Does Sparta Win Its Wars?

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Sparta's military record is ' chequered' after the defeat of athens. The spartans were a little bit better at holding together in combat, but it wasn't a huge advantage. A sparta bats about 500 a, they're about average. If you inventory all of sparta's battles, you find that they win about half of them.

Historian Bret Devereaux of the University of North Carolina talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about our understanding of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Devereaux highlights the gap between the reality of Greece and Rome and how they're portrayed in popular culture. The conversation focuses on the diversity of ancient Rome and the military prowess of Sparta.