The Spartans

A fascinating three-part documentary, the PBS-aired The Spartans charts the rise and fall of one of the most unusual societies of ancient times. Sparta was not a place for weaklings, and the building of its superpower glory was achieved via state-sponsored euthanasia and eugenics. In fact, Spartan babies were judged at birth by priests who determined which were worthy of life; the newborns sentenced to die were left exposed in the woods. Seven years later, surviving boys were taken from their families and forced to fend for themselves on a mountainside for a set period of time, thus ensuring that only the strongest would continue to adulthood in a militaristic society maintained by slave labor and ruled by secret police who were rough on dissenters (though, strangely for the times, women were encouraged to engage in politics and athletics). War against the more culturally refined rival state of Athens brought victory to Sparta, but also signaled the beginning of decline: the rigid social structure created a warrior state that had nothing to offer the world but militarism while slave rebellions drained its labor output, eventually creating an economic collapse. Historian Bettany Hughes offers an erudite and fascinating look into this curious experiment in totalitarianism, with lessons in how not to run a country that subsequent cultures, of course, never bothered to heed. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)