This story appears in the November/December 2016 issue of National Geographic History magazine. Sparta’s enemies, when facing the intimidating Spartan forces, would see a wall of shields ...

Athens and Sparta were two very different societies, yet the two legendary city-states hold priceless historic value for Greece and the world.

In Ancient Greece, Athens was known for its philosophers, scientists, and theorists of democracy. Sparta was known for its military prowess, its bravery and its ability to defend itself against ...

When the Persian army landed at Marathon ... Setting out from Athens, Phidippides made for Sparta journeying by way of Eleusis, Megara, and Corinth. Greek couriers of his day are believed to ...

In ancient times, Greece wasn't a single country like it is today. It was made up of lots of smaller states. These states were always squabbling and often went to war. Sparta and Athens fought a ...

While ancient Greece is one of the best known cultures of antiquity, there are no surviving historical narratives covering ...

Greek runners Charalampos Pitsolis and Stamatia Noula won the 39th “Athens Marathon, the Authentic” (AMA), which took place ...

Many self-professed champions of freedom throughout the centuries have looked to ancient ... military adventures abroad in ...

About 2,500 years ago Greece was one of the most important places in the ancient ... Athens, Sparta, Corinth and Olympia. Each city-state ruled itself. They had their own governments, laws and army.

Wars are no longer merely battles of physical strength. They are conflicts in which intelligence, technology, and science ...