The ancient Spartans were a society of citizen-soldiers, famous throughout history for their doomed stand at the Battle of Thermopylae. Andrew Bayliss looks beyond the popular image of muscle-bound soldiers with long hair and red cloaks and explores the mindset of Spartan citizens, in particular their emotions such as anger, fear and shame. He examines the Spartans’ often brutal exploitation of their helot slaves, on whom their warrior lifestyle depended. Senior Lecturer in Greek History at the University of Birmingham, he is author of The Spartans: A Very Short Introduction.
