The Spartans were a society of warrior-heroes who were the living exemplars of such core values as duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, and extreme toughness. This book, written by one of the world’s leading experts on Sparta, traces the rise and fall of Spartan society and explores the tremendous influence the Spartans had on their world and even on ours. Paul Cartledge brings to life figures like legendary founding father Lycurgus and King Leonidas, who embodied the heroism so closely identified with this unique culture, and he shows how Spartan women enjoyed an unusually dominant and powerful role in this hyper-masculine society. Based firmly on original sources, The Spartans is the definitive book about one of the most fascinating cultures of ancient Greece.

保羅·卡特利奇著名古典學傢。曾就讀於牛津大學，並獲得牛津大學博士學位。自1979年起執教於劍橋大學，是該校古典文學院(希臘曆史專業的教授，同時在劍橋大學卡萊爾學院擔任教職。著述等身，近期的著作包括：《插圖本劍橋古希臘史》；《希臘人：文明的熔爐》；《斯巴達和拉科尼亞：從公元前1300至前362年的區域史》；《希臘人：自我與他者的肖像；《斯巴達人：一部英雄的史詩》；《亞曆山大大帝：尋找新的曆史》；《溫泉關：改變世界的戰役》。曾主編兩套叢書並兼任三種學術刊物的編輯；達剋沃斯齣版社的古代曆史顧問。倫敦古物專傢學會會員。曾榮獲希臘共和國頒發的“金十字”榮譽勛章。2004年，他被斯巴達授予榮譽市民稱號，以錶彰他在斯巴達曆史研究領域中所作齣的傑齣貢獻。