This is SPARTA!

NOTICE! This is SPARTA! was the March 2025 Meme of the Month

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This is SPARTA!
Historical
Date Created	December 9, 2006
Creator	Zack Snyder (director)
Associated Event	300 (film)
General
Type	YouTube Poop
Status	Dead

“	Madness? THIS! IS! SPARTA!	”
quote by Leonidas on the film 300

Overview

This is SPARTA! is a 2007 meme that originated from a scene from the movie 300, released on December 9, 2006, which itself is also the film adaptation of the comics 300, published earlier on May – September 1998, in which Leonidas, the King of the Spartans, kicks a Persian messenger into a bottomless pit.

History

The scene originates from the 2006 film 300 directed by Zack Snyder, an American film adapted from a graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller, a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae The film tells the story of King Leonidas and his lead of 300 Spartans into battle against Persian King Xerxes and his army of more than one million soldiers. Right before battle, a Persian messenger arrives at the gates of Sparta demanding the submission of Sparta to King Xerxes. In response to this demand, Leonidas and his guards kick the messengers into the large well, immediately after shouting "This is Sparta!".

Web usage

The meme spread across the internet like wildfire, with many different creative adaptations of the meme, the most popular being a YTPMV techno remix shown below. Despite this, the meme rarely goes outside of it's usual formula (Leonidas screaming "THIS! IS! SPARTAAAA!"), which left the meme highly resistant to change and eventually left behind by the mainstream audience.

Transcript

Leonidas: You bring the crowns and heads of conquered
kings to my city steps. You insult my queen.
You threaten my people with slavery and death.
Oh, I've chosen my words carefully, Persian.
Perhaps you should have done the same.

Persian messenger: This is blasphemy! This is madness!

Leonidas: Madness? THIS! IS! SPARTA!

Trivia

• The techno remix inspired a plethora of "Sparta remixes", such as This is Patrick remix, usually based off other memes.
• Aside from Trollface, the meme also appeared to be popular on Meme Generator as well.
• The meme actually began all the way back when a trailer showing the scene from the movie was released, though the meme really took off in 2007.