Leonidas and the 300

The majority of people became aware of Leonidas and the 300 men because to Zack Snyder's 2006 movie 300. Unsurprisingly, there are certain inaccuracies in the movie's account of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE during the Persian Wars. The same is true of the graphic novel on which the movie is based.

According to tradition, Leonidas and 300 Spartans defeated Xerxes I of Persia's army on their own. The truth, however, is more complex because it provides more context for how they arrived there, how accurate the statistics were, and, of course, the whole "the Spartans fought alone" thing. King Xerxes I deployed a massive army—between 70,000 and 300,000 soldiers—to advance from the south at the start of the Greco-Persian Wars.

Only 6,000 to 7,000 troops from Leonidas' much smaller army accompanied him into combat. Along with his 300 Spartans, his army also included Greek soldiers from several city-states. For three days, the far weaker army held off the Persians till a treachery gave Xerxes the upper hand.

Greek national Ephialtes betrayed both his nation and the army by revealing Xerxes the route around Thermopylae. Even a portion of the Persian army was led by him along the way. Part of the Greek Army was decimated by the Persians, which forced a retreat. But Leonidas remained and fought on with 300 of his bodyguards, a few helots, and 1,100 Boeatians. A withdrawal would go against Spartan traditions and regulations.

There has never been total agreement on the specifics of the conflict. The majority of people think that despite their valiant efforts, Leonidas and his army were finally defeated by a far greater Persian invasion. However, some people think there were survivors, and some even think Leonidas was one of them. Unfortunately, neither idea has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.