Sparta: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Superpower

Summary

A major new history of ancient Greece’s most iconic city-state.

For thousands of years, the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta has been famed as the ultimate warrior society, an enduring symbol of masculine bravery, austerity, and toughness. But who were the Spartans, really―and how did they rise from a humble village to dominate all of Greece? Renowned Sparta expert Andrew Bayliss delivers a complex portrait of a culture and people long shrouded in myth. Sifting masterfully through historical records and modern archaeological evidence, Bayliss traces Sparta’s evolution from a hamlet in the Peloponnese to the foremost military power of ancient Greece, through to its surprising downfall. He also lays bare lesser-known aspects of Spartan society that complicate its egalitarian reputation, including complex gender dynamics, stark wealth inequality, and its brutal exploitation of slave labor. Bringing to life the shifting alliances and volatile conflicts of ancient Greece, Sparta will stand for decades as the definitive history of one of antiquity’s most renowned civilizations.