Ancient Sparta Historian Breaks Down '300' Movie

Ancient Sparta Historian Breaks Down '300' Movie | Deep Dives

Рет қаралды 392,964

Күн бұрын

Ancient Greek historian Roel Konijnendijk takes a deep dive into the historical accuracy of one of the most iconic and ridiculous depictions of the Spartans - '300' (2006).
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00:00 Introduction
00:33 Spartan Society and Customs
02:34 Xerxes’ Messenger
06:56 The Ephors, the Oracle and the Carneia
10:30 The 300
15:39 The Persian Fleet
16:14 Thermopylae, the ‘Hot Gates’
17:17 Spartan Battle Technique
19:12 The Persian Army
24:42 Xerxes
28:28 Ephialtes
32:01 Dilios - Why Did the Spartans Stay?
34:18 The Final Stand
38:44 Aftermath of Thermopylae and Delios
40:53 Movie Quotes: Fact or Fiction?

Пікірлер: 2 100

@daroth7127 25 күн бұрын

This guy needs his own youtube channel at this point

@andrewm1857 25 күн бұрын

Yes please. I rewatch his videos all the time. Fascinating and so many ditches

@kevinhurley6919 25 күн бұрын

He should call it "diggin' ditches"

@kevinhurley6919 25 күн бұрын

He should call it "diggin' ditches"!

@MN-yb8un 25 күн бұрын

i like so too, still not sure if there is a too much about a good thing. if he has the material, sure bring them on, or some recordings of lectures.

@hissingsidll750 25 күн бұрын

Hes picking on a graphic novel for Christ's sake...not the encyclopedia brittanica....this guy should chill out and realise that

@Milos_Markovic 25 күн бұрын

Q: How do i win ancient battles? A: Dig ditches Q: How many? A: Yes.

@KvltKrist 25 күн бұрын

And when you thought you had dug enough ditches, dig a lot more.

@TallDude73 25 күн бұрын

"Where's your ditch?" 😄

@Marauder99991 24 күн бұрын

Honestly, I dont really understand how Europe isn't just one big ditch.

@ashscott6068 24 күн бұрын

"They're just...going around, sir" "But.....the ditches" "Just going around, sir"

@J.Severin 24 күн бұрын

@@Marauder99991 we tryed. got half way from the North sea to the alps. maybe next time.

@Cailus3542 24 күн бұрын

"I have no idea what Frank Miller was snorting when he came up with this." Gave me a good giggle.

@MarcFun 22 күн бұрын

Just another super hero movie disguised into a story happened in history. which is false

@Cailus3542 22 күн бұрын

@@MarcFun Tell me: what part of 300 suggests that it's trying to be an accurate historical film? Was it the Xerxes being seven foot tall? Was it the literal giant with huge blades for hands? Was it the goat man?

@erih2934 17 күн бұрын

@@Cailus3542 I am always surprised people think there was any attempt to make this a historical account - the story in the comic/movie is told as a pre-battle propaganda piece by one spartan to hype up his comrades for the next battle XD Analyzing 300 without keeping that in mind is a bit of a miss. Still I love listening to Roel Konijnendijk simply to get more historical details :)

@hansdampf6916 15 күн бұрын

@@Cailus3542 The historic setting. The names of countries and people. The weapons, the clothes... Lots of things suggested that this is based on a historic event. Not knowing much about that event, the average viewer has no idea what apart from the fantastical aspect would be historically accurate or what wouldn't.

@Snuffsaid2007 13 күн бұрын

@@erih2934 Yeah I was kind of surprised he didn't pick up on that, even if you somehow miss the ending to connect the dots, the narrator (Dilios) regularly gives away how allegorical and embellished his storytelling is, like when he refers to the Persian's using incendiary weapons (fire pots) as "magic".

@wk-ys4gt 20 күн бұрын

It's no surprize Leonidas was betrayed. Ephialtes apparently couldn't have stood his disregard to trenches.

@james088 25 күн бұрын

48 minutes with dr. Konijnendijk? Heck yes, please.

@princessazulaofthefirenati5870 25 күн бұрын

I think you mean the *DITCH* *DIGGER*

@seedo201 24 күн бұрын

He is a legend

@nihilisticpuppy3799 24 күн бұрын

He is a leg

@ctakitimu 24 күн бұрын

Google offered to translate your message to English! 🤣

@james088 24 күн бұрын

@@ctakitimu Wonderful :DD

@jammysmears4077 25 күн бұрын

You've shown half the film here. The editor is a madman.

@leonelramireza.4826 24 күн бұрын

Madness???….. THIS IS SPARTA!!!

@fernandoaugustoribeiro3288 24 күн бұрын

Considering that if we remove slow-mo scenes the movie gets half of its feature length, the official Ditch guy has reacted to the whole movie.

@schiz0phren1c 24 күн бұрын

@jammysmears4077 Yeah! (Re)Spoiler alert!...about an 18 year old movie about a thousand year old conflict that we know the end of...but still!

23 күн бұрын

@@fernandoaugustoribeiro3288somebody actually did this, the movie only got 6 or 8 minutes shorter

@The_ZeroLine 23 күн бұрын

The best kind of madman. Giving us as much as possible of what we wanted.

