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Contrasting Spartan and Athenian Heroism during the Peloponnesian War
Paul Cartlett asks about the difference between Spartan and Athenian ideas of heroism during the Peloponnesian War. Parocles, in his funeral speech reported by Thucydides, criticizes Spartan courage as manufactured and contrasts it with Athenian democratic heroism. However, we can infer Spartan beliefs from their actions, such as the famous defeat at Thermopylae. The Spartans' collective sacrifice established the idea of not giving in and prioritizing the greater good of Greece. Being Greek meant being free in a way that other countries couldn't achieve.