The Bronze Lie

Shattering the Myth of Spartan Warrior Supremacy

The Bronze Lie cover

Description

Covering Sparta's full classical history, The Bronze Lie examines the myth of Spartan warrior supremacy.

The last stand at Thermopylae made the Spartans legends in their own time, famous for their toughness, stoicism and martial prowess – but was this reputation earned?

This book paints a very different picture of Spartan warfare – punctuated by frequent and heavy losses. We also discover a society dedicated to militarism not in service to Greek unity or to the Spartan state itself, but as a desperate measure intended to keep its massive population of helots (a near-slave underclass) in line.

What successes there were, such as in the Peloponnesian Wars, gave Sparta only a brief period of hegemony over Greece. Today, there is no greater testament to this than the relative position of modern Sparta and its famous rival Athens.

The Bronze Lie explores the Spartans' arms and armor, tactics and strategy, the personalities of commanders and the common soldiery alike. It looks at the major battles, with a special focus on previously under-publicized Spartan reverses that have been left largely unexamined. The result is a refreshingly honest and accurate account of Spartan warfare.

Table of Contents

Preface
List of Maps


PART I: THE MYTH OF SPARTA
Introduction

PART II: THE REALITY OF SPARTA
I. Cuckold Kings and Wolves' Work: Behind the Spartan Mirage
II. Archaic Sparta at War: Early Losses, Foreign Roots
III. The Greco-Persian War: The Thermopylae Speed Bump
IV. The Peloponnesian Wars: Floundering at Sea, Surrendering on Land
V. Masters of Greece? Sparta Squanders its Hegemony
VI. The Boeotian War: What Cannot Bend Must Break
VII. The End of Sparta: Irreformable and Irrelevant
VIII. Conclusion: The Bronze Lie

PART III: TANGLING MYTH AND REALITY
IX. The “Moron Label”: The Spartans and the Political Far Right
Appendix A. Historiography and Objectivity
Appendix B. The Fundamentals of Ancient Battle

Glossary
Bibliography
Index


Product details

Published Sep 02 2021
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 464
ISBN 9781472843739
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 24-page plate section in colour
Series General Military
Short code GNM
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Myke Cole

Following a long career in the military, intellige…

Resources

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