Free Republic

The original makers of Côtes-du-Rhône are said to have descended from Greek explorers who settled in southern France about 2500 years ago... The study, by Prof Paul Cartledge, suggested the world's biggest wine industry might never have developed had it not been for a "band of pioneering Greek explorers" who settled in southern France around 600 BC. His study appears to dispel the theory that it was the Romans who were responsible for bringing viticulture to France. The study found that the Greeks founded Massalia, now known as Marseilles, which they then turned into a bustling trading site, where local...

(2) Michigan State 82, (1) Connecticut 73 Associated Press DETROIT -- Raymar Morgan grinned and lifted his right arm high in the air, saluting a stadium filled with Michigan State fans with a little wave. The Spartans promised their downtrodden state something good, and boy, did they deliver. Morgan broke out of his late-season slump with 18 points, Kalin Lucas added 21 and the smaller Spartans ran roughshod over Hasheem Thabeet and Connecticut in an 82-73 upset in the Final Four on Saturday night. The Spartans will play the winner of Villanova-North Carolina for the NCAA title Monday night, a...

Spartans did not throw deformed babies away: researchers Mon Dec 10, 1:22 PM ETAFP/File Photo: The statue of King Leonidas of ancient Sparta stands over the battlefield of Thermopylae, some... ATHENS (AFP) - The Greek myth that ancient Spartans threw their stunted and sickly newborns off a cliff was not corroborated by archaeological digs in the area, researchers said Monday. After more than five years of analysis of human remains culled from the pit, also called an apothetes, researchers found only the remains of adolescents and adults between the ages of 18 and 35, Athens Faculty of Medicine Anthropologist Theodoros...

BAGHDAD, Nov. 13, 2007 – When what was supposed to be simply a short meeting turned into a grand tour of the National Museum of Iraq, some 1st Cavalry Division soldiers got to see a part of early civilization that was beyond their imagination -- in some cases, artifacts that dated back to more than 5,000 years ago. National Museum of Iraq director Dr. Amir gives Army Lt. Col. Kenneth Crawford, commander of 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and the U.S. State Department culture heritage liaison officer, Diane Siebrandt, a tour of...

I. Presidential aspirant Mike Gravel recently opined on the advantages of having gays in the military: “...the Spartans trained their people to be homosexuals because they were better fighters.” Not quite. I think the popular myth that has fooled Gravel has arisen lately because of the movie 300 — and the natural confusion between the Spartan 300 who died holding the pass at Thermopylai (480 BC) and the 300 of the Theban Sacred Band (378-338 BC). The Spartans did not instruct their youth to be homosexuals (no word really exists in the Greek vocabulary for our notion of homosexual). Xenophon...

`Glory of Persepolis' goes on screen in response to insulting movie `300'Tehran, May 1, IRNA Iran-Movie-Persepolis A number of experts and critics attending the screening and analysis session of the documentary dubbed `Glory of Persepolis' said that it reflects the dignity of Iranians and Persepolis, adding that it is a proper response to the insulting Hollywood movie `300'. The screening of a new series of films started at Nour film house of Imam Ali (AS) Religious Arts Museum on Monday afternoon and `Glory of Persepolis' was the first film that was screened and analyzed. The session was attended by the...

Paris, March 17, IRNA Paris-UNESCO-Movie `300' Iran's representative to the Paris-based UNESCO, Mohammad-Reza Dehshiri, in a letter to UNESCO director general criticized screening of Warner Brothers anti-Iran movie `300' and called for its severe reaction and condemnation of such an insult. In his letter, Dehshiri protested over the inciting nature of the movie, deliberately insulting the Iranian nation, as the founder of dialogue among cultures and civilizations. Meanwhile, he underlined UNESCO's responsibility towards this sensitive issue, given the need for promotion of international peace and solidarity based on the introduction to the UNESCO Charter, calling for a proper reaction to...

