Quote: (291-292pg.)Their valor was breathtaking, beyond reckless to the point of madness. It became sacrifice, pure and simple; the Medes gave up their bodies as if flesh itself were a weapon. In minutes the Spartans, and no doubt the Mycenaeans and Phliasians as well, though I couldn’t see them, were beyond exhaustion. Simply from killing. Simply from the arm’s thrust of the spear, the shoulder’s heave of the shield, the thunder of blood through the vies and the hammering of the heart within the breast. The earth grew, not littered with the enemy bodies, but piled with them. Stacked with them. Mounded with them.
This struck me because if you simply get exhausted from killing than you must be plenty better than your enemy. I would be horrified if so many people just jumped upon my spear. Spartans have seen death around them so many times, but not like this. They were so used to war, the countries besides the real Persians were forced and a bit unwilling to fight. They were nearly selfless giving up their bodies like that.
How could you just throw yourself at your enemy, I would at least try to put up a fight and die in honor, rather then doing something that is rather suicidal. The nerve of sensing that your time is coming to and end might have been a reason why they choose such horrible action. Maybe it was the people who whipped them from the back so that the front would go forward.
This struck me because if you simply get exhausted from killing than you must be plenty better than your enemy. I would be horrified if so many people just jumped upon my spear. Spartans have seen death around them so many times, but not like this. They were so used to war, the countries besides the real Persians were forced and a bit unwilling to fight. They were nearly selfless giving up their bodies like that.
How could you just throw yourself at your enemy, I would at least try to put up a fight and die in honor, rather then doing something that is rather suicidal. The nerve of sensing that your time is coming to and end might have been a reason why they choose such horrible action. Maybe it was the people who whipped them from the back so that the front would go forward.
