Perhaps one of the greatest “last stands” in History took place below the cliffs at Thermopylae when 300 Spartans under the leadership of King Leonidas stood against 200,000 Persians (including Hoplites, entertainers, cooks and paymasters) led by King Xerxes. The battle will be remembered as an act of bravery and sacrifice, allowing the Greeks time to assemble a larger force to meet the invadors.
The depiction above is a representation not of the Battle of Thermopylae; but rather the engagement of the 24th Warwickshires against the Zulus at Rorkes Drift on January 22, 1879. The Enlgish artist who painted the canvas titled it the “Bravery at Thermopylae,” confused the uniforms of the Spartan Hoplite with the uniforms of His Majesty’s Warwickshires. A simple, and understandable mistake.
But the emotion and expression of valor presented in the faces of the combatants is accurate, and the artist is to be applauded for his skill.