In 2014 the sequel to the movie 300 was release, 300: Rise of an Empire. This time around the film would move away from the Spartans as its primary focus and put the spot light on Athens. Rise of an Empire would also have at the centre of its story the battles of Artemisium and Salamis which were both fought at sea, and Artemisium occurring on the days as the battle of Thermopylae. Though, how much of what is depicted in the movie is based on historical examples?

I will once again explore the main story line and themes that the film puts across while comparing what the ancient sources tell us about the events taking place over the period. This way we can see what the film has put across with fairly accurate historical context. While also seeing where its creators have stretched the historical record to fit their version of events. And of course, where they have basically written their own version of history.

By the end of the episode, hopefully you should have a pretty good understanding of what in the movie has a good grounding in history according to our ancient sources. Hopefully you have also been following the rest of the series where we have covered much of the events depicted from a historical point of view, helping further understanding the films historicity. So, sit back and relax as we cast our way through 300: Rise of an Empire.