Customer Reviews

The Spartans

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

An engaging documentary artfully assembled, this 2003 British production has been a hit for PBS in the United States, with the videos and tie-in book (the US edition of Paul Cartledge's The Spartans) often on backorder status. It is a rarity in that it gives Sparta its due for helping Greece resist the Persian threat and credits Sparta for its more enlightened attitude toward women. Although at times it may project a faint pro-Athens bias, host Bettany Hughes is a sympathetic and knowledgeable narrator. THE SPARTANS boasts terrific location photography by Douglas Hartington, with some impressive aerial shots of the Taygetus gorges. For the first time in a television documentary, we are treated to detailed examination of many artifacts in the Sparta Museum as well as shown many photos of archaeological excavations at Sparta. The atmospheric soundtrack is composed by Anthony Burke. Evocative reenactor footage is used - not as much as in the A&E production "Rise & fall of the Spartans," maybe, but effectively presented, even if the footage tends to be come repetitive by Part 3.

Part 1
THE SPARTANS opens at Thermopylae and with the epitaph of the Three Hundred -- and very stirring it is to hear this spoken in the original Greek -- before introducing some of the topics that will be addressed in the program. (Hmm. The claim that "male homosexuality was compulsory" is extremely dubious; the first boldfaced assertion as fact of a subject hotly debated among ancient and modern experts.) After the introduction, we journey to the Dark Ages of Greece, the end of the Achaean Age and the coming of the Dorian Greeks to the Peloponnesus and Laconia. An effective look at the development of hoplite warfare is presented. Next comes the Messenian conquest, then the establishment of the Spartan constitution. The upbringing of Spartan youths, warts and all, is then addressed at length. A good point is made that the sublimation of the individual as practiced by the Spartans can be very liberating - "the possibility of transcending your limitations as an individual and becoming part of something bigger and better." Spartan institutions are credited for initiating a system of political rights and responsibilities among its citizens centuries before other Greek states conceived of such things.

The finding of the so-called statue of Leonidas in 1925 is used to introduce the Persian Wars, which are then examined in detail. There is much footage of Thermopylae, including the eponymous hot springs, and the commentary casts the Spartans' self-sacrifice in terms that hearken to the Japanese samurai's bushido code.

Part 2
This segment begins by exploring at how Sparta and Athens fell out after the Persian Wars, with a look at Athenian politics and society and how these contrasted to Sparta's. This is a refreshingly non-partisan treatment, not hesitating to be equally critical of Athens. Women's life in Sparta is given much attention. Sparta comes off as considerably more enlightened, by modern Western standards, than Athens. (Interesting sidebar - in her remarks during a November 24, 2003, online chat with Channel 4 (UK) viewers, narrator Bettany Hughes, when asked where she'd have rather lived, Sparta or Athens, replied "Sparta. No doubt.") Hughes wryly notes how Spartan women were "objects of fear and fascination" to non-Spartan men. The legacy of these "radical" Spartan customs on later societies is discussed. Amusingly, whether by design or not, Hughes wears a scarlet dress for much of this sequence - fit garb for a Spartanette - and conducts her narration while striding purposefully about the Laconian countryside or riding on horseback in full exhibition of energetic Spartan vitality.

Lastly, the Laconian earthquake of 465 or 464 BC and subsequent helot revolt is noted and seen as the event that lit the sparks of conflict between Greece's two leading cities. The opening clashes of the Peloponnesian War and the Spartan disaster at Sphacteria ends Part 2.

Part 3
The last section of the film opens at Delphi and takes a look at Greek religion and Spartan attitudes toward the gods and oracles before resuming the history of the Peloponnesian War. Alcibiades, the Syracuse expedition, and Lysander are all examined, taking up half of Part 3. Then the period of the Spartan Hegemony is briefly described, shaped by the "crippled kingship" of Agesilaus and marked by power struggles among Sparta's ruling factions. Hughes notes the critical decline of Spartan citizen manpower and the rise of Thebes as a rival. She takes us to the battlefield of Leuctra, where Spartan military superiority was broken in 371 BC. The remaining sequences very quickly sketch how classical Sparta became a second-class power and finally a tourist attraction for wealthy Romans. The show concludes with a summation of Sparta's influence on Western philosophy.

THE SPARTANS is a standout documentary, wonderfully photographed and directed, and is highly recommended as a visual overview of Spartan history.

