The Spartans Audiobook By Paul Cartledge cover art

The Spartans

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The Spartans of ancient Greece were a powerful and unique people, radically different from any civilization before or since. A society of warrior-heroes, they were living exemplars of self-sacrifice, community endeavor, and achievement against all odds, qualities that today signify the ultimate in heroism. Scholars even believe that Thomas More had Sparta specifically in mind when he coined the term "Utopia".

Paul Cartledge, widely considered the world's leading expert on Sparta, engagingly examines the rise and fall of this singular society. In a narrative that resounds with the battle cries of the ancient Greeks, he takes a compelling look at the many illustrious Spartan figures from the worlds of history and legend, including Lycurgus, Lysander, King Leonidas, and Helen of Troy and Sparta.

©2002, 2003 Paul Cartledge (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc. Ancient Civilization Europe Greece Military World Ancient History Ancient Greece Greek Mythology Resilience Mythology

Critic reviews

"Engaging...Cartledge cloaks his erudition with an ease and enthusiasm." ( Booklist)
"A fine overview of the rise and fall of a singular culture, spiced with anecdotes, quotations, brisk summary, and real insight." ( Seattle Times)
"Remarkable...Cartledge's crystalline prose, his vivacious storytelling and his lucid historical insights combine here to provide a first-rate history of the Spartans." ( Publishers Weekly)
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I guess whenever you hear of the Spartans you just assume it's going to be about their battles. This book is an encompassing look about their history and not just their battles won.

A good history but not too entertaining.

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Prof Cartledge is a well known scholar of Ancient Greece. I first noticed him as a relatively frequent guest on the BBC radio program "In Our Time" (which I listen to on podcast). He seemed like a very knowledgeable person who also had the ability to sum up complex situations and relationships between Greek poleis (plural form of polis or "city-state") in a way that was entertaining and memorable without talking down to his audience.

These characteristics are on display here in "The Spartans." Cartledge gives us a chronological overview of Sparta as well a sharply-drawn portrait of this very unusual society. It is just the right length to be a fully developed work, but not so involved that it feels like wading through minutia.

Narrator John Lee has a busy career in audiobooks, and seems to be a reliable reader for works dealing with the classical world. His pronunciation is spot-on almost all of the time and he varies his pacing and rhythm in a way that shows he is understanding the material and attempting to communicate the meaning of the sentences the author has written.

Overall a fantastic experience, one which I will definitely return to after a suitable period of time, to enjoy once again.

Well written and well read

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This was very good, with interesting subject matter and good narration, but it requires your full attention if you are going to be able to follow it. This is a history, not a historical novel or novelized history, and if your mind wanders while you are listening then you wind up being completely lost.

Not for idle listening

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In school, we would have considered this a "tough read" because it's so historical. With that understanding, I would recommend this book for its detail and fact.

requires full attention

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The narrator does a really great job with this. I was starting to get frustrated with Audible narrators but this guy was good.

The book is full of information and seems to be a pretty objective, comprehensive overview.

However, this guy has no idea what a timeline is and bounces back and forth by hundreds of years in such a constant manner I can barely track. I hope this improves as the book goes on. Would recommend if you can get over the ADHD factor.

Great narrator, good content, terribly written.

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