63 The Spartan Strategy for Acquiring and Wielding Power w/ Eric Robinson
63 The Spartan Strategy for Acquiring and Wielding Power w/ Eric Robinson  
Podcast: Ancient Greece Declassified
Published On: Fri Aug 01 2025
Description: How did Sparta—a mere city-state with an agrarian economy and barely any economic growth to speak of—rise to become the supreme power in ancient Greece? We investigate in conversation with renowned historian Eric W. Robinson, author of the forthcoming book "Spartan Legend." ------------------ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/greecepodcast  ------------------ Timestamps [03:28] Origins of Spartan power [12:26] Democratic aspects of the Spartan constitution [17:25] Athenian admiration of Sparta [23:00] How good were Spartan armies? [27:05] Robinson's theory of a Spartan "Mystique" [44:04] Why Sparta won the Peloponnesian War against Athens [48:46] Why Spartan power declined