Those interested in further information about this production can read an online interview about "The Spartans" with classicist Bettany Hughes and historical consultant Paul Cartledge answering questions from viewers (November 2003)

If anything, this presentation of the Spartans has reinforced my understanding of brain research which finds that memory is synthetic, and, while certain facts are undeniable due to the mass of evidence, we create much of what we consider factual. Some documentaries are up-front about being personal views, and this one would benefit by such a cautionary preface. To inaccuracies mentioned by other reviewers I would add two lapses in well-known textual sources regarding the Spartans and the Peloponnesian War: the comment about a wail of grief passing along the great walls from the port to the city of Athens after the military disaster in Syracuse has been transposed from Xenophon's report in the Hellenica (2.2.3) which mentions this very demonstration of grief after the final defeat of the Athenians at Aegospotami. Following that ultimate defeat, Ms. Hughes mentions -- complete with flames in the foreground -- the burning down of the great walls to the accompaniment of the music of flute-girls. The word Xenophon uses is "kateskapton," which means "demolish, raze to the ground" -- no fire involved. They were, after all, stone walls. Xenophon was a 26 year-old and in Athens at the time of these events, so it seems likely that he was giving true reports. Less serious, but nevertheless confusing, is the reference to the Delphic oracle while at the temple of Athena Pronaia. (Would it not be more appropriate to be at the temple of Apollo for this, where the Oracle was actually given? It is just up the hill from the Tholos.)

I was looking for a fresh and accurate presentation of the Spartans to show to my class as a counterweight to 300 -- which they are all clamoring for me to show. I will probably use this DVD in conjunction with several corrections and words of caution. I have already used Ms. Hughes' DVD Athens: The Dawn of Democracy and found it quite helpful in dispelling the romantic notions we have come to accept regarding Athens and democracy. We would do well to keep in mind that a good part of the world regards our American democracy as imperialistic, like democratic Athens.

The Spartans is actually three separate documentaries, which attempt to bring to life the legendary heroes of Lacedaemon.
On the positive side: 1) Shot on location, Bettany Hughes does a good job of presenting the actual setting for the events that unfolded.
2) She presents the Battle at Sphacteria of 425 BC, the Syracuse expedition of 415 BC, and the involvement of Alcibiades very well and very accurately.
3) The re-enactment of the hoplite phalanx throughout the documentaries added a nice touch.
4) The theme is Sparta after all; that in itself is a positive aspect!
On the negative side:
1) She does not mention half as much as she should about THE most heroic battle in world history; the Battle at Thermopylae; a three day battle (August 18th, 480 BC through August 20th, 480 BC) for the pass at Thermopylae (the Hot Gates) between an immense Persian host under King Xerxes and a small Greek force led by King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans. Unlike the Alamo, Custer's Last Stand, and many other glorious battles where the parties involved did not expect to be wiped out, the
Spartans and Thespians willingly held their positions knowing that they could not possibly win against overwhelming odds. When told that the Persian arrows would block out the sun, they replied 'Good, we will fight in the shade!'
2) Bettany Hughes mentions homosexual relationships between men, when the existing evidence surrounding the issue of whether homosexuality in ancient Greece, and especially in Sparta, was more or less accepted than today is inconclusive and the issue itself is highly controversial; therefore, calling for EXTREME CAUTION when dealing with such matters. She even goes as far as to proclaim that it was compulsory! What people do in their own bedrooms is their own business, but to involve Greece's great men and legends in alleged homosexual acts, shows complete lack of respect as well as lack of basic/elementary knowledge of the era in question, with most frequent the misinterpretation of love between friends which did not include anything sexual or homosexual whatsoever! The warrior-heroes themselves would be turning in their graves if they knew what is being written and said about them by people who are either misinformed or are purposely out to distort the truth in following their own personal agendas.
3) Moreover, there are so many stories relating to the honor and glory of the Spartan hoplites, which are left unsaid; instead only a few and mediocre at that were mentioned. What ever happened to:
i) The reason why they wore red cloaks.
ii) The reason why they had two kings and the names of the Royal Houses i.e. The Agiads and the Eurypontids.
iii) The story with the boy and the fox that ate its way through his stomach, but he did not cringe.
iv) The story of the stranger who asked the Spartans what happened to adulterers in Sparta, only to be told that they would have to pay as compensation a bull big enough to stand on Mount Taygetus and drink from the river Eurotas, meaning that there are no adulterers in Sparta.
v) The story of the mother who killed her son for having been hit with an arrow in the back (i.e. having turned his back to the enemy).
vi) The story of the mother who upon seeing her son's friend asked how the battle had gone and when her son's friend replied that her child had died, she told him that was not what she had asked; her question was whether Sparta had been victorious.
vii) The Queen of Sparta Gorgo, (and wife to King Leonidas) who when asked by a foreign woman 'how is it that Spartan women are the only ones who rule men?' she answered: 'Yes, for we are the only ones who give birth to men.'
viii) How in Sparta only men who died on the battlefield and women who died during, or shortly after, giving birth were entitled to having a tombstone erected in their honor.
ix) Pausanias' words following the Battle of Platae of 479 BC as to why his Spartans were eating Melas Zomos (the broth) instead of feasting like the rest of the Greeks, 'We are Spartans.'
x) Pausanias' fate after setting up a monument in the Hellespont commemorating the victory over the Persians.
4) In addition she does tend to go off and talk about the other city-states more than she should when the theme is Sparta and not Greece as whole.
Nevertheless, The Spartans will bring out interest in the famed inhabitants of Lacedaemon, and hopefully more books, movies, and documentaries will present these heroes (both men and women) with the reverence and respect they truly deserve.
Strongly recommended is the 1962 film The 300 Spartans; a movie about honor, real men, and real heroes who fought and died in the name of Greece and Freedom.

