Sparta at War Quotes

“Neither does his noble fame perish, nor his name, But although he is beneath the earth he is deathless.”
― Scott Rusch, Sparta At War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 550–362 BC

“The Spartans impressed their opponents by entering battle with their armour polished to a brilliant shine, garlanded as if taking part in a religious celebration, their bodies anointed with oil as if in an athletic competition, and their long hair–mark of an adult Spartiate male–carefully combed and dressed”
― Scott Rusch, Sparta At War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 550–362 BC

“The real enforcer, and this is true for the entire Lycurgan system, was peer pressure.”
― Scott Rusch, Sparta At War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 550–362 BC

“The tight Spartiate oligarchy, the habitual privacy among messmates, periodic expulsions of foreigners from Lacedaemon (xenēelasia),32 and Spartans’ devotion to ‘laconic’ speech–their peculiar form of eloquence, substituting pithy responses for lengthy discussions–produced a security-minded secretiveness unusual in ancient Greece. Spartans could keep their own counsel. This, combined with a native penchant for deceit and craftiness, made the ruse de guerre a common feature of Spartan warfare.”
― Scott Rusch, Sparta At War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 550–362 BC

“Lycurgus was said to have been the guardian of an early Spartan king. Faced with civil strife and lawlessness, he created harmony among the Spartiates and made them into fierce warriors by establishing his laws and seeing that they were obeyed. In fact, no known ancient source for Lycurgus predates the fifth century, suggesting that the story of his lawgiving originated then.”
― Scott Rusch, Sparta At War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 550–362 BC

“The Spartans’ unusual aggression probably arose from the atypical dual kingship, which would have set two ruling families against each other in efforts to be acclaimed the best in warfare, manliness, policy, and wealth.”
― Scott Rusch, Sparta At War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 550–362 BC

“The idea of descent from twins obliged the two Spartan houses to tolerate each other’s existence. We do not know what historical accident actually produced Sparta’s unusual dual kingship.”
― Scott Rusch, Sparta At War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 550–362 BC