The two-volume A Companion to Sparta presents the first comprehensive, multi-authored series of essays to address all aspects of Spartan history and society from its origins in the Greek Dark Ages to the late Roman Empire. * Offers a lucid, comprehensive introduction to all aspects of Sparta, a community recognised by contemporary cities as the greatest power in classical Greece * Features in-depth coverage of Sparta history and culture contributed by an international cast including almost every noted specialist and scholar in the field * Provides over a dozen images of Spartan art that reveal the evolution of everyday life in Sparta * Sheds new light on a modern controversy relating to changes in Spartan society from the Archaic to Classical periods