Sparta and the Battle of Thermopylae by Dennis Behreandt

Sparta and the Battle of Thermopylae by Dennis Behreandt: "300 is not the first to posit that the Spartans at Thermopylae were fighting for their freedom against the invading hosts of an oriental despot. That has often been the way in which Thermopylae has been portrayed. But for all its noble heroism, Thermopylae was not about freedom, for the Spartans were not free, not as we understand freedom today."