@GuillermoBarron100 24 күн бұрын

This could've lasted 3 hours and I would've watch it till the end

@Owlinabowl 24 күн бұрын

“I have no idea what Frank Miller was snorting, when he came up with this….” Kinda explains the whole movie tbh lol

@theworldswickedestclown 11 күн бұрын

It's an action movie based of a graphic novel never once did Frank Miller say the graphic novel was historical accurate

@Malky24 25 күн бұрын

Another famous pithy Spartan response was when Philip of Macedon sent a message to the Spartan army in 345BCE saying: "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city." The Spartans sent back a one-word reply: "If" Admittedly that story is a lot cooler if you leave out the second part of it where Philip of Macedon did *exactly* what he said he was going to do and gave the Spartans such a brutal pummelling that they never really recovered from it.

@digitaljanus 24 күн бұрын

A few years later, when Alexander and the bulk of the Macedonian army are away conquering Persia, the Spartans try to rise up again. And the Macedonian general left behind to mind the store crushed them again in a matter of months.

@marcusclaudius266 24 күн бұрын

@@digitaljanus And Alexander referred to it as a "clash of mice," because he was off fighting a real war and couldn't be bothered to care what the children back in Greece were doing.

@jackj9816 24 күн бұрын

And people try to argue because Sparta wasn’t destroyed or fully conquered it showed they were badass. When really Sparta wasn’t really a big prize and Phillip didn’t see it worth the fight so instead destroyed most there lands and took there territory

@TheZombifiedGuy 24 күн бұрын

I kind of like this new angle on the "Come and get them" and "If" replies where instead of badass defiance it's just a pithier version of fucking around before finding out lol

@Warmaker01 24 күн бұрын

@@TheZombifiedGuy It's even worse than that. Before Philip came down and ravaged the Spartan countryside, Sparta was pummeled by Thebes who was capably led by two generals. But the Theban - Spartan War cost both sides so much. Once that was over, that was when Philip invaded.

@kinghenryxl1747 25 күн бұрын

Roel was also a part-time standup comedian in college, which explains a lot LOL

@stevenlannister184 24 күн бұрын

Really? God that makes so much sense

@romant7204 24 күн бұрын

Please tell me this is real

@xabierperez 24 күн бұрын

Tell us more!

@agentmv 24 күн бұрын

Oh God tell us more about this!

@DrRoelKonijnendijk 24 күн бұрын

Sadly this is not true, I just participated in Bright Club during the final year of my PhD kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZrlnosxivdSZaZc.html

@joeyeisenzimmer5374 5 күн бұрын

"Taken from their homes and plunged into a world of violence!" Yeah, until later that day. HA! That's given me a right good chuckle.

@Squiesh 22 күн бұрын

It's amazing that Robert Pattinson is so well versed in history.

@matthewbrown5228 12 күн бұрын

I see where the confusion is. That's not Robert Pattinson. That's Edward Cullen. They selected Robert Pattinson to play Edward Cullen because of the likeness. Edward Cullen is very well versed in history because of the thousands of high school classes he has attended.

@lizardog 11 күн бұрын

@@matthewbrown5228 Come on. That's Cedward.

@hdmairbf 25 күн бұрын

We need Dr. Ditch videos at least weekly.

@paulc3752 25 күн бұрын

"I had no idea what Frank Miller was snorting when he did this...." Ohhhh, you sweet summer child.

@HiveFleetUlfang1 25 күн бұрын

He's a University professor. I'm sure he can imagine what Miller was on...

@rsbandbj1 25 күн бұрын

i laughed out loud when he said that.

@pyrob2142 25 күн бұрын

I was chuckling before, but this line absolutely killed me.

@Batchall_Accepted 24 күн бұрын

@@HiveFleetUlfang1 I think they were more implying that Roel probably didn't realize how accurate his joke about "what he was snorting" actually was lol Frank Miller notoriously did a shitload of cocaine when he wrote this lmao

@GoldnDusty 24 күн бұрын

@@Batchall_Accepted And university professors (and a lot of academics of various stripes) have been known to take said extra-curriculars, so I believe the commenter was making a pithy remark about Roel's likely knowledge of this.

@BadassRaiden 24 күн бұрын

Oh yeah, then there's the whole "free men stood against a tyrant" line. Like, the ratio of the population of Sparta of citizens and slaves was overwhelmingly slaves. There were way more slaves than citizens and, whether it was taken from the graphic novel or Snyder wrote the line himself, the idea that the Spartan society is a society of "free men" fighting against "a tyrant" is so shamefully laughable it's insane.

@TheZombifiedGuy 24 күн бұрын

Yeah... kind of echoes the whole "slaveowners who wanted to be free" vibe of the declaration of independence

@Cailus3542 24 күн бұрын

Come to think of it, this film could easily be about the Athenians instead, like the sequel. Athens was hardly "free" as we would describe it in 2024, but they were a heck of a lot closer than Sparta.

@zedeyejoe 24 күн бұрын

And every year, Sparta declared war on its slaves. To give a legal (and religious) reason for keeping its slaves in slavery.

