Description

A city the Roman historian Livy called “memorable not for the magnificence of its buildings, but for its discipline”; protected by what the mythical founder of its military described as a “wall of men, instead of bricks”; populated by those who considered themselves the descendants of “Heracles the unconquered” — a tiny warrior community that managed to command the respect of its neighbors and leave a legend for all time — Sparta has intrigued and inspired us for millennia. There is something about this ancient polis that calls to the modern man’s heart.

But what, exactly?

In this short ebook, we dig past the exaggerated portrayals of Sparta in popular culture, lifting the veil on this mysterious city-state to uncover the real details of how its warriors grew up, trained, fought, and lived out lives of friendship, martial glory, and even humor, music, and manners. The nature of the famousagoge, the importance of the men’s nightly dinners, and the secrets to how the Spartans became such effective warriors are all explained, with an eye towards inspiring the men of modernity to live with greater fierceness, fraternity, and honor.