Sparta: Fall of a Warrior Nation

by Philip Matyszak

Overview

Universally admired in 479 BC, the Spartans were masters of the Greek world by 402 BC, only for their state to collapse in the next generation. What went wrong? Was the fall of Sparta inevitable? Philip Matyszak examines the political blunders and failures of leadership which combined with unresolved social issues to bring down the nation - even as its warriors remained invincible on the battlefield.

The Spartans believed their constitution and society above the changes sweeping their world, and in resisting change, they were eventually overwhelmed by it. Yet this is also a story of defiance, for the Spartans refused to accept their humiliation and – although never more than a tiny and underpopulated city-state – for many years their city exercised influence far beyond its size and population. This is a chronicle of political failure, but also a lesson in how to go down fighting. Even with the Roman legions set to overwhelm their city, the Spartans never gave up.

Sparta: Fall of a Warrior Nation tells a seldom-told tale, yet one rich in heroes and villains, epic battles and political skulduggery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473874749
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	06/30/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	465,622
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

PHILIP ‘MATY’ MATYSZAK holds a doctorate in Ancient History from St John’s College, Oxford University, and has been studying, teaching and writing on the subject for over twenty years. He specializes in the history of Classical Greece and of the Late Republic and Early Imperial periods of Rome. Maty has personal military experience both as a conscript in Rhodesia and with the Territorial Army in Britain. These days he splits his time between writing in his home in Canada’s Monashee Mountains and providing e-learning courses for Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education.

Table of Contents

List of Plates vii

Glossary viii

Introduction ix

1 The State of the Nation - Sparta in 478 BC 1

2 The First Cracks 11

3 The Misadventures of Pausanias 21

4 The Slide into War 29

5 The Archidamian War 43

6 Sphacteria and the Peace of Nicias 57

7 A Successful War and a Failed Peace 71

8 The Lame King 87

9 The Disaster at Leuctra 103

10 The Rise of Macedon 117

11 The Failed Reformers 131

12 Nabis and the End of Sparta 149

Epilogue 157

Bibliography 159

Index 161

Editorial Reviews

Matyszak closes with some comment on the influence of Sparta’s institutions more recent political thought, notably Nazism. A good read for anyone interested in Greek history or the fate of nations.

The NYMAS Review

Noted Classicist Matyszak follows his Sparta: Rise of a Warrior Nation with this account of why the seemingly invincible Sparta failed as a great power, ultimately becoming the ancient world’s equivalent of a theme park. […]Sparta: Fall of a Warrior Nation is a good read for anyone interested in Greek history or the fate of nations.

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