Melina Spartan Helmet Leonidas (perifikalea)
There exist many different types of warrior helmets in ancient Greece, but the Spartan version, made famous to the present time in the Hollywood movie, “300” is the best known. In 480 BC a small force of Spartan, approximately 300, led by King Leonidas made a legendary last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae against the massive Persian army, inflicting very high casualties on the Persian forces before finally being encircled. The helmet that Leonidas and his 300 soldiers wore was a type of helmet that originated in Classical Greece but was widely used in Italy and the Hellenistic world until well into the Roman Empire era, and with good reason. The Spartans were no slouches when it came to their warriors with many being equipped with the finest weapons and armour at the time ensuring that when it came to battle, Spartan warriors were among the strongest of their time. The Spartans were in classical times the strongest government in Greece, only challenged by Athens. This was achieved by the Spartans using a set of especially tough values, intended to make the Spartans strong warriors from the day they were born. They claimed to be the true “defenders of Hellenism”. The Spartans had great success and their way of life was the subject of fascination in its own day as well as it is today. This special way of life that made Spartans feared on the battlefield is today synonymous with modesty, frugality, simplicity and a strict way of life. And nothing symbolizes the Spartans more than the Spartan helmet.