@anonymes2884 24 күн бұрын

Yeah but I suppose to him the only actual Spartans _were_ citizens so it's _technically_ true in his eyes (kinda fun to see the "no true Scotsman" fallacy being committed over a thousand years before Scotland even existed :).

@jonnybgoode7742 24 күн бұрын

@@TheZombifiedGuy reading your comments makes it clear how absolutely clueless you are.

@warriorkid 24 күн бұрын

I remember studying ancient history at uni and we covered the ancient world in film. I did NOT realise how many oriental tropes this film had as a young boy Shout out to Orientalism by Ed Said

@kdks7843 25 күн бұрын

Legend states that "300" refers to the number of ditches dug by the Spartans.

@xScooterAZx 24 күн бұрын

Never heard that.

@TheGrumbliestPuppy 24 күн бұрын

@@xScooterAZx its a joke

@A0A4ful 24 күн бұрын

😂The Persians weren't prepared to do a steeplechase!

@kdks7843 24 күн бұрын

@@A0A4ful 🤣

@xScooterAZx 24 күн бұрын

@@TheGrumbliestPuppy Ahh

@toniviskari417 25 күн бұрын

I'm only in the beginning of the video and already cackling over the "Until like later that day" line. Dude has a really awesome dry wit.

@nickzardiashvili624 21 күн бұрын

You can imagine it as the narrator saying "A spartan was taken from his home" and then a SpongeBob title card with that French accent voice: "later that day" as the boy comes back home for dinner.

@otterpoet 6 күн бұрын

Professor Konijnendijk never ceases to make history intriguing and deliver his fact-checks with an amazing wit and politeness. "I really hope I don't need to specify that war rhinos aren't a real thing..." His almost apologetic delivery had me howling!

@MisterKnightly 23 күн бұрын

One hundred points for the proper pronunciation of "Darius."

@AdFin26 25 күн бұрын

I see a video with this guy, I get my ‘build more ditches’ T-shirt ready and click play.

@oskar6661 24 күн бұрын

Dude, I built a ditch...from which I watched this video.

@chengkuoklee5734 24 күн бұрын

We should have t shirts: Dig Ditch Throw Stones.

@philipsquire9056 24 күн бұрын

There are t-shirts? (Googling intensifies)

@xxFortunadoxx 24 күн бұрын

@@chengkuoklee5734 Boil water; costs you nothing.

@lenanana8 24 күн бұрын

@@chengkuoklee5734Or tshirts with an embroidered shovel on the front upper side, and on the back in big letters "WHERE IS YOUR DITCH?"! Is someone able to make these? Or maybe we can ask the University of Oxford where Dr. Roel works to make it official department merch? Trust me, their admission numbers would skyrocket if they did this!

@anonnymousperson 25 күн бұрын

"War Rhinos are not a thing" - Roel Konijnendijk, 2024

@MichalKaczorowski 25 күн бұрын

In Wakanda, maybe ;)

@cleverusername9369 25 күн бұрын

My favorite line, "I don't think Persians would make very good mortar"

@valeforyoru 24 күн бұрын

Rhinos have poor eyesight and low intelligence. There is a video of a Rhino trying to defend her calf from Hyenas.... she charged her own calf by mistake and sent it to oblivion. I guess they can't be trained for battles, but still cool to see because they are magnificent.

@thecraftyhistorian 24 күн бұрын

To sum up “I don’t know what Frank Miller was snorting” Neither do we 🤣

@LuDux 24 күн бұрын

@@valeforyoru well duh, it they had high intelligence they wouldn't go to war

@eunbitpark5251 24 күн бұрын

Poor Roel! He's exhausted correcting everything 😂😂

@euansmith3699 23 күн бұрын

The idea of Xerxes arriving and departing e-v-e-r s-o s-l-o-w-l-y on his dais is hilarious. It reminds me of the guy getting run over by the road-roller in Austin Powers.

@Liam_Mellon 25 күн бұрын

I love Roel, but I always feel bad that he's having to critique mostly movies that are obviously ahistorical. He deserves a historically accurate movie to break down

@GenJuhru 22 күн бұрын

A documentary, the Cleopatra "My grandmother told me..."

@luvahadowsdolls 16 күн бұрын

Unfortunately those types of films are few and far between. On the first Insider video, however, I think he comments that Alexander got close to being correct as they had an Oxford professor advising on it.

@timothytinsumli8098 15 күн бұрын

CinemaSins NEEDS to hire Roel.

@smithryansmith 14 күн бұрын

@@timothytinsumli8098 cinemaSins needs to stop existing.

@ggilluminati4202 8 күн бұрын

@@luvahadowsdolls hell yeah a full Alexander movie breakdown by Roel? That would be a dream

@petroserk9370 24 күн бұрын

"I don't think Persians would make very good mortar" 😂😂

@ATomRileyA 18 күн бұрын

acktshually Apparently adding blood makes better cement :)

@AhJong0 20 күн бұрын

Despite a serious lack of ditches, this guy remains my favourite of all the history experts that pop up on these channels.

@shush2000 23 күн бұрын

ANOTHER new video featuring Dr. Dig-a-Ditch? My morning just improved drastically!

