This story appears in the November/December 2016 issue of National Geographic History magazine. Sparta’s enemies, when facing the intimidating Spartan forces, would see a wall of shields ...

Little did Leonidas know that over 2,500 years later, "Molon Lave" would be used as a global marketing tool -from weapons to ...

Were you taught about the Spartans in school history? Sparta was a small Greek state in 500BCE, situated in the south of ...

A helmet up for auction in London is a well-preserved example of the "Corinthian" helmets used by many hoplite warriors.

whereupon every Spartan younger than him, and some that were older, stood up and offered him their seat. The crowd applauded and the old man turned to them with a sigh, saying "All Greeks know ...

Sparta had a highly unusual system of government. Two kings ruled the city, but a 28-member 'council of elders' limited their powers. These men were recruited from the highest social class, the ...

The distance shown is the straight line or the air travel distance between Sparta and Athens. Load Map What is the travel distance between Athens, Greece and Sparta, Greece? How many miles is it from ...

In ancient times, Greece wasn't a single country like it is today. It was made up of lots of smaller states. These states were always squabbling and often went to war. Sparta and Athens fought a ...

Instead, Greece was divided up into small city-states, like Athens, Sparta, Corinth and Olympia. Each city-state ruled itself. They had their own governments, laws and army. Someone living in ...