While it has deep roots in the very beginnings of the Western notion of liberty the Molon Labe flag was likely never flown by the earliest patriots. In fact the main reason it resonates today is for its history as a militant stance against tyrants Persian tyrants to be exact.
Molon labe" is a phrase that began during the Persian War when the Persian Empire (then the biggest power in the world) was looking to expand from Asia into Europe. As an attempt to conquer the Greek City States Darius of Persia sent his emissaries on a quest for a token tribute earth and water" and almost all complied except one. Sparta told the Persians where to go using the laconic phrase dig it out for yourself."
The stage was set for the Battle of Thermopylae the storied battle of 300 Spartan soldiers against a massive legion of Persian troops. While the Spartans notoriously lost the battle they effectively won the war by causing such massive casualties among the Persians that Greek independence was left secure. Herodotus Histories features a detailed history of this battle and the entire Persian War in Greece but only a few parts of this story have kept the spark alive to continue the fight for liberty.
When the Persians showed up to the battlefield ordering the Spartan army to lay down their weapons King Leonidas I had one response: molon labe." Translated as come and take them" this iconic phrase is more than a challenge for tyrants to take arms from a free people its an invitation to take them over my dead body" or to pry them from our cold dead hands. Molon labe would later find resonance on another flag the Gonzales Flag of the Republic of Texas.
Continue reading The Molon Labe Flag: From the Ancient Spartan Battle of Thermopylae to Modern Liberty at Ammo.com and for more information check out Ammo.coms collection of iconic American flags.
While it has deep roots in the very beginnings of the Western notion of liberty the Molon Labe flag was likely never flown by the earliest patriots. In fact the main reason it resonates today is for its history as a militant stance against tyrants Persian tyrants to be exact.
Molon labe" is a phrase that began during the Persian War when the Persian Empire (then the biggest power in the world) was looking to expand from Asia into Europe. As an attempt to conquer the Greek City States Darius of Persia sent his emissaries on a quest for a token tribute earth and water" and almost all complied except one. Sparta told the Persians where to go using the laconic phrase dig it out for yourself."
The stage was set for the Battle of Thermopylae the storied battle of 300 Spartan soldiers against a massive legion of Persian troops. While the Spartans notoriously lost the battle they effectively won the war by causing such massive casualties among the Persians that Greek independence was left secure. Herodotus Histories features a detailed history of this battle and the entire Persian War in Greece but only a few parts of this story have kept the spark alive to continue the fight for liberty.
When the Persians showed up to the battlefield ordering the Spartan army to lay down their weapons King Leonidas I had one response: molon labe." Translated as come and take them" this iconic phrase is more than a challenge for tyrants to take arms from a free people its an invitation to take them over my dead body" or to pry them from our cold dead hands. Molon labe would later find resonance on another flag the Gonzales Flag of the Republic of Texas.
Continue reading The Molon Labe Flag: From the Ancient Spartan Battle of Thermopylae to Modern Liberty at Ammo.com and for more information check out Ammo.coms collection of iconic American flags.