ABSTRACT
This chapter claims that the Spartans must have conducted their imperialism with more intelligence than they are often given credit for. It observes the wisdom, from the Spartan's viewpoint, of their method of making war against Athens. As eastern Greeks defected from the Persian Empire, Sparta's authority extended - although briefly - across the Aegean. The chapter subjects the severe setbacks followed; these, and some of the techniques with which Sparta overcame them. Since ancient times the Spartan way of life has attracted much moralising. Some have admired the physical courage, military discipline and the general subordination at Sparta of the individual to the group. The corporate pride of the Spartans may have intensified as their numbers dwindled in the fifth and early fourth centuries; the fewer they were, the more impressive was their military feat in dominating Greece.
