The Most Important Thing to Understand About Sparta

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Sparta was an unusual society for greece. The slaves in sparta, called the hellots, were an absolute majority of the population. They had successfully reduced literally everyone else in society to slavery. As a result, sparta is, by land area, by far the largest greek state in ancient greece - it's about a third of the peloponnese.

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.