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The Battle of Thermopylae

2007-03-26T20:34:46Z

Myfurrylittlefriend:

The '''Battle of Thermopylae''' was a famous battle during the [[Greco-Persian Wars]]. It is known for the fact that 300 [[Sparta|Spartan]] soldiers and 7000 other Greek soldiers (most notably the [[Thespiae|Thespians]]) held off an army of several hundred thousand [[Persia|Persian]] soldiers (led by [[Xerxes]]) for three days.

== Greek/Persian ==

The most recognized battle of Thermopylae was that of the Greeks and Persians around 480 BC. The Persian "God" king Xerxes was waging war on Greece for control of its lands and people. The battle is most known for the impressive show of strength by the Persians, whose forces numbered between 2 million and 200,000. The battle is also known for the determination and bravery of the roughly 7000 Greeks. The estimated 6700 Athenians (and soldiers from other city-states) were led by the Spartan king Leonidas. A traitorous Greek farmer named [[Ephialtes of Trachis|Ephialtes]] told the Persians of a secret path that let the Persians get around and attack the Spartans from behind. 300 Spartans stayed, while the Athenians left to gather more forces, and the impressive last stand by the Spartans allowed Sparta and Athens to regroup and eventually defeat the Persian forces in a later battle. It is also estimated that 20000 Persians were killed by the allied force.

A movie was made about this battle in 2007 named "300". However, the movie was based upon the highly-stylized graphic novel by Frank Miller and not upon historical fact.

== Secrets ==

Secretly the Spartans won but only I know this as I am cool

== Source ==

Cartledge, Paul, Thermopylae; the Battle that Changed the World, Overlook Press, New York, 2006

Palestine

2007-03-22T17:25:15Z

Myfurrylittlefriend:

{{stub}}

'''Palestine''' is the name given to the land of [[Israel]] by the [[Roman]]s and others in order to deny that the land belongs to the [[Jew]]s. It is named after the Philistines who at one time lived in part of the area and were completely conquered by [[King David]].

Palestine (from Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשת‎ Pleshet, פלשתינה Palestina; Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filastīn, Falastīn) is one of many names for the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan. Many different definitions of the region have been in usage in the past three thousand years.

Other English names for this region include: Canaan (Hebrew: כנען‎), Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ ישראל‎ Erets Yisrael), Judea (Hebrew: יהודה‎ yehuda), Holy Land (Hebrew: ארץ הקדש Erets Ha-Kodesh‎; Latin: Terra Sancta; Arabic: الأرض المقدسة‎ (Ard-al-Muqaddasah)and Cisjordan.

The Hebrew scriptures call the region Canaan when referring to the pre-Israelite period,(Hebrew: כּנען‎) and afterwards Israel (Yisrael). The name "Land of the Hebrews" (Hebrew: ארץ העברים‎, Eretz Ha-Ivrim) is also found. The wide area appears to be the habitat of the ancient ethnic Hebrews, though perhaps shared with other ethnic groups. The land of Canaan is part of the land given to the descendants of Abraham, which extends from the Nile to the Euphrates River (Genesis 15:18). This land is said to include an area called Aram Naharaim, which includes Haran in modern Turkey, from where Abraham the ancestor of the Israelites departed.

The events of the Four Gospels of the Bible take place entirely in Israel.

In the Qur'an, the term الأرض المقدسة ("Holy Land", Al-Ard Al-Muqaddasah) is mentioned at least seven times, once when Moses proclaims to the Children of Israel: "O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah hath assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin." (Surah 5:21)

Currently, the [[Arab]]s living in the land of Israel are working to create a state called Palestine in part of the land of Israel, though this has been met with mixed views from the international community.

As one of the names for this region over the years has been "Palestine," but that name never referred to a sovereign country [http://www.israelinsider.com/views/articles/views_0297.htm] nor was it ever an Arab country
[http://christianactionforisrael.org/never_arab.html]. Historically, [[Arab]] Palestinians have lived primarily in [[Syria]] and [[Jordan]].
The area Palestine is the home of many [[militant]] organizations, such as the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]], [[Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade]] (related to [[Fatah]] [[Arafat]] & [[Abu Mazen]]), [[Hamas]], [[Islamic Jihad]].

This is also in Wales

Hoplites

2007-03-22T17:22:33Z

Myfurrylittlefriend:

Greek heavy Infantry during period around 500-300 BC. They wore full-face helmets probably made of bronze and wielded a heavy shield of wood covered in bronze. Their preferred weapon was a spear, and a short sword as a backup weapon. In battle they often used the phalanx formation, which was essentialy a wall of overlapping shields and spears and they moved as a cohesive unit. The name derives from ''Hoplon'', the name of their shields.

Traditionally hoplites were not professional soldiers, but often men of ordinary professions. They would purchase their own armor, which could lie unused for years, and the quality of the armour would reflect the material wealth of the bearer. They would be summoned to fight in the event of their city going to war. Fighting against other hoplites was often dangerous and their spears would often splinter on bronze shields or breastplates, but against lighter troops it was a different matter, especially against the Persian army which contained no heavy infantry or armour to speak of. In the case of the Battle of Marathon, due to their thick bronze armour the Athenians often crushed the Persian troops to death.

Possibly the most renowned hoplites were those of the city of Sparta in the south of Greece, who famously wore scarlet red capes. Trained from birth these warriors were professionals, rather than the levied troops of their fellow greek cities. They were famous for their courage and their skill, but could often commit acts we would today consider atrocities. Their most famous hour was arguably the Battle of Thermopylae.
The terrain of Thermopylae suited the phalanx formation perfectly, as the narrow confines of the pass meant that the Persian's superior numbers could not be brought to bear, not could the vulnerable flanks of the phalanx be exploited by the Persian cavalry.
The phalanx was further developed by the Macedonians and their successors.

The phalanx as a formation was replaced by the legion, which was considerably more flexible and arguably was the reason behind the Romans' military success.

Lots of the Hoplites were actually Welsh and Irish
[http://www.hoplites.co.uk/html/hoplites.html]

[[Category:Military]]