Below I’ll give you my selections for the best Sparta books by a few categories. I will cover these and other great books more in depth later.
- Sparta: A Captivating Guide to the Spartans, Greco-Persian Wars, Battle of Thermopylae, and Peloponnesian War (2019)
- On Sparta (Penguin Classics) (2005)
- Sparta at War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 950–362 BC (2014)
- Sparta!: Warriors of the Ancient World (Dover History Coloring Book) (2013)
- Spartans: A Captivating Guide to the Fierce Warriors of Ancient Greece, Including Spartan Military Tactics, the Battle of Thermopylae, How Sparta Was Ruled, and More (2019)
- The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic (2018)
- The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta: The Persian Challenge (Yale Library of Military History) (2017)
- The End of Sparta: A Novel (2013)
- A History of Sparta, 950-192 B. C. (1969)
- The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece (2004)
- Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces (2019)
Sparta: A Captivating Guide to the Spartans, Greco-Persian Wars, Battle of Thermopylae, and Peloponnesian War (2019)
Sparta is one of the first names that comes to mind when we think about the ancient world. And this is for good reason. After its founding sometime in the 10th century BCE, Sparta soon rose to be one of the most powerful city-states in not only the Greek but the entire ancient world. Perhaps the most significant achievement in all of Spartan history, though, was their defeat of the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War.
On Sparta (Penguin Classics) (2005)
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 BC.
Sparta at War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 950–362 BC (2014)
During the eighth century bc, Sparta became one of the leading cities of ancient Greece, conquering the southern Peloponnese, and from the mid-sixth century bc until the mid-fourth, Sparta became a military power of recognized importance. For almost two centuries the massed Spartan army remained unbeaten in the field. Spartan officers also commanded with great success armies of mercenaries or coalition allies, as well as fleets of war galleys.
Sparta!: Warriors of the Ancient World (Dover History Coloring Book) (2013)
Meet the kings, soldiers, workers, and other residents of one of antiquity’s greatest military powers. These 30 dramatic, full-page illustrations to color depict Sparta’s system of military training, its traditional festivals and worship, and scenes from everyday life. Portrayals of famous conflicts include the Battle of Thermopylae and episodes from the Peloponnesian wars.
Spartans: A Captivating Guide to the Fierce Warriors of Ancient Greece, Including Spartan Military Tactics, the Battle of Thermopylae, How Sparta Was Ruled, and More (2019)
Sparta is one of the first names that comes to mind when we think about the ancient world. And this is for good reason. After its founding sometime in the 10th century BCE, Sparta soon rose to be one of the most powerful city-states in not only the Greek but the entire ancient world.
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic (2018)
The creator of the award-winning podcast series The History of Rome and Revolutions brings to life the bloody battles, political machinations, and human drama that set the stage for the fall of the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization.
The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta: The Persian Challenge (Yale Library of Military History) (2017)
More than 2500 years ago a confederation of small Greek city-states defeated the invading armies of Persia, the most powerful empire in the world. In this meticulously researched study, historian Paul Rahe argues that Sparta was responsible for the initial establishment of the Hellenic defensive coalition and was, in fact, the most essential player in its ultimate victory.
The End of Sparta: A Novel (2013)
In this sweeping and deeply imagined historical novel, acclaimed classicist Victor Davis Hanson re-creates the battles of one of the greatest generals of ancient Greece, Epaminondas.
A History of Sparta, 950-192 B. C. (1969)
A concise and descriptive history. This introductory history of Sparta gives readers a welcome overview of the intense and brilliant history of the great Greek city state. #1,078,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #3555 in Anthropology (Books) #1872 in Ancient History (Books) #1241 in Ancient Greek History (Books) Would you like to ?If you are a seller for this product, would you like to ?
The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece (2004)
The Spartans were a society of warrior-heroes who were the living exemplars of such core values as duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, and extreme toughness. This book, written by one of the world’s leading experts on Sparta, traces the rise and fall of Spartan society and explores the tremendous influence the Spartans had on their world and even on ours.
Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces (2019)
If you’re looking for a typical parenting book, this is not it. This is not a treatise on how to be a mother.This is a book about a young girl who moves to a new town every couple of years; a misfit teenager who finds solace in a local music scene; an adrift twenty-something who drops out of college to pursue her dream of making cheesecake on a stick a successful business franchise (ah, the ideals of youth).
Best Sparta Books You Must Read
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some sparta books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
The Spartan Way: What Modern Men Can Learn from Ancient Warriors
Author(s): The Art of Manliness
ID: 2393325, Publisher: Semper Virilis Publishing, Year: 4 Jun 2019, Size: 205 Kb, Format: epub
The Spartans: A Very Short Introduction
Author(s): Andrew J. Bayliss
ID: 3316526, Publisher: Oxford University Press, Year: 2022, Size: 1 Mb, Format: pdf
Picturing the Workers' Olympics and the Spartakiads
Author(s): Przemysław Strożek
ID: 3351476, Publisher: Routledge, Year: 2022, Size: 101 Mb, Format: pdf
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are absolutely hot items according to The New York Times, others are composed by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.