The first research paper I ever wrote was on Sparta, and it was in elementary school. I've looked up to and admired Sparta and the Spartans my entire life.
My whole life, I've heard about how tough they were as a people, how they were warriors, the infamous story about the youth and the fox, their innovative political and cultural systems, the incredibly This book was a bitter disappointment for me in a couple of ways, one of which is shared by another book on Sparta that I'm currently reading. This book was a bitter disappointment for me in a couple of ways, one of which is shared by another book on Sparta that I'm currently reading. The reader is shown the man behind the myth who he was, who he thought he was, and the environment which produced him.more But above all, his focus is on the Spartan hoplite, the archetypal Greek warrior who was respected and feared throughout Greece in his own day, and who has since become a legend. Philip Matyszak explores two themes: how Sparta came to be the unique society it was, and the rise of the city from a Peloponnesian village to the military superpower of Greece. Though idealized by the Athenian contemporaries of Socrates Sparta was almost devoid of intellectual achievement. They gave rights to citizen women that were unmatched in Europe until the modern era, meanwhile subjecting their conquered subject peoples to a murderous reign of terror. We might admire their physical toughness and heroism in adversity but Spartans also systematically abused their children.
What makes the study of Sparta so interesting is that to a large extent the Spartans lived up to this image.Īncient Sparta, however, was a city of contrasts. They are portrayed as the stereotypical macho heroes: noble, laconic, totally fearless and impervious to discomfort and pain. We might admire the Their contemporaries were fascinated by the Spartans and we still are. Ancient Sparta, however, was a city of contrasts. What makes the study of Sparta so interesting is that to a large extent the Spartans lived up to this image. Their contemporaries were fascinated by the Spartans and we still are.
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