@Vidit-qx9gg 25 күн бұрын

Spartans lose not because they were outnumbered but because they didn't dig ditches 😢

@Pan_Blazej 24 күн бұрын

But, you gotta admit, they built at least one wall.

@nachtschatten8710 24 күн бұрын

@@Pan_BlazejYeah, but as Dr.Roel stated... "Persians dont make up good mortar." so, they had better dug a ditch

@robertwilliamson922 24 күн бұрын

They were not loose. Their formations were tight. But they did lose the battle.

@VDA19 24 күн бұрын

They did build a wall, though, and a wall is just a ditch that goes up instead of down.

@badfoody 24 күн бұрын

Lose

@timothyhouse1622 25 күн бұрын

"I got 99 problems but a DITCH aint one."

@MrRJPE 24 күн бұрын

Missed an opportunity to use 300 instead of 99.

@hermannsteiner7244 24 күн бұрын

underrated comment 🙌👌

@saidtoshimaru1832 24 күн бұрын

21:05 - "I have no idea what Frank Miller was snorting when he came up with this".

@Jari_Sanou 24 күн бұрын

On behalf of all history buffs: “don’t ditch this guy; he Roels.”

@leemiller29 25 күн бұрын

Every time the movie actually gets something semi-historically accurate I'm pleasantly surprised lol

@TheYogesh7777 24 күн бұрын

I am surprised how many things were actually correct. I thought it was total fictional.

@EHMSL1226 23 күн бұрын

@@TheYogesh7777 It actually deserves a lot of credit for at least getting the main story across. Honestly a lot of the silly stuff in it at least is based on some sort of history. Obviously its a fantasy blockbuster movie with ridiculousness in it, but it also is clearly not trying to be 100% historically accurate with monsters and such etc.. Its a really interesting battle and point in history which I would not have looked up and read about if not for this movie!

@ericbrown1101 23 күн бұрын

The ancient historical accounts of this battle are legendary for their iconic quotes, some of which I believe appear in the movie, perhaps most famously when Xerxes demanded Leonidas and his men lay down their weapons, to which Leonidas replied, "Molon labe"..."come and take them". At a similar encounter, a Persian emissary threatened "our arrows will block out the sun", to which a lieutenant of Leonidas replied, "so much the better, then we will have our battle in the shade." My personal favorite, however, is when Leonidas was marching off to battle, Gorgo asked him what she should do if he doesn't return. Leonidas said, "Marry a good man and have good children." And she did, by all accounts, becoming a very prominent figure in Spartan society. These quotes are all fanciful inventions of these ancient chroniclers, but are a big part of why these events have so captivated our imagination. These ancient "historians" were master storytellers.

@That-guy-there1 22 күн бұрын

@@TheYogesh7777 thats because it is, its based on a graphic novel that is told by a spartan, it was never meant to be accurate. At the end of the movie when he is giving that speech he is telling them all the story in a glorified way to get them pumped

@NonsenseFabricator 22 күн бұрын

When I heard the double-flute was accurate I was stoked.

@DharianGames 25 күн бұрын

A near hour long video of this man talking. 1000% down for it. Loved it.

@Tuilelen 24 күн бұрын

I just love listening to Roel talk about history

@nikolaymangarov3953 16 күн бұрын

"Xerxes sends a letter to Leonidas saying surrender your weapons. And Leonidas says, you know, come and get them. And then, of course, the Persians came and took their weapons." I love him!

@Avio033 24 күн бұрын

Never realised Michael Fasbender was in this movie lol.

@nekrataali 23 күн бұрын

Also McNutty...did not recognize him he was so tan here lmao

@PeterTeal77 21 күн бұрын

Yeah it's like "Blackhawk Down" where every time I watch it I notice another actor and think "he was in this? How didn't I realize that?"

@tchaika222 20 күн бұрын

The casting for that movie was _wild_ in retrospect

@Avio033 20 күн бұрын

@@PeterTeal77 Yeah or Band of Brothers. Every time I watch that series I see another actor who made a breakthrough later.

@ericbrown1101 19 күн бұрын

I also forgot that Cersei was Gorgo lol

@nachtschatten8710 25 күн бұрын

Dear Dr. Roel, can you PLEASE look at the fact that this video is online since 3hrs and already got 15.000views. And most if not all of us are here for our favorite, kind and knowledgeable Ditch-guy. ❤❤❤ Please either do more of those videos or please upload more of your lectures, which by now, I am certainly not the only one who knows them by heart. Pretty please? I promise to build an extra ditch in front of my appartment's ditch.

@NixHarpinger 24 күн бұрын

Favorite, kinda and knowledgeable? You forgot to add funny and lighthearted. :) Also, I'm going on a limb here, but I guess your existing apartment ditch wasn't there before you started watching Dr. Konijnendijk? 😄

@nachtschatten8710 23 күн бұрын

@@NixHarpinger You are absolutely right,- I indeed forgot funny, lighthearted and witty, too. And also, yes, my existing appartment ditch was dutifully dug after Dr.Roel enlightened me in two famous movie reviews about the necessity of having a ditch,- even though, he admittedly mentioned that he wasnt entirely sure whether a ditch and a second ditch would actually work that well when facing the massive horde of undead ice zombies of the Night King. But,- as he recommended I made sure to place my trebuchets not outside my ditch perimeter to make up for the zombie issue. Do you think, he will read our comments and realize that our common dedication to ditches in general and ditching everything as soon as we see his videos, will entice him to take part in more videos or even upload his lectures, so we can follow along? Maybe we could petition for a Patreon? Might be an idea, dont you think?

