Arrows, Maybe

In the movie 300, a Persian threatens Michael Fassbender's Stelios and warns their arrows would block out the sun in a famous statement. They'll fight in the shade, according to Stelios. Later on in the movie, the promise is realized and the sun is truly blocked out by arrows.

The Battle of Thermopylae served as the inspiration for the film 300. But it's clear that the movie wildly embellishes the plot. In addition, the history of the time was probably greatly inflated. So it's difficult to determine with certainty what occurred during that infamous conflict. Only the statements made at the time will do, or shortly before.

The Battle of Thermopylae was documented by the historian Plutarch. Plutarch was born in 46 AD, but the conflict occurred in 480 BC. The individual therefore didn't precisely have a first-hand account and instead learnt a lot of the story from Herodotus' writings, even though he was only four years old at the time of Thermopylae. However, Plutarch later noted in his history that "it is hard to see the sun because of the barbarians' arrows." A reference to Dienekes' remark about fighting in the shade is also made.