several hundred Marylanders made an epic stand resembling that of the 300 ancient Spartans at Thermopylae. The Marylanders saved Washington’s Army — and, perhaps, the United States.

Director Zack Snyder's 300 (airing on SYFY this month) remains a standout piece of his filmography, an operatic action epic based on one of the most famous battles in the history of the ancient world.

An efficient military machine in almost every other ... Each year the ephors, or magistrates, chose the 300 best hoplites in Sparta to become the hippeis—elite soldiers who formed the king ...