The Spartan Regime

An authoritative and refreshingly original consideration of the government and culture of ancient Sparta and her place in Greek history

For centuries, ancient Sparta has been glorified in song, fiction, and popular art. Yet the true nature of a civilization described as a combination of democracy and oligarchy by Aristotle, considered an ideal of liberty in the ages of Machiavelli and Rousseau, and viewed as a forerunner of the modern totalitarian state by many twentieth-century scholars, has long remained a mystery.

In a bold new approach to historical study, noted historian Paul Rahe attempts to unravel the Spartan riddle. By deploying the regime-oriented political science of the ancient Greeks—pioneered by Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, Xenophon, and Polybius—Rahe provides a more coherent picture of government, art, culture, and daily life in Lacedaemon than has previously appeared in print. He also explores the grand strategy that the Spartans devised before the arrival of the Persians in the Aegean.

The Spartan Regime promises to shed new light on the enigmatic legacy of Sparta, offering insights that resonate with both historical scholarship and contemporary issues.