Athens and Sparta were two very different societies, yet the two legendary city-states hold priceless historic value for ...

Beginning in the 14th century, when Greece was wracked by political and social struggles, monks began building a series of ...

Few foreigners realize that Sparta still exists. The ancient city-state, which walked the line between legend and history, is often assumed to have fallen off the map at some point in antiquity. In ...

In Ancient Greece, Athens was known for its philosophers, scientists, and theorists of democracy. Sparta was known for its military prowess, its bravery and its ability to defend itself against ...

The Athenian patrician Thucydides began writing the history of his city’s conflict with Sparta even as the war was beginning.

The Peloponnesian War shows how fear, ambition, and mistrust can escalate into full-scale conflict. Thucydides’ trap helps us ...

A tough military society, Sparta had its own secret service, the Crypteia, specially trained young men for covert operations ...