61–70 of 135 posts
If you like this there's a meaty seven part blog series by historian Bret Devereaux about the mythology surrounding Sparta. It offers an account of what Sparta and the Spartan military was really like as well as how the Spartan mythos evolved. https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/collections-this-isnt-sparta-p...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Opinion is a big part of history. One historian's analysis is not fefinitive proof rather a view that may be close to the truth.
Yes, but... ...the analysis of one historian is just that. But the analysis of many historians is more likely to be true, and the consensus of the entire field, held for decades, is even more likely. Certainly more likely to be true than a popular conception primarily driven by comic books, Hollywood films, and popularizations written by non-historians. It's also worth looking at the historian's analysis, and questio…
Every nation would have been long gone, but sheer strangeness of that regime will make it immortal in a way, not unlike Sparta.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Opinion is a big part of history. One historian's analysis is not fefinitive proof rather a view that may be close to the truth.
Yes, but... ...the analysis of one historian is just that. But the analysis of many historians is more likely to be true, and the consensus of the entire field, held for decades, is even more likely. Certainly more likely to be true than a popular conception primarily driven by comic books, Hollywood films, and popularizations written by non-historians. It's also worth looking at the historian's analysis, and questio…
If you like this there's a meaty seven part blog series by historian Bret Devereaux about the mythology surrounding Sparta. It offers an account of what Sparta and the Spartan military was really like as well as how the Spartan mythos evolved. https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/collections-this-isnt-sparta-p...
The article you link is the worst kind of telling of history: overflowing with bias, preaching and pontificating and making moral judgments left and right about things that happenned more than 2000 years ago. It is an internet rant, designed to provoke clicks and outrage, and its only reason of existence is the existence of the film, 300, a fantasy, that presents a fantastical image of Sparta, that the author then pr…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28711149 Specifically, part VI and VII of that series. > In short: Sparta’s overall military performance is profoundly average over the Classical period. They don’t even manage a winning record! > It is hard to avoid the conclusion that while Spartan tactics may have been modestly better than most other Greek states, Spartan operations were dismal, placing severe limits on how eff…
I think Sparta was overrated militarily, but logically, a great army may still have a losing record, because the only people who would even dare fight them are ones who think they can actually win. Imagine all of the wars which were never even fought , because their enemies were scared of their army.
If you like this there's a meaty seven part blog series by historian Bret Devereaux about the mythology surrounding Sparta. It offers an account of what Sparta and the Spartan military was really like as well as how the Spartan mythos evolved. https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/collections-this-isnt-sparta-p...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The article you link is the worst kind of telling of history: overflowing with bias, preaching and pontificating and making moral judgments left and right about things that happenned more than 2000 years ago. It is an internet rant, designed to provoke clicks and outrage, and its only reason of existence is the existence of the film, 300, a fantasy, that presents a fantastical image of Sparta, that the author then pr…
These authors and their works are all cited and discussed in the series. Some of the authors you cite even bash each other; Thucydides calls Herodotus a bit of a fabulist.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28711149 Specifically, part VI and VII of that series. > In short: Sparta’s overall military performance is profoundly average over the Classical period. They don’t even manage a winning record! > It is hard to avoid the conclusion that while Spartan tactics may have been modestly better than most other Greek states, Spartan operations were dismal, placing severe limits on how eff…
Seems similar to the US military in conflicts after WWII. Better equiped? check Better trained? check Winning record? nope
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Seems similar to the US military in conflicts after WWII. Better equiped? check Better trained? check Winning record? nope
Besides the obvious modern political axe you’re grinding, the parallel doesn’t quite apply to ancient Sparta. While the Spartiates had more training and equipment, the same was not true of the lower caste armies they also fielded. The US army has great logistics; the Spartans could only afford boats when Persia paid for them to beat up their neighbors.
What axe are you wanting to grind?
If you like this there's a meaty seven part blog series by historian Bret Devereaux about the mythology surrounding Sparta. It offers an account of what Sparta and the Spartan military was really like as well as how the Spartan mythos evolved. https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/collections-this-isnt-sparta-p...
The article you link is the worst kind of telling of history: overflowing with bias, preaching and pontificating and making moral judgments left and right about things that happenned more than 2000 years ago. It is an internet rant, designed to provoke clicks and outrage, and its only reason of existence is the existence of the film, 300, a fantasy, that presents a fantastical image of Sparta, that the author then pr…