Sparta
placeSparta was the austere military state whose warriors were the most feared in Greece — whose stand at Thermopylae became the definition of courage.
The Myth
Sparta's entire society was oriented toward producing soldiers. Boys entered the agoge (training system) at age seven. Adults ate communal meals. Helots (serfs) farmed while citizens trained. The 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, led by Leonidas, held the pass against Xerxes' invasion in 480 BC. Helen of Troy was originally Helen of Sparta. Menelaus ruled there. The Spartan lifestyle — deliberately harsh, minimalist, disciplined — gave us "spartan" as an adjective.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The word "laconic" (using few words) comes from Laconia, Sparta's region — Spartans were famously terse. Philip II: "If I invade, I shall destroy." Sparta: "If."
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Helen
heroThe most beautiful woman in the world, daughter of Zeus. Her elopement with Paris of Troy triggered...
Helen of Troy
heroHelen was the most beautiful woman in the world, daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose abduction by...
Menelaus
heroMenelaus was the king of Sparta whose stolen wife Helen was the cause of the Trojan War — yet he...
Thermopylae
placeThermopylae was the narrow coastal pass where 300 Spartans and their allies made their legendary...
Troy
placeThe legendary city in Asia Minor besieged by the Greeks for ten years in the Trojan War. Troy's...
Acheron
placeThe Acheron was the River of Woe in the underworld, which the dead had to cross — in some...