e. Leonidas from Sparta, Demophilus from Thespiae, Xerxes from Persia, etc. The reason for this is, I will always respond to any comments and would like to address each of you by name. Cheers!

Inspiration

I've found posting comments and photos to this web log about the 300 Spartans a very gratifying experience, especially since it involves a subject that means very much to me. I've started a routine, where every morning with coffee mug and keyboard at the ready, I try to post something for the day or come up with a topic for the next day.

The source of my inspiration usually arrives with my first cup of coffee, however, when none is forthcoming, it invariably arrives with that second cup. Rather than becoming addicted to caffeine, which could probably occur if I ever become bereft of ideas, I welcome any and all comments to any of the current or archived postings.

I'm hoping that any interaction, via comments or suggestions will provide the stimulation needed instead of that extra cup of coffee!