I bought this video about the Spartans to get a tad more back ground informaiton on the Spartans because of the fairly bad information that had been recived from various sources, such as the entertainment movie "300". I am very happy with this video.

My first comments are on the video quality itself. This video fits my large screen TV and the picture quality is very sharp. This PBS dvd avoids some of the other problems of DVDs where the picture quality really starts to degrade. There is a point where Bettany Hughes is on a boat and they are in the area of Athens. The ocean is a brilliant blue and the picture quality is second to none. You almost have a "tour guide" feel when watching this video. Bettany Hughes comes across like a guide who has actually done her homework on the subject. She takes the rather meger information on the Spartans and manages to make it into over three hours of information.

The video breaks down into three one hour segments. It's quite good. The first video in an introduction to Spartan by Bettany and linking it to it's Greek brother, Athens. Athens is a democracy and it exists to further itself by trade. Athens is the beginning of western democracy. Sparta, on the other hand, is a true meritocracy. All of the people from Sparta - if they are citizens - enjoy a good lifestyle. Bettany does an excellent job of telling people how Sparta is settled. This is actually the indirect seeds of Sparta's doom. The Greek tribes that inhabit the area of Sparta are enslaved by the Spartans and the enslavement of these Greeks always is a source of displeasure for other Greeks. Bettany then explains the founding of the area of Sparta. Then the first hours ends with a narrative on the Battle of Thermopylae. That is the high point of Sparta.

The second video deals with the day to day living of the Spartans. Bettany then tells about the sexual habits of the Spartans but gives a disclamer that the information is controversal. Also, unlike Athens, there are few buildings or much of anything to mark Sparta. This is because the Spartans were a sports minded people. Bettany admires the life the Spartan women live; it's the best of any women in the early Western World. Also, she says the Spartans just didn't spend that much time inside because their life was divided up into training for the military, engaged in sports, or relaxing with their comrades. The Helots were responsible for the work and work was not a Spartan concern. The slavery issue is never completely settled and things start to fracture after an earthquake and slave revolt. Athens is sent away least dangerous democratic ideas are given to the people. This incident eventually degrades into the Peloponnesian war and is the subject of the last chapter.

The Peloponnesian war is like all wars. This war is nearly as fatal to Sparta as it eventually proves fatal to Athens. Initially Athens wins the first part of the war after a group of Spartans surrender on an island after being beseiged by the Athens solders. But Lysander takes over as the main Spartan general and the war concludes after the soldiers of Athens are driven out of Sicily and the King of Persia pays for rowers on the Athens fleet. Bettany does an excellent job of narriation and the viewer is treated to excellent, just excellent videos of the area.

Sparta is actually fatally injured from the Peloponnesian war. At the time of Thermopylae there were nearly 10,000 Spartan soldiers (only 300 engaged). At the end there was only about 1,000 Spartan soldiers and Bettany explains why the numbers were so reduced. Sparta gets into a fight with Thebes, in one battle a Spartan army of 600 Spartans and 1000 allies are destroyed by a force of 6000 Thebians, and this Thebian force liberates the rest of the Helots. Sparta is reduced to a second class city status. By the time of the Romans they are reduced to giving "Disney Like" tours (Bettany's words) to their Roman overlords.

This video is one of the best historical videos I've owned. Further readings can be done on the Peloponnesian war in the book A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War. Additional readings on Thermopylae can be found in the very readable book Thermopylae 480 BC: Last stand of the 300 (Campaign).

Athens is the foundation of the west. Sparta helped Athens survive the onslaught of Persia but destroyed Athens in the end.

