Among all the city-states of Classical Greece, the most famous are certainly Athens and Sparta. Sometimes allies, often enemies, despite their shared language and culture, these two could not have ...

Athens and Sparta represented for classical thinkers distinct and opposing regimes. Democratic Athens took pride in its freedom, openness, and accomplishments in the arts and philosophy. Oligarchic ...

On the eve of the Peloponnesian War in 432 BC, the wise king of Sparta, Archidamus, was summoned to address a clash between the Corinthians and Athenians. Corinth, an ally of Sparta, warned that ...

Despite being rivals, many Athenians admired the government, clothing, and austerity of the Spartans. Falling prey to “Laconophilia,” some began to adopt the mannerisms and even dress like their ...

The reaction of the Athenians to the Sicilian defeat was to look for scapegoats. Spartan forces now occupied Attica, and over the next few years more than twenty thousand slaves defected to the enemy ...