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ancient Sparta

Did the Spartans Throw Their Babies Off the Cliff?

The Spartans were renowned for being exceptionally fierce warriors (as famously depicted in the film 300). As can be expected, growing up as a Spartan was not always easy. Supposedly, according to some sources, the Spartans were so focused...

What Was the Origin of Ancient Sparta?

Sparta is one of the most famous ancient Greek city-states of all time. It has featured in numerous myths and legends from Greek mythology, as well as plenty of modern films too. It had a massive impact on Classical...

Sparta: The Only Ancient Greek City with No Defensive Walls

"It is remarkable that Sparta had no walls when all the other cities did," Elon Musk observed recently in response to a user's image of a Spartan warrior. Spartans of the Archaic and Classical periods took pride in not having...

The Decline of Ancient Sparta as Seen Through Its Food

Athenaeus of Naucratis in his famous work Deipnosophistae stated sarcastically that the fault of the decline of Sparta lay with its cooks, who, because of the influence of the Roman Empire, lost the ability to prepare the traditional recipes...

What Were the Ancient Spartans Like?

Spartan society was very different from the rest in Greece, an example was the absence of walls, the city was protected only by its soldiers.

Women in Ancient Sparta

The educated, powerful, noble women of Ancient Sparta enjoyed far more freedom and independency than in any other Greek city-state. Conversely, women in other regions of ancient Greece frequently faced significant limitations on their rights, including the absence of voting...

Social Class in Ancient Greece: Sparta and Athens

The division of people into various social classes is a persistent feature across civilizations and was no less the case in ancient Greece where social class was determined by several factors such as birth, wealth, occupation, and citizenship. Ancient Greek...

Children are Curious to Know: Who Were the Spartans?

Curious Kids, a website that posts inquiries made by the most curious of minds—those of children—recently found themselves answering a question posted by a young reader who wanted an expert to answer his question: “Who were the Spartans?” It is...

Battle of Thermopylae: When the Greeks Fought to Defend Western Civilization

The Battle of Thermopylae and the fight of 300 Spartans against 10,000 elite Persian soldiers is a magnificent moment in Greece's history.

Harsh Lessons from the Ancient Greek City-State of Sparta

The long and (mostly) illustrious history of the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta defines the word "legendary."