"The Spartans" is one of those rare documentaries that works as a dramatic guided tour of Greek culture and civilization. Classical historian Bettany Hughes does an impressive job of telling the story of The Spartans from their origins, their triumph at Thermopylae against the invading Persians, wars with Athens, dominating Greek city-state through their eventual downfall. Hughes rivals Michael Wood and John Romer as personal tour guide who takes us to Greek locations and museums sharing her passion for the subject. Hughes also hosted the documentaries "When the Moors Ruled Europe" and "Helen of Troy" and was a contributor to the 2007 movie "300" which told the story of the Spartans at Thermopylae. The program is divided into three, one-hour episodes, each more dramatic and enthralling than the preceding episode. This series is not to be missed and should be essential viewing in any high school or college course on the Greeks...

I saw (I must admit most of) this DVD on PBS. I found it fascinating. Some reviewers have criticized it for various reasons. For me, the content and analysis of Ms. Bettany Hughes and company is fascinating and has strong parallel to modern times. Highly recommended. The world has a need of analysis of HX in many different ways. Ms. Hughes and team provides a much needed approach which for me makes this HX personally meaningful. I ordered this DVD to study and share w family and friends.

I expected this DVD to be about Sparta, but it dealt with the whole Greek civilization when Sparta was at its peak. It was three different programs; each an hour in length. An excellent review of Greece and their individual thought concepts regarding public life, sex, treatment of women, slaves and war. Well worth watching, but I did not add it to my personal DVD library.

Although drawing on the advice of expert Paul Cartelege and producing an excellent visual experience with beautiful on location sequences, the entire documentary is disappointing rehash of the usual clichés about Sparta. The image of Sparta is uni-dimensional, some quotes from Herodotus taken out of context, and the picture of Sparta undifferentiated. For example, there is no evidence whatever that, as suggested in the film, the boys of the agoge lived outside of society for more than a few months, much less that they learned no skills other than survival and fighting. Spartan men were literate, admired for their wit, their terse rhetoric and were skilled in music and dance. The insistance on "compulsory homosexuality" and the image of a society in which men and women led completely separate lives is controversial at best and ridiculous at worst. The focus on Sparta's hoplites alone, while traditional, nevertheless distorts the fact that even Spartan men were only on active service for 10 years and men over the age of 30 no longer had to live in barracks. In fact, they lived on their farms with their wives and children like gentlemen farmers everywhere in the world. Likewise the recurring theme of the oppressed Messenians overlooks the fact that Sparta apparently had very loyal Laconian helots. It is a pity that such a good opportunity for a more balanced view of Sparta was missed in favour of the usual unidimensional treatment. For an alternative interpretation of Sparta based on ancient sources rather than modern myth read any of Helena Schrader's novels set in Ancient Sparta:Are They Singing in Sparta?, Spartan Slave, Spartan Queen: A Tale of Four Women in Sparta, or The Olympic Charioteer

In preparation for the new Frank Miller based movie "300" I got this movie to start understanding the role Sparta played in the history of Greece. I found it to be excellent, fact filled and interesting with lots of information about King Leonidas, who is the main character in the up coming movie. KL will be played by Gerard Butler of Phantom of the Opera, Attila, Dear Frankie, Dracula 2000..fame..The movie will also have David Wenham formerly known as Faramir from LOTR, am curious to see who he will be in the new movie. The video The Spartans was 3 hours beautifully filmed in Greece telling the very gripping story of this Warrior nation. I enjoyed it very much!

This is NOT good. Three hour-long episodes of this remind one why PBS still has a fundraiser every year. Because shows like this, that could be fascinating, are just boring.

If you've seen or read about the city/state system of Greece, there are many conclusions drawn here that either just don't add up, or seem outright wrong.

The narrator appears on screen constantly, and I'm not sure why. Her tone and facial expression seem to indicate a distaste for the material, prompting one to ask why she did this in the first place. Or felt the need to be onscreen non-stop. It ends up being distracting, to the point that it takes away from the scholarly enterprise that's supposed to be going on. Certainly footage of the Greek countryside could have been used.

Also odd, why they show footage of modern day people in modern pubs while talking about Sparta and Athens of 480 B.C. No money from the sale of totebags to afford a reenactment here or there?

All in all, it makes you trealize how much better the History Channel and Discovery Channel now do the same material.

You'd do better to either watch Zack Snyder's movie, The 300, or read its source material, the Frank Miller graphic novel of the same name. Both play it more than a little loose history-wise, but the battle scenes are spectacular.

Your best bet? See the History Channel's documentary, now on DVD, The Last Stand of the 300. Historically accurate, fantastic reenactments, costumes, and drama. Drama befitting the true tale of the 300.