The Rise and Fall of Sparta

Learn About the Beginnings of the Spartan Army and the Discipline and Training of the Spartan Military

By: Justin Koch

Narrated by: Josh Innerst

The famous Spartan helmet can be seen on a variety of products, especially on merchandising and marketing material for the Spartan Race challenges. Bumper stickers, shirts, pins, and hats with the phrase “Come and Take Them” are familiar sights as well. Both of these, the helmet and the phrase, belong to the Spartans, those warriors from ancient Greece whose ferocity in battle still holds our attention today.

There is something undeniably thrilling about the idea of 300 Spartans holding off tens of thousands of invading Persians, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the fascinating history of the Greek city-state of Lacadaemonia, or Sparta. Sparta was a force of military power and philosophical might, and, as we can see, it continues to enthrall us.

Learn more about the rise and fall of Sparta, about the fierce discipline and training of the Spartan military, and why we are still amazed with the Spartans thousands of years later.

©2018 Combray Media (P)2018 Combray Media

This is half an hour of the most basic review of the known facts available about Spartan military and its training.

Performer does not even try to imitate the correct pronunciation of Greek words and nameś, including the name of Sparta; he goes full “American.” The text is about thirty minutes short, and sounds as a summary from school text book. You will gain far better understanding of Spartan from Steven Pressfield's book Gates of Fire.