How did Sparta—a mere city-state with an agrarian economy and barely any economic growth to speak of—rise to become the supreme power in ancient Greece? We investigate in conversation with renowned historian Eric W. Robinson, author of the forthcoming book "Spartan Legend."

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Timestamps

[03:28] Origins of Spartan power

[12:26] Democratic aspects of the Spartan constitution

[17:25] Athenian admiration of Sparta

[23:00] How good were Spartan armies?

[27:05] Robinson's theory of a Spartan "Mystique"

[44:04] Why Sparta won the Peloponnesian War against Athens

[48:46] Why Spartan power declined