At thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern greece, the feared and admired spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the mighty persian army.

Day after bloody day they withstood the terrible onslaught, buying time for the greeks to rally their forces. Born into a cult of spiritual courage, physical endurance, and unmatched battle skill, the spartans would be remembered for the greatest military stand in history. One that would not end until the rocks were awash with blood, leaving only one gravely injured spartan squire to tell the tale.

You will discover topics such as

• Who were the spartans
• The growth of spartan power: the messenian wars
• A growing rivalry with athens: the greco-persian wars
• Victory over athens: the birth of the spartan empire
• Spartan hegemony, the corinthian war, and sparta's decline
• Spartan government, military, and society
• And much, much more!

The spartans. The famous warrior society of ancient greece. Renowned for their ferocity in battle, rigid self-discipline, and their legendary wit and terseness. These rugged, crimson clad soldiers knew a lifestyle that few of us today could imagine or endure. Both spartan men and woman, from the day they were born, to their often early deaths, constantly trained their bodies and minds to be as hard and immovable as stone.