Sparta is a word synonymous with strength, solid determination and rigid simplicity, as in phrases like Spartan living, Spartan state of mind, and Spartan will. The practice of self-restraint, austerity and order were credited to the victories of Sparta in many great wars in history.
The Spartans who played a significant part in ancient world history, not just in Greece, were credited for these modern attributes to their heritage. “Lakonia,” the immediate territory around Sparta, also spawned the modern term “Laconophilia,” which connotes an admiration of Sparta, Spartan culture and Spartan attributes.
Sparta was an ancient city-state in Greece known for its dominant military force which trampled other Grecian empires in territorial domains and political influence. The city’s unique social structure was the foundation of Spartan military power, where all its male citizens were required to be full-time soldiers. Unskilled labor was provided by the Helots, or captives from wars that Sparta successfully won. Meantime, Sparta’s ability to secure itself from invaders was due to the Taygetan plains, its strategic border, and its complex topography.
In Greek mythology, the Spartans were believed to descend from the god Lakedaimon (son of Zeus) and Sparta, maiden daughter of Eurotas. Lakedaimon lent his name to his domain and named the capital after his wife.
The references to Sparta from the works of Homer like the Iliad, and recounts from Athenian historians like Thucydides and Herodotus were the only available resources for Spartan history. Later on, archaeological findings around the city that dated back to mid-neolithic age revealed pottery works by the Mycenaeans, the inhabitants of ancient Sparta.
The strength of the Spartan army, intelligence in warfare and phalanx of bronze weaponry were credited in the failure of the Persian empire in fully conquering Greece and in realizing its dream of a European expansion. The Battle of Thermopylae against the Persian Army, the Battle of Platea which ended the Greco-Persian war, and the Peloponnesian War were just three grand battles in history that Sparta gloriously won.