Plutarch On Sparta

Plutarch’s vivid and engaging portraits of the Spartans and their customs are a major source of our knowledge about the rise and fall of their remarkable Greek city-state between the sixth and third centuries sc. Through his Lives of Sparta’s leaders and his recording of memorable Spartan Sayings, he depicts a people who lived frugally and mastered their emotions in all aspects of life, who disposed of unhealthy babies in a deep chasm, introduced a gruelling regime of military training for boys and treated their serfs brutally. Rich in anecdote and detail, Plutarch’s writing brings to life the personalities and achievements of Sparta with unparalleled flair and humanity.

Richard JA Talbert’s translation of four of Plutarch’s biographies and his selection of Spartan Sayings is accompanied by an introduction placing the works in their historical context, and Spartan Society by Xenophon. This revised edition also includes notes, a list of Spartan kings, a glossary, updated further reading, maps of the Aegean world and an index.