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Lecturer: John Trikeriotis and Jeff Jordan of "The Hellenic Warriors" - Image courtesy of Niko Argeroplos
Please click the image above to read the post which Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Ken Mannie of the MSU Spartans wrote: "John, Your recent post that compared the ancient Spartan armor/themes provided the inspiration for our 2013 schedule poster...MOLON LABE!"
I. Introduction
(Text and images on ancient history's greatest
last stand are accessible via the link below)
The Battle of Thermopylae is an integral part of the curriculum of many high schools, colleges and universities around the world. In addition, the battle is taught in military academies as an example of how a small well-trained group of resolute warriors can defend their position against a numerically superior force. Therefore, when Warner Bros.' '300'premiered in 2007, it raised awareness of the heroic story of King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans to unprecedented heights. However, the movie which was adapted from the eponymously named Frank Miller comic book series was criticized by scholars and many in the academic community due to its revisionism. Even more disconcerting was that its R-rated content became much more readily accessible to the under-17 audience due to the release on DVD and its continued airing on cable TV. This undoubtedly had an impact on impressionable young students who couldn't ascertain the differences between '300's factual and the fictional elements, of which there were many...that is until NOW!
The primary source of the Greco-Persian Wars is the historian Herodotus, who recorded through oral testimony the events that occurred from 490-479 BC. While his works are indispensable to the study of the conflicts at Marathon, Thermopylae, Artemisium, Salamis, Plataea and Mykale, what merits further examination is that very little was mentioned by the ‘Father of History’ with respect to the tactics employed, or the panoply worn by the ancient Greek hoplite during these landmark battles. The panoply, defined as a full array of armor, may have included, but was not limited to the helmet, shield, cuirass/linothorax and greaves. While it afforded maximum protection and essentially covered the warrior from head to toe, unlike the depiction of the heavily armed infantryman in the movies, what one hoplite wore usually varied by individual preference to that of his countrymen on the battlefield.
Consequently, the website's mission has been to provide a more authoritative summation of the events as they happened at Thermopylae ('Hot Gates') and the sister battle at Artemisium, both of which were fought concurrently in August 480 BC. In addition, the conclusions reached from our research have allowed us to reconcile the results of our inquiries (see below) by providing an accurate representation of the phalanx, which was a massed formation of hoplites, combined with a factual depiction of the warriors' armor and weapons for use as a learning tool in the classroom...>>>MORE
II. Education
(Bringing the museum to the classroom)
Since the few extant archaeological artifacts that have been recovered from the battlefield of Thermopylae are weapons (primarily arrowheads), any mention of what armor the Greek warriors may have wore during the iconic last stand may seem speculative. Therefore, in the course of our research we have either constructed or commissioned many of these individual components based on the images of the contemporaneous pottery/vases that have survived from the era. Several invaluable resources have been consulted that must be acknowledged, and which are cited at the end of our interview by the independent historians from "The Ultimate History Project". The article which can be accessed via the preceding link mentions only several of these titles, and it is for this reason that we have expanded the list so that it offers a more comprehensive selection for the faculty and students who wish to pursue this topic further.
Several of the teachers who've visited our site over the years have provided very insightful comments and have offered suggestions in what they would like to envision supplementing their lessons. As a result of these communications, we have developed a multimedia presentation which encourages a hands-on approach with students in the classroom, whether at the lower, middle or upper school level. It is this tangible characteristic which offers the pupils a different perspective on the warfare of the ancient Greeks which can not be extrapolated from the textbook alone. In addition, we have added materials (many of which are not reflected on the pages of the website) that have been compiled specifically to refute many of the characterizations in the aforementioned Warner Bros. '300' movie.
Furthermore, as a result of the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), we have recently augmented our presentation by adding several of the other pivotal conflicts of the Greco-Persian and Peloponnesian Wars...>>>MORE
Please click thumbnail for info on "300 Revisited"
"The Hellenic Speaker Series" presents: "The Depiction of the Iconic Last Stand at Thermopylae in Art, Literature and the Movies"
Before Frank Miller's "300", there was "The 300 Spartans" - A traveling exhibition and homage to the 1962 original movie version of the Battle of Thermopylae
Our appearance in Baltimore, Maryland as part of the Walters Art Museum exhibit 'Heroes: Mortals and Myths in Ancient Greece'
Our collaboration with Dr. Maria Hnaraki: '300: Revisited' - Image courtesy of Teddy Kostans
Our collaboration with Dr. Maria Hnaraki (Drexel Univ.) & Dr. Gonda Van Steen (U. of Florida) - 'Battle of Marathon, 2500 Year Anniversary'
III. Research
(Recreating the armor and warfare of the ancient Greeks)
Please access the following link to read more about the battlefield of Thermopylae
To view a video of the introduction of 'The Hellenic Warriors', recorded during their tribute to the defenders of the battles of Marathon and Thermopylae, please clickhere. The video, courtesy of Rina Chios, was filmed during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Maryland Greek Independence Day Parade.
"The Hellenic Warriors" living history group resumes its research on the mechanics of 'othismos',
integral to the military formation known as the phalanx.
MOLON LABE! - 'The Hellenic Warriors' recreation of the last stand of Thermopylae
The image above of 'The Hellenic Warriors' phalanx is courtesy of Themistocles Chronis/DCGreeks.com
'The Hellenic Warriors' reconstruct the last moments at Kolonos Hill
