SPARTA vs THE MYTHS

Everything you think you know about Sparta is wrong. Harsh, empty terrain.

No palaces, no gold. Myth: Spartans lived for glory.

Fact: Spartan children belonged to the state at age seven. Hunger and beating

were official policy. Myth: Spartans were fearless heroes. Fact:

They were trained to obey, not to be brave. Myth:

Sparta was a society of equals. Fact: Most Spartans lived off enslaved helots,

controlled by terror. Myth: Ancient women had no power. Fact:

Spartan women controlled wealth and influenced politics. Sparta wasn’t legendary. It was brutal.