The Slicing Sword
The Spartan swords are familiar to most of us today from the movie, 300. The movie is the story of a famous Spartan battle in which a mine 300 Spartan soldiers took on an enemy that outweighed them in numbers. With stunningly realistic scenes, complete with brutal and gory battles, the movie 300 highlights not only the fierce and determined battle-strong warriors of ancient Sparta but also their amazing swords and armor.
Spartan swords are shorter than their other medieval counterparts; mainly because the Spartans fought on foot as compared to other armies that charged into battle on horseback. By being foot soldiers, they needed the shorter swords because their range of attack was closer than if they had been on horses. A shooter sword allowed them to thrust and stab with the force of their man muscle strength in addition to using the strength of the sword. Those on horseback needed length to reach their opponents.
In addition to a shorter length, the Spartan swords had to also be thicker in order to end the opposing force of the enemy’s armor. The movie 300 created very accurate weaponry representing the true Spartan swords and armor.
The movie 300 was originally marketed to a comic convention known as “Comic-Con”. This was a fairly young market. Much of the marketing was also done on the popular social network site, My Space, another avenue for younger movie fans. The trailers for the movie were loaded with insane battle scenes, just the sort of thing the target market would be totally into. This hype made the movie a success even before it opened! With this sort of anticipation, it is no wonder that the movie brought in 71 million in its first month alone!
The movie 300 bought the amazing story of the ancient Spartans to a whole new level of modern fascination. Of course, people became great enthusiasts for the Spartan swords, as well as a result of the movie’s action, packed bloody battle scenes.
The Spartan King, Leonidas, was the hero of the story, thrusting one mighty blow after another on his falling enemies. The sword wielded by King Leonidas is the Spartan Lakonian. This is the most historically accurate Spartan sword on the market today. The blade is approximately 14 inches in length and is made of a high-quality stainless steel, complete with a leather wrapped grip and a beautiful, pure leather sheath.
Another really cool piece of memorabilia from the movie 300 is a replica Spartan shield. It is 36 inches in diameter and weighs 17 pounds! It is a massive piece of metal that speaks volumes about the Spartan fighting and defense styles. It is made of a stainless steel and antique brass combination and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
The movie 300 did wonders for the Spartan story. It also produced some awesome movie memorabilia that is definitely worth owning! For a piece of brutal history that represents the stamina of some of the greatest warriors that ever lived, you will certainly want to look for the Spartan Lakonian and the Spartan shield replica.
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