@NixHarpinger 23 күн бұрын

@@nachtschatten8710 We'll have to go with Patreon as the chance of him reading this are near zero. Maybe let's also make another petition to have mandatory education for Hollywood producers that artillery does indeed go behind the line and skirmishers actually go *in front* of the battle-line. You don't want to accidentally hit your fellow soldiers in the back and lobbed arrows are very inaccurate and actually lose a lot of kinetic energy traveling up, fighting gravity. But Hollywood just doesn't get tired of arrows flying in long arches (while also on fire). In all seriousness tho, I don't see him being a full KZfaqr, it would seem he likes his job more than some YT likes, but it would be cool to have some more dedicated content from our favorite Dutch Ditch Guy. Like you said, they can be lectures and other historical dives, not just movie reactions.

@Ipsifendis 24 күн бұрын

i LOVE your review videos, professor K!

@toumpanis 24 күн бұрын

I love the part where he actually said about those quotes being delivered by mail and not spoken :) Really good break down! Thank you Mr Roel Konijnendijk

@k0mp0cik 25 күн бұрын

Me: Hey I think I'm gonna attend Lincoln College Oxford Society: Cool, to study at a prestigious school? Me: No, to listen to Roel Konijnendijk PhD about digging ditches

@dunstonlion1342 24 күн бұрын

I see a Roel video, I watch a Roel video.

@ks.kyokudonanshun 24 күн бұрын

I absolutely loved this deep dive. More please!

@hosseinnoor392 23 күн бұрын

As a Persian I’ll forgive this exactly because of what frank miller was snorting

@andrew3203 18 күн бұрын

@@hosseinnoor392 always glad to meet a true immortal from the days when Persia still existed.

@michaelkean5969 25 күн бұрын

As much as i love 300 it’s essentially Greek Braveheart. Honestly the story of the “300” really needs its own “outlaw king” where it’s essentially the same story/historical period but it’s more grounded in the real history. The only other piece of media to even remotely tackle the story of the 300 Spartans and the battle of Thermopylae was Assasins creed Oddessy and it is just as Accurate as 300 is.

@dormikdelron 25 күн бұрын

@@MichalKaczorowski On what Greek propaganda? Frank Miller invented a lot of these depictions from thin air. Most of it is not based on any actual greek propaganda that we know of.

@lopez.jacinto.6726 25 күн бұрын

@@dormikdelronExactly. Herodotus doesn't present the Persians in this way, he shows through his work a fascination and respect for Persian history so "is just Greek propaganda" isn't an accurate argument.

@dionysusNME 25 күн бұрын

Exactly. I am literally reading Tom Holland's excellent translation of The Histories and one thing that stands out, actually, is Herodotus' admiration for the Persians

@michaelkean5969 25 күн бұрын

@@MichalKaczorowskiand yet it’s the only film out there that actually depicts the events of the Persian Greek war literally no one else has since,

@johngeralt 25 күн бұрын

@@MichalKaczorowski I don't even think it would even be Greek propaganda given how anglicized Sparta is in the movie.

@bendykirk 24 күн бұрын

Man I could listen to Roel talk about this kind of stuff for years straight....

@benrobson7876 24 күн бұрын

Absolutely loved this, Roel is fantastic as always.

@leeborocz-johnson1649 24 күн бұрын

The timing of this film coming out at the height of the Iraq War, its depiction of heroic, strong, independent, manly Western Greeks valiantly sacrificing themselves in heroic battle against effete orientalized subjects of a tyrant who relies upon superstition and terrorist brute force---the Government couldn't have cooked up better propaganda. I don't even think Frank Miller was TRYING to do that, but fundamentally that's what this is.

@nekrataali 23 күн бұрын

I forgot how fascist this movie is...Homophobia? Strong, incorruptible men against Asiatic hordes? Might makes right? Survival of the fittest? People who are disabled/disfigured are inherently evil? JFC the only thing missing was some happy merchant rubbing his hands together while convincing brown people to shout "God is great!" and blow up a school bus lmao 🤣

@elaceyb 22 күн бұрын

I’ve been looking for this comment lol. It couldn’t be any more obvious

@GenJuhru 22 күн бұрын

During the occupation, which makes the coalition forces the defending faction in the attempted retake of Baghdad by "insurgents" in 06, the year 300 was released.

@Colesign 22 күн бұрын

The 300 comic book and movie is definitively a response to the War of Terror. I've always thought, mind you, that you could easily make a movie where the Persian Empire (the Achaemenid Dynasty, to be precise) is the stand-in for the United States and the Greek city-states are the stand-ins for countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, etc.