I was fortunate that nearly all of my commanders had it when I was in the Marines. In fact, I would argue the Marine Corps breeds it. Though he served before my time, my friend U.S. Marine Col. John W. Ripley — who received the Navy Cross for single-handedly blunting the North Vietnamese Army’s Easter Offensive in 1972 when he blew up the Dong Ha Bridge — certainly had it. Marine Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, who was killed in Iraq (and has since been compared to a leader of Spartans), also had it.

Spartans Overwhelmed at Thermopylae, Again March 22, 2007 by Eugene Borza A technically exciting videogame of a film, 300 loses touch with a critical and moving event in Greek history. Herodotus, the ?Father of History,? told many good stories, but there are few tales in his repertoire that surpass his narrative of the last-ditch stand of the Greeks against numerically superior forces at the pass of Thermopylae in August, 480 B.C. A huge military force led by Xerxes, the Persian King of Kings, crossed the Hellespont from Asia into Europe, intent on the subjugation of Greece. Whether Xerxes intended this...

(from The History Channel) Last Stand of The 300 Saturday, March 17 08:00 PM Sunday, March 18 12:00 AM Friday, March 30 08:00 AM Friday, March 30 02:00 PM After Custer, Thermopylae is the most famous last stand in history. In a narrow pass in Northern Greece, seven thousand Greek soldiers await an onslaught of epic proportions. They will soon face the largest fighting force ever assembled--the war machine of the mighty Persian Empire, estimated at over a million men. The Greeks are led by three hundred of the most ferocious warriors of the ancient world--the Spartans. Their leader is...

Like watching a blood-drunk barbarian on a rampage, 300, like its title, drops the pretense of history—it purports to dramatize the ancient battle of Thermopylae between Spartans and Persians—and offers what can only be described as a mongrel mix of audio-visual fury. 300 is History hijacked by Horror. A band of Spartan men go to war led by a king (Gerard Butler) married to a queen (Lena Headey) who insulted the enemy that marches upon their civilization, which is depicted as a haven for hateful half-savages. It's easier to follow who's who and what's what than one might expect, yet...

It was a bloodbath at the U.S. box office this weekend because of 2007's first bonafide blockbuster. Warner Bros. told me this morning its 'R'-rated 300 about the epic Battle of Thermopylae shattered the record for the biggest March opening ever, and scored the 3rd biggest 'R'-rated movie debut ever, with its $70+ million. (Or, $70.025 mil to be exact, though the studio didn't provide a breakdown.) Other studios say this 'Gladiator Gore-Fest' raked in $27.7 mil to $28 mil Friday and $24.3 mil to $24.8 mil Saturday and an estimated $16 mil to $17.2 mil Sunday from its 3,103...

I just saw 300 and I could see why the libs would be up in arms over it. From quips such as "freedom is not free" and them "boy loving Athenians(in a derogatory term)", you could also see that this was set as a clash of civilizations, freedom versus slavery. The movie overall is very gory and is not for the feint of heart but it is well worth your time if you like Frank Miller's work and you want to see history retold, although not 100% accurate.

Its the spartans fighting for freedom and democracy vs the persian empire.

I just watched a trailer of the new movie coming out - 300. It looks fairly decent. Anyone have anything to say about the movie? There are scenes where the talk about freedom and being free. I do not know the history of back then, but watching the trailer, I seemed to get a connection with what is going on in the world right now concerning the WOT and the storyline of the movie. They go against Persia - modern day Iran. 300 against one million - the United States against the world. Am I reading too much into this?...

EAST LANSING -- Mark Dantonio will be Michigan State's next football coach. He was approved unanimously Monday morning by Michigan State's Board of Trustees. MSU President Lou Anna Simon recommended Dantonio at a special, media-friendly board meeting at the Clara Bell Smith Academic Center. In a scene straight out of reality TV, the board and Simon sat at a table on the auditorium stage, with microphones attached, while a large media audience watched from nearby. Dantonio, currently Cincinnati's head coach, "best matched all (the) characteristics and requirements" MSU sought, Simon said.

