While the movie 300 was a hit on the screen, there was a giant glaring 0mission & a bold attempt to alter cultural history with suggestive imagery. This becomes evident when anyone studies the history of Greece around that time period - especially Sparta.
What was 0mitted from the movie's backdrop was the widespread pairbonding among the men - the warriors themselves. Before I go further. - let me remind the history buffs that AnalSex was illegal in Greece during this time frame. However, sameSex pairbonding was so normal that Greek society expected it, celebrated it & highly esteemed the activity. It was N0T on par with the cultural spectre that calls itself "GAY" in the now!
300's omission was topped only by it's display of naked women & a romp in the rack between the main character & his wife. Hmm, it seems that "somebody" was trying to conveniently forget history. The movie "Troy" did a similar feat by conveniently omitting just how "bonded" Achillies & Patriclus really were!
Extending the benefit of the doubt to the directors, writers, producers, etc: The probable reason that this dimension of Greek culture seems to be omitted from these blockbusters is because society seems unable to divorce itself from the images of AnalSex & effeminacy in ref to M2M intimacy. Although neither existed in Greece during the time-frames of these epics; -Movies like "Birdcage" & "Brokeback", combined with the decadence showcased at annual "pride-parades" ... the collective images locked in the mind of the public psyche about the "nature of male/male intimacy" has virtually made it impossible to show the reality without the spectre of vile imaginations intruding on the occasion.
There is a rapidly growing group of men who understand the stark differences between Male/Male intimacy of Sparta vs. the spectre of "GAY-today" (embracing the former while rejecting & denouncing the latter). It's called "g0y" -spelled w. a ZER0. G0YS are about RESPECT, TRUST & DISCRETION!