@LoganBluth 16 күн бұрын

@@Colesign Didn't the comic book come out 3 years *_before_* the War on Terror? The comic book at least was just Frank Miller being his usual homophobic, racist self. Now *"HOLY TERROR"* from 2011...? Yeah, that 100% *_is_* Frank Miller's response to the War on Terror, and Frank was extremely pro-War on Terror at the time. "Holy Terror" was originally meant to be Batman vs. Al Qaeda, but Miller wanted the hero to be far more kill-crazy than Batman, so he invented a new character called The Fixer to inflict torture and mass-murder on all the brown people Frank thought were coming to get him.

$@fractalfae5418$

@fractalfae5418 25 күн бұрын

Someone needs to make a historically authentic movie about Thermopylae and hire Roel as historical advisor.

@corvus2512 24 күн бұрын

Exactly, ever since I saw his first video I always ask myself why don’t these movies and tv shows hire guys like him? There is no way being more accurate would mean less cinematic

@dusankazandzic401 23 күн бұрын

History isn't as cool or plot willing always,there's a reason why they don't do it

@darknesswave100 23 күн бұрын

If they did it would be boring as hell. If they actually did that then the movie would bomb cause actual history isn't as exciting as Hollywood makes it out to be. Are there cool moments? Absolutely but not like the movies portray stuff

@clydefrog203 22 күн бұрын

Because it would usually only interest history dorks like us. Just look how popular this ridiculous movie was. I was so excited to see this in theaters and can't explain how disappointed I was.

@Rob-qv8hi 22 күн бұрын

Yes! He will have the Spartans dig 8000 ditches (including up the mountains and under the sea) and when the Persians attack, the song played will be Dragula with the lyric " Dig through the ditches and burn through the witches" on loop.

@Admiral.Ackbar 25 күн бұрын

Dr. Konijnedijk is always an instant click on the Video for me. Thanks for having him again. Back to digging more ditches !

@nachtschatten8710 24 күн бұрын

Hehe, same here. As soon as I saw that it was him in the thumbnail, I dropped whatever else I originally wanted to watch. Dr.Roel is historical click bait!

@grimnartusk265 24 күн бұрын

I’d listen to dude tell me how grass grew differently back then because ditches were dug deeper and the roots got deeper or something. Love bro, fantastic video and I’m so damned thrilled to see homie popping up more often. Dude does need a dedicated channel fasho

@nekrataali 18 күн бұрын

In the movie Gladiator's opening battle scene, the trees aren't historically accurate (I'm not joking). Homogeneous forests in Europe weren't a thing until the late 1800s when reforestation efforts were made to grow more lumber after forests were clear cut and overexploited. That opening scene taking place in 180 AD should have featured all kinds of different trees and plants, not just the firs shown in the film. Wouldn't surprise me at all if this guy knew about what kind of grasses were growing in ancient Greece lmao

@trytorang 24 күн бұрын

He explains things very well and is easy to listen too, hope to see him more often in the near future.

@condorello3746 24 күн бұрын

We're just getting blessed at this point by his presence on youtube

@Rastafaustian 25 күн бұрын

The Flintstones: How accurate is it?

@jakeviscarra3150 24 күн бұрын

5:58 I love the overlay of him speaking the "This is SPARTA" line along with the movie with that giant smile. He's clearly enjoying himself and the movie, which I'm sure he's seen before. Its a nice breaking of that illusion that historians hate historically inaccurate films. I remember seeing a video of a medieval historian ranking medieval films, and when they got to A Knight's Tale she said it's one of her all time favorite movies, and that "if a medievalist ever tells you they don't love A Knight's Tale, they're lying to you."

@polygondon 24 күн бұрын

This video is insane. Thank you

@Alex-cw3rz 25 күн бұрын

The Scottish spartan accent is biblically accurate

@mr.mentesh8130 25 күн бұрын

After you build a ditch...you build another...on a serious note this guy is very informative

@BB-pw8ko 23 күн бұрын

Love this!!! NEED so much more of these from this genius man!!

@ShaktiChaturvedi 24 күн бұрын

Time to dig in For this breakdown

@t.longfield8982 25 күн бұрын

Ah, fijn. Roel heeft er verstand van! Go Roel, you rule!

@MartinPurvis 25 күн бұрын

Ditchman: The Chronicles

@ramsessiereveld2824 23 күн бұрын

Roel: I specialize in ... me: DITCHES!! Roel: Greek warfare and Sparta. me: 😮

@thevahandbook 24 күн бұрын

I learn so much every time I watch a video with this man in it. I know the answer to every warfare situation is to dig a ditch and that Spartans were jobless yet very athletic and sassy. All mouth and (literally) no trousers.

@ven_skywalker7007 25 күн бұрын

Taking signatures to petition Dr. Ditch to have his own channel here 👇🖋️📜

@DOSBoxMom 25 күн бұрын

In tabletop RPGs, skimpy female adventurer outfits are often called "distract-the-monsters armor". This Spartan army in "300" is obviously wearing "distract-the-Persians" armor. ;)

@maybeyourbaby6486 23 күн бұрын

Honestly, the skimpy Spartans is about the only thing I think this movie got totally right. The ancient greeks would've been all over it lol Maybe they could've been just a bit more lubed up in olive oil? But other than that, perfectly captures the spirit

@QuikVidGuy 6 күн бұрын

@@maybeyourbaby6486I would also like more olive oil on them... for historical reasons

@lanarkorras4411 23 күн бұрын

I really like Roel, partly because of his delightfully smug attitude, so his first sigh at the baby myth is an excellent way of getting things started. 😊 Love seeing such an elaborate deep dive!!

