There's pretty good explanation of sabaton history channel...

On count down, Sunday evening concert with daughter 2 and husband, meeting up with daughter 1 before for dinner in my old home city. Son staying backhome to mind house and hearth.

Since the battle happened so many years ago, the legends of this battle has a layer above the historicle facts. I think the movie was based on a comic or something. There's no doubt Sabaton got their inspiration from this movie, but I guess there isn't that much facts to write a song about other that the Spartans was 300 and their leader was Leonidas. It is a cool song thou...

It's nice to see someone with more than a cursorily knowledge of the subject react to Sabaton's stuff. You'd be surprised how many people take 300 as literal fact🙄 It's an awesome testosterone-fueled action movie, but not accurate at all. I honestly think if the Greeks and by extension the Spartans had met the Persian advance anywhere else other than Thermopylae (even if the war played out as it did historically otherwise), the battle would've been a footnote in history. Thermopylae was one of the only places on the route the Persians were taking that would allow the phalanx to shine. Without the sea and cliffs the Persians would've out maneuvered the greek hoplites, but due to the terrain they had to run straight into the phalanx, which is never a winning proposition. The Persians had to fight through that armored murder bush of spears, and that's what allowed the Spartans (and Thebans if I remember right?) to sell their lives at such a high cost relative to their numbers and cement the legacy of the Spartans as near mythological in status in the greco-descended western world.

I would say you got most of that correct. I would only disagree with the depiction of the Greek navy as it was vital to the Empire. They also crushed the far larger Persian navy in the battle of Salamis.

59 secondes and stop the song :p :o :D :D :D