This seminar-based course will explore the history of ancient Sparta from the earliest beginnings of the state in the Iron Age (approx. 1000-700 BCE) to the city’s eclipse as a major power in 371 BCE. We will assess the validity of the traditional view of Spartans as hardy warriors who lived under social norms regarding ownership of land, the role of women, the treatment of children, the use of coined money, and the display of personal wealth, which were all diametrically opposed to Greek, and indeed our own, norms. Through in-depth examination of ancient sources we will examine, by means of seminars, lectures, and a field trip, the evidence for this allegedly unique social system and investigate how and why Sparta evolved into the dominant military and political power in Classical Greece.