Tag Archives: Sparta

Apocryphal, Anecdotal and Sensational: What the ‘Apophthegms’ Tell Us About the Ancient World

Written by Steven Whitehead, Contributing Writer of Classical Wisdom and host of the Spartan History Podcast To the southwest of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, lies the small town of Pydna. It was here on June the 28th, 168 BCE, that an already-crumbling Hellenic civilization began its final decline. Under the leadership of Consul Lucius Aemilius

Written on April 28, 2021 at 8:30 am, by KristinD

No Comments

Categories: Military History

Tags: Ancient Greece, apophthegms, Plutarch, plutarch's lives, Sparta, Xerxes

Classical Greece: Golden Age and Time of War

Written by Ed Whalen, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom When we think about Ancient Greece, we most likely think of the Classical Age. Starting with the first Persian invasion and ending with the rise of Macedonia, this was the period in which Athens and Sparta vied for control of Greece. It was also a time of

Written on December 8, 2020 at 10:25 am, by Whelan

No Comments

Categories: History

Tags: Ancient Athens, Ancient Greek history, Athenian Empire, Hellenism, hellenistic greek art, hellenistic philosophy, Plato, socrates, Sparta

Lycurgus: Mysterious Spartan Lawgiver

Written by Edward Whelan, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Sparta has fascinated people for thousands of years. One of the most, if not the most important figure in all of Spartan history was Lycurgus, the great lawgiver. The interesting thing is that we know very little about this man and his character and indeed, many suspect

Written on September 16, 2020 at 11:00 am, by Whelan

No Comments

Categories: Leaders

Tags: Ancient Greek Laws, Ancient Greek Military History, law, Sparta

Sparta: The Warrior State?

Written by Meghan McKenna, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Sparta, home of Ancient Greece’s most brutal warriors, trained from their youths to become capable hoplites. It is an image that has become a staple of our thoughts when thinking about how Spartan society may have been. But is this the case or is this a force-fed

Written on August 21, 2020 at 6:13 am, by Alex Barrientos

No Comments

Categories: Military History

Tags: Agoge, Ancient Greek Military History, Education, Herodotus, Lycurgus, Plutarch, Sparta, Spartan women, Spartans, Xenophon

The Fragility of Democracy: Athens and the Thirty Tyrants

Written by Edward Whelan, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Athens is traditionally seen as the birthplace of democracy. However, as we know, democracies are vulnerable to anti-democratic forces, such as populism and authoritarian movements. This was also the case with Athens. For some eight months (404-403 BC) the city was controlled by a pro-Spartan oligarchy known

Written on May 8, 2020 at 6:34 am, by Whelan

2 Comments

Categories: History

Tags: Athens, Critias, death of socrates, democracy, oligarchy, Peloponessian War, Pnyx, Sicily, socrates, Sparta, Theramenes, Thirty Tyrants, Thrasybulus, tyranny

Fitness Tips from Ancient Greece

Written by M. Reed Myers, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom If you are like most people, you probably wonder what life would be like if you had the body of a Greek god. You wonder what doors would open for you if you had the kind of physique that only a Praxiteles would be fit to

Written on January 3, 2020 at 11:00 am, by M. Reed Meyers

No Comments

Categories: Sport

Tags: Ancient Greek Olympics, boxing, discus, fitness, gymnasia, Olympics, Sparta, Spartan women, Spartans