An earthquake in Sparta in the year 464 BCE started a series of events which ultimately led to the Peloponnesian War.

At the same time, the Spartans drilled so incessantly, and were constantly under arms, because they were afraid the Helots would revolt. This fear of the Helots kept Spartan soldiers at home ...

Cinadon’s conspiracy and attempted coup reveal deep social tensions in ancient Sparta and a swift, disciplined response to ...

Vile as Spartan abuse of the Helots was, the end result of Sparta’s eventual championing of the cause of freedom abroad was arguably even worse. As I argue in my new book, ...

Ancient Sparta turned its conquered neighbors into indentured serfs -- half free, half slave. The resulting Helot underclass produced the food of the Spartan state, freeing Sparta's elite males to ...

Historian: I can see the graphic necessity of sculpted stomachs and three hundred Spartan-sized packages bulging in spandex thongs. On the other hand, the ways in which 300 selectively idealizes ...

The Spartans’ reputation grew during the Greco-Persian wars (490-479 B.C.), when they took command of the Hellenic league and led the resistance against the Persian invaders.

At the bottom were the helots: a slave class descended from those peoples who had resisted subjugation by Sparta. Because the helots were constantly rebelling, the Spartans attempted to control ...

Sparta’s rigid social system, reliance on a shrinking warrior elite, and fear-driven control over a vast population of helots (enslaved people) led to long-term instability.

At the bottom were the helots: a slave class descended from those peoples who had resisted subjugation by Sparta. Because the helots were constantly rebelling, the Spartans attempted to control ...