Quote:
Originally Posted by D
You guys realize that, for the most part, Sparta was a city-state of homosexuals, right?
They considered sleeping for procreation a duty to their state... but, generally, much more often engaged in carnal relations with their own sex.
300 was not a historical documentary.  |
With all due respect imo that is not really historically accurate. Pleaes name your source because it certainly is not in Herodotus, Xenophon, or Thucydides which are the most important sources for this information and also the most misquoted. There was a city state that used gay soulmates as a special regiment because they figured that they would fight harder to protect each other but that was not Sparta but Thebes.
From wikipedia:
According to Xenophon, the Spartans abhorred the thought of using the relationships as the basis of unit formation for placing too much significance on sexuality rather than talent. This was due to their founder Lycurgus who attacked lusts on physical beauty regarding it as shameful. Xenophon asserted that in some city-states the lovers would not even have conversations with one another. He said this type of behavior was horrible because it was entirely based on physical attractions:
"If as was evident it was not an attachment to the soul, but a yearning solely towards the body, Lycurgus stamped this thing as foul."
Nonetheless city states that employed the practice in determining military formation enjoyed some success. The Thebans had one such regiment as the core of their entire army. They attributed this group called the Sacred Band of Thebes for making Thebes the most powerful city-state for a generation until its fall to Philip II of Macedon. Philip II of Macedon was so impressed with their bravery during the battle he erected a monument that still stands today on their gravesite. He also gave a harsh criticism of the Spartan views of the band:
"Perish miserably they who think that these men did or suffered aught disgraceful."
But you are right - 300 is based on a comic that was based on a previous movie called "the 300 spartans" which was more, but not entirely historically accurate...