Richly illustrated with citations from ancient authors the book Sparta introduces the reader to the universe of a polis which in the fifth and fourth century BC was a Greek superpower Part I describes Sparta s political institutions and mechanisms of governance the structure of its society the family education lifestyle and naturally the organization of the Spartan army and military life Part II is an outline of the history of Sparta and Greece in the two centuries when the polis was at the peak of its influence extending also into the period of its waning The book closes with an analysis of imaginary Sparta and the ways the Spartan legend has been employed in the shaping of various identities from the early modern era to the present