Macquarie University

Sparta and Greece, Archaic and Classical - AHIS335

When the Delphic oracle said, 'Make the Greek your friend,' Croesus, king of Lydia, made a move to get an alliance with the Spartans.
Greece's most powerful city-state in military terms through the archaic period and beyond, Sparta was admired in the ancient world for its unique qualities. Admired, but not usually imitated, because the Spartans chose a path which few others wanted to follow.
In this unit the phenomenon of Sparta in the archaic and classical periods will be studied. The focus will be both inwards to how the Spartans led their lives and organised their state, and outwards to how the Spartan way of life impacted on others in Greece and beyond.
In part, this is a story of conquest, war, and desperate struggles against enemies within and beyond; but in part, the narrative also addresses the question of how to be a Greek. The answer which was developed at Athens brought democracy and tragedy into the world, and was midwife to the birth of moral philosophy; but another answer was created at Sparta—an answer which was all about cohesion and disciplined effort to attain community goals.