Michigan State has called a press conference for 1:30 ET Wednesday to discuss its football coaching situation. The Spartans started the season 3-0 under head coach John L. Smith, but have gone just 1-5 since. That slump started with a 40-37 loss to Notre Dame in which Michigan State squandered a 16-point fourth quarter lead. That was followed by a 23-20 home loss to Illinois, a team now 2-7 on the season. Blowout losses to Big Ten powers Michigan and Ohio State came next before a stunning comeback in a 41-38 win at Northwestern.

This is true Professor Wichman E-mail Claim: A Michigan professor sent an e-mail telling Muslim students to leave the country Status: True. Professor Wichman E-mail Hooray for Michigan State University (The Spartans) and Professor Wichman! Well, what do we have here. Looks like a small case of some people being able to dish it out, but not take it. Let's start at the top. The story begins at Michigan State University with a mechanical engineering professor named Indrek Wichman. Wichman sent an e-mail to the Muslim Student's Association. The e-mail was in response to the students' protest of the Danish...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, March 13, 2006 – The 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division - known as the Spartans - assumed authority for the coalition's Regional Command East from the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in a ceremony here today. Army Col. John W. Nicholson Jr. of Task Force Spartan took responsibility for coalition forces in the region's 11 eastern provinces from Army Col. Patrick J. Donahue of Task Force Devil. Civil and military leaders, servicemembers, base employees, contractors and visitors attended the ceremony. Gov. Marijadeen Patan of Khowst province, Afghan National Army Gen. Mohammad Achram...

More than 30 Spartans from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y., arrived in Afghanistan in January 2006. The advance team "torch party" efforts were focused on expediting the Spartans' upcoming relief-in-place of Combined Joint Task Force 76 soldiers. U.S. Army photo Spartans Pave Way for Future Afghan Operations Members of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team "torch party" are tasked to expedite the Spartans' upcoming relief-in-place of Combined Joint Task Force 76 soldiers. By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Pintagro3rd Brigade Combat Team FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, Feb. 2, 2006 — More than...

Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite against their Persian enemy, drawing a line in the sand for democracy. The film brings Miller’s (Sin City) acclaimed graphic novel to life by combining live action with virtual backgrounds that capture his distinct vision of this ancient historic tale. Warner Bros. Pictures Presents in Association with...

Our main sources for early Hoplite warfare come from the writings of Herodotus, who was born in the Greek city of Halicarnassus, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor, in 484 bc. He was an Ionian Greek who traveled widely and lived for a while in Athens, before settling in Thurii, a Greek colony in southern Italy. He died about 424 BC. We also get information from Thucydides, an Athenian who wrote of the Pelopponnesian Wars. We can also find references in the works of several of the Greek playwrights' material on Hoplite warfare. We can find an account of...

The History Channel is going to air a new historical series entitled DECISIVE BATTLES including some classic wars between ancient Persian armies and Roman and Greek ones. The History Channel goes on location to the actual battlefields and integrates cutting-edge videogame technology to bring history and imagination together in the new series DECISIVE BATTLES. The half-hour series DECISIVE BATTLES premieres Friday, July 23 at 9-9:30pm ET/PT. The series is hosted by Matthew Settle (Band of Brothers) on location at the ancient battlefields and features expert commentary from the world©s foremost historians. DECISIVE BATTLES is unlike any series The History Channel...

East Lansing, Mich. -- Eight people were arrested and police dispersed crowds with tear gas following Michigan State's loss to Texas in the NCAA tournament. Police dressed in riot gear and gas masks had mostly broken up the crowd downtown and reopened traffic in and out of Michigan State's campus. A crowd of about 2,000 had gathered at the university's administration building, where four cars were overturned, several small fires were set in bushes and large trash bins, and vending machines were damaged, Lt. Kevin Daley of the East Lansing Police Department said. The violence followed Michigan State's 85-76 loss...