@SiegAgus 24 күн бұрын

Now I want him to talk about "Alatriste", not many people give that movie a lot of credit and it's a masterpiece!

@abasudoh7459 25 күн бұрын

Dug one ditch then another ditch then somebody said to me, "Why you babysitting, only 2 or 3 ditches? I can show you how to turn a notch..."

@christophercruz1513 25 күн бұрын

Give us more of this guy please we love the Ditch guy

@lenanana8 24 күн бұрын

Always a pleasure to hear Dr. Roel's detailed historical insight. I'm a huge ancient history buff, especially Greece and Persia, and I dug so many ditches in anticipation of this! This movie gets zero points for no ditches dug, but 100 points for David Wenham: Faramir, Captain of Gondor, who showed his quality! I just noticed now, after watching Zach Snyder's Rebel Moon movies, how much slow-mo he uses and frankly its draggy (although when I first watched 300 when it first came out it was novel).

@cryptidian3530 24 күн бұрын

Love it. Now we need him to break down Alexander.

@Storming32 24 күн бұрын

The 'Long War' series by Christian Cameron is a great historical fiction for those interested in the Persian Wars.

@peka2478 25 күн бұрын

i just love this guy..

@aminahamdkhaniha6738 24 күн бұрын

As a iranian I would like to add some things to this the first and most important is the Persians were famous for being merciful Syrus the great is the oldest known in history that created human rights ( syrus cylinder) so the fact that they show Persians as this barbaric kings and generals is just disrespectful second thing is about the immortals they were called immortals beacuse they looked similar to each other when one died in the field one other person took the others place so in the fight it looked like their not dying atleast what our history books said the last thing is persian cavalry is exactly very old and was a persian version of the cataphract it so basically the cataphract which was a roman was romes response to the persian caverly.

@aminahamdkhaniha6738 24 күн бұрын

I also like to add one last thing Persians were zerastrians (spelling might be off) the 3 most famous qoutes of ahora mazda was say no evil do no evil hear no evil

@jimmyandersson9938 22 күн бұрын

I heard some Iranians saying the word " immortal " is in fact wrong, they were called something more similiar to " companions " like the Macedonian cavalry, but no idea whats correct. Persians were indeed famous for being merciful with human rights, and should have much credit for it. But they were also a global expanding empired who waged war all over the known world, so Persians being the " bad guy " in some movies is just normal, just like the Brittish empire, Romans etc. Also many people revolted against them, Egyptians were treated very poorly for example which lead to one of the many uprisings that happend.

@aminahamdkhaniha6738 22 күн бұрын

@@jimmyandersson9938 I've heard that also but in our history books they are called az "javidan" as in never dying or immortal but I know what your saying it's very uncommon

@valantisxiotis938 21 күн бұрын

The elite Persian force was called "immortals" because they replaced the dead soldiers as soon as they could,so the force had always the same number of soldiers,so they were typically "immortals"

@FilmingFish 19 күн бұрын

As an Iranian you may have been presented with a somewhat whitewashed version Persian history when you were raised. The Persian’s granted more autonomy than other empires of their era to those who surrendered to them, but those who resisted (i.e. tried to maintain their independence/freedom) were still colonised, massacred and enslaved. They may have been more lenient to the people who accepted subjugation, but they were just as brutal as others to those who defended themselves from Persian imperialism. People would probably be less inclined to show ancient Persian kings and generals as barbaric if their ancestors hadn’t been attacked and enslaved by them. This is a stylized depiction of a fairly barbaric slave-empire (even if others at the time were barbaric too by modern standards).

@giorgamblis 23 күн бұрын

About time to have a video like this, to tell the real, amazing story which is so much better than the one portrayed in this movie. Thank you History Hit!

@nadze13 24 күн бұрын

Give us more of Roel deepdives!

@RainKoepke-ic3gf 25 күн бұрын

If i recall, hitorically king Leonidas was an old man. Near the official retirement age like 60, he still went and fought and died in battle.

@malakaspawt3190 22 күн бұрын

55yo Leonidas would kick any modern (2024) average man of 20-40yo. An average 40yo man from 1940 fighting an average 40yo man from 2024, the 40yo from 1940 kicks the 2024 guy's ass!

@terrycruise-zd5tw 20 күн бұрын

@@malakaspawt3190 yep, spear and shield vs gun

@malakaspawt3190 20 күн бұрын

@@terrycruise-zd5tw I meant with no weapons in hand-to-hand combat.

@RainKoepke-ic3gf 19 күн бұрын

@@malakaspawt3190I never that much thought to his health and fitness in regards to his age in spartan times vs now. He probably would've looked phenomenal knowing how fit and well fed the Spartans were at this junction

@Interislander957 24 күн бұрын

Really enjoyed this. More please.

@raymundofelix3893 24 күн бұрын

HE'S BACK YESSSS

@white-dragon4424 24 күн бұрын

An interesting review. You're enthusiastic but sober, unlike a lot of reviewers.

@northwall9243 25 күн бұрын

Thoroughly enjoyed that, quality stuff.

