In what year did the Spartans rule?

Question

What century was 300 movie based on

Answer 1

The Battle at Thermopylae, which the movie 300 is based on, occurred in 480 BC.

The first part of your question was "In what year did the Spartans rule?". Note that at the time of the Battle at Thermopylae, Sparta did not rule Greece. It was a Greek city-state.

Years later, Sparta became the dominant power in Greece after defeating Athens in the Peloponnesian War. This period, known as the Spartan Hegemony, spanned 404-371 BC.

Answer 2

The battle of Thermopylae,11 August 480 BC, therefore the Fifth Century BC (or BCE--Before Common Era)