The Bronze Lie: Shattering the Myth of Spartan Warrior Supremacy
Ebook
Overview
Covering Sparta’s full classical history, The Bronze Lie examines the myth of Spartan warrior supremacy.
The last stand at Thermopylae made the Spartans legends in their own time, famous for their toughness, stoicism and martial prowess – but was this reputation earned?
This book paints a very different picture of Spartan warfare – punctuated by frequent and heavy losses. We also discover a society dedicated to militarism not in service to Greek unity or to the Spartan state itself, but as a desperate measure intended to keep its massive population of helots (a near-slave underclass) in line.
What successes there were, such as in the Peloponnesian Wars, gave Sparta only a brief period of hegemony over Greece. Today, there is no greater testament to this than the relative position of modern Sparta and its famous rival Athens.
The Bronze Lie explores the Spartans’ arms and armor, tactics and strategy, the personalities of commanders and the common soldiery alike. It looks at the major battles, with a special focus on previously under-publicized Spartan reverses that have been left largely unexamined. The result is a refreshingly honest and accurate account of Spartan warfare.
Renowned novelist and popular historian Myke Cole examines the truth behind the claims for Spartan supremacy and goes back to the original sources to set the record straight.
The military prowess of the Spartan warrior is a central feature of some of the most famous wars and battles of the Ancient Greek world, especially Thermopylae, which has become one of the most mythologised battles in history.
The Bronze Lie tackles this myth of Spartan military supremacy head on. It uses original source material and detailed study of Spartan warfare to question the accuracy of these claims. It analyses the image of the Spartan and how it has been twisted and adopted over the ages, including by the American far right in the present day.
The author is a popular novelist with a dedicated fanbase within the fantasy world. He has over 52k Twitter followers and is a popular speaker at high-profile Comic Con events.
Preface
List of Maps
PART I: THE MYTH OF SPARTA
Introduction
PART II: THE REALITY OF SPARTA
I. Cuckold Kings and Wolves’ Work: Behind the Spartan Mirage
II. Archaic Sparta at War: Early Losses, Foreign Roots
III. The Greco-Persian War: The Thermopylae Speed Bump
IV. The Peloponnesian Wars: Floundering at Sea, Surrendering on Land
V. Masters of Greece? Sparta Squanders its Hegemony
VI. The Boeotian War: What Cannot Bend Must Break
VII. The End of Sparta: Irreformable and Irrelevant
VIII. Conclusion: The Bronze Lie
PART III: TANGLING MYTH AND REALITY
IX. The “Moron Label”: The Spartans and the Political Far Right
Appendix A. Historiography and Objectivity
Appendix B. The Fundamentals of Ancient Battle
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
The “Spartan mirage,” as it has been termed, is one of history’s greatest distortions - a myth of Spartan strength built up over millennia, still propagated today in politics and popular culture. With a masterful array of evidence, Myke Cole lifts the curtain to show us the real human beings - flawed, conflicted, and above all, vulnerable - who somehow built themselves up into supermen.
This book will have a great impact helping people put to right where the Spartan Mirage currently holds sway.
As entertaining as it is enlightening, Myke Cole’s The Bronze Lie reveals the fascinating reality behind one of the most pervasive myths of the ages. This is Sparta.
- Title: The Bronze Lie: Shattering the Myth of Spartan Warrior Supremacy
- Author: M. Cole
- Publisher: Osprey Publishing
- Print Publication Date: 2021
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 464
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781472843746, 1472843746
- Resource ID: LLS:9781472843746
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T14:05:53Z
Myke Cole has had a colorful and varied career, with service in war and crisis response. He currently works as a security and intelligence consultant in the private sector. He has published extensively in military history and security, including pieces in the journals of the American Association of Museums and the American Historical Association, and is also a popular fantasy and science fiction novelist with several major imprints, including Ace/Roc, Tor and Angry Robot. Myke also appeared on CBS' hit TV show Hunted, where he joined a team of elite investigators pursuing fugitives across the southeastern United States. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.