@netizensarrest4241 23 күн бұрын

This was such an enjoyable watch

@aysha5488 14 күн бұрын

Yaay my favorite Historian is back !! ❤❤

@Kermitthebadger 25 күн бұрын

why do i have such a huge crush on this man? sigh

@twonumber22 25 күн бұрын

hey get in line pal

@luvahadowsdolls 25 күн бұрын

You aren't alone honey 😂

@kdks7843 25 күн бұрын

Perhaps because you have a ditch fetish?

@nachtschatten8710 24 күн бұрын

No idea but you arent alone in that. 😂😅

@massi6528 24 күн бұрын

Cuz he's a ditch expert?

@MurderTurtle 24 күн бұрын

This movie has very big "made relatively soon after 9/11" vibes

@naan-jf9gh 24 күн бұрын

Yep...

@jerry12314 22 күн бұрын

Sure lets just forget how its from 1998 comic book.

@naan-jf9gh 22 күн бұрын

@@jerry12314 Not like there wasn't ample American involvement prior to 9/11 in the Middle East right? Not like the timing of this film as soldiers were being deployed to Iraq was a factor right? Stay quiet, adults are speaking.

@MurderTurtle 22 күн бұрын

@@jerry12314 I said "movie".

@jerry12314 21 күн бұрын

@@naan-jf9gh What's that got to do with 300? The movie was scene-by-scene word for word from the comics in 1998.

@pessolano461 7 күн бұрын

That look on Roel’s face when the ephor scene starts

@gwendyp125 24 күн бұрын

I love professor Roel Konijnendijk. Very knowledgeable and hilarious, amazing at roasting too. I would watch him daily, I've learned so many cool things just by watching his videos, being one of his students would be an honor

@user-nq7xu6gz7n 25 күн бұрын

Thank you, great video )

@richardjohn5219 25 күн бұрын

Very informative and entertaining video

@VictorianaDan-hi3xs 21 күн бұрын

Good ole' Ditch Man. Literally never let's us down. The amount of sass within the first 2 minutes is everything I want when watching a movie with someone who is an expert in the topic. 2:00 "Yeah, until like, later that day!"

@SamanthaWritesThings 23 күн бұрын

I'll aspire my whole life to the low-key sass in Roel's delivery of "Um, there's no oracle at Sparta."

@Vollce 25 күн бұрын

I can't believe he didn't mention the massive ditch in the very first scene.

@gengiful 24 күн бұрын

That was really interesting. More of this please

@mozmwhite2513 23 күн бұрын

Loved this!

@mrsnulch 24 күн бұрын

As a Greek I find 300 entertaining, but I actually think Roel goes way too easy on it here! One thing he doesn’t mention in this video is the biggest flaw of 300. “You have many slaves Xerxes, but few soldiers”. Or the line at 7:58. This movie is obsessed with depicting the Spartans as “free men” in response to the great slave empire that is Persia. But the Spartans were a major slave state, very few people living in Sparta were free. Most of them were helots, ethnically Greek slaves who were sometimes ritualistically killed by Spartan warriors. Meanwhile the Achaemenid Empire, while not perfect, was pretty open to the freedoms of people under the empire. This movie also over-emphasizes the unity of Greeks - the Spartans would team up with the Persians to sack Athens during the Peloponnesian War a few years later. If you want history, don’t trust 300 at all haha, it’s just a crazy graphic novel.

@jimmyandersson9938 22 күн бұрын

What Leonidas means with " you have many slaves " is from a Spartan perspective who valued their indepedence and freedom above everything else. Most of the soldiers here except for the " immortals " are being under the rule of a foreign conquerer, forced to traval abroad to fight Persian wars with their blood is like being a slave, just not the chain around wrist working in a field one. " This movie also over-emphasizes the unity of Greeks - the Spartans would team up with the Persians to sack Athens during the Peloponnesian War a few years later. " This comment doesnt make any sense, the movie is only based on events happening during the second persian invasion, and during this time they were united, and the movie is bad for showing only this because the Peleponnesian war happend later in history many years AFTER the movie ends? What were you thinking here?

@andrew3203 21 күн бұрын

The Spartans were free men. Them keeping other people as slaves didn't make the Spartans themselves less free. In fact, it gave them even more free time since the slaves were working instead. As for unity, the victory at Plateea came exactly from the Greek unity. That it didn't last long only proves that Greeks were as human as we are today, and prone to being bribed and corrupted by wealth and power.

@terrycruise-zd5tw 20 күн бұрын

@@andrew3203 but the spartan slaves outnumbered the spartan citizens, so its stupid for leonidus to criticize xerxes while sparta is even worse lol. its silly everytime leonisdus crticizes others while sparta and himself are the same- if not worse lol

@jimmyandersson9938 20 күн бұрын

@@terrycruise-zd5tw This is where so many people missunderstand. Leonidas is not criticizing or taking any moral highground here, he is just mocking Xerxes army for being composed of mostly slaves. Basically you got the quantity but we got the quality.

@VRichardsn 19 күн бұрын

Roel usually goes more into detail regarding the slaves topic when he writes on Reddit. He is a regular of r/askhistorians.