Sparta : the rise and fall of an ancient superpower / Andrew Bayliss

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bayliss, Andrew J., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Leonidas, King of Sparta, -480 B.C.

Leonidas.

Sparta (Extinct city)--History.

Sparta (Extinct city).

Sparta (Extinct city)--Civilization.

Sparta (Extinct city)--Social conditions.

Greece--Sparta.

Military education.

Genre:

History

Informational works.

Physical Description:

xiii, 369 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

monochrome

case binding

illustration

map

Edition:

First American edition.

Other Title:

Rise and fall of an ancient superpower

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : W. W. Norton & Company, [2026]

Summary:

"For thousands of years, the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta has been famed as the ultimate warrior society. The flowing crimson capes and bronze shields of Spartan warriors remain the enduring image of masculine bravery, austerity, and toughness; King Leonidas's 300 soldiers at Thermopylae the quintessential example of courageous self-sacrifice in battle. But who were the Spartans, really--and how did they rise from a humble village in the Peloponnese to become the dominant military power of ancient Greece? In this landmark new history, renowned Sparta expert Andrew Bayliss delivers a strikingly clarifying, relentlessly complex portrait of a culture and people long shrouded in myth. Sifting masterfully through historical records and modern archaeological evidence, Bayliss traces the shifting alliances and volatile conflicts Spartans faced during the city-state's evolution from a minor hamlet in the Peloponnese to the foremost power of ancient Greece. In vivid detail, Bayliss brings to life the excruciating training, rigid dietary habits, and extreme discipline that molded the warriors of history's most renowned military power. He also lays bare lesser-known aspects of Spartan society that complicate its egalitarian reputation, including complex gender dynamics, stark wealth inequality, and its brutal exploitation of slave labor. With incisive analysis, Bayliss illuminates how the Spartans' ruthless might, unparalleled military ambition, and singular exclusivity fueled their seemingly unstoppable rise--and how those same factors became their undoing. Enthralling and informative in equal measure, Sparta will stand for decades as the definitive history of one of antiquity's most legendary civilizations--from its meteoric rise to its surprising downfall." -- Dust jacket.

Contents:

Prologue: Honour and duty

The origins of the Sparta State: c.1000-600 BCE

Utopia on the Eurotas

Sparta's rise to dominance: 600-520 BCE

Royal rivalries: Cleomenes vs. Demaratus: 520-490 BCE

Xerxes' invasion: the Spartans liberate Greece? 481-479 BCE

Sparta during the 'Fifty Years': isolationist and isolated 479-431 BCE

The Archidamian War: humiliating failure? 431-421 BCE

The Athenian War: Sparta betrays Greece? 421-404 BCE

'Glad to eat them, even raw': inequality and the downfall of Sparta

Spartan hegemony: empire at last? 404-386 BCE

Sparta's decline and fall 386-371 BCE

Epilogue: No more heroes?

Notes:

Publication date from publisher's website.

"First published in Great Britain in 2025 by Profile Books Ltd."--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 327-342) and index.

ISBN:

9781324117513

1324117516

OCLC:

1535852025

Publisher Number:

90104571524