This is a superb mini-series about the lesser-known city state of Sparta. I say 'lesser-known' because most of the famous Greeks we think of (such as Plato) were from Sparta's rival city, Athens. This is because instead of founding the state on philosophy and democracy, Sparta was founded on toughness. To them, the highest achievements were from war and death in combat the way most folks wanted to leave this Earth. To put it in modern terms, Sparta was a nation of Klingons! I was thrilled to see this series because too often when we think of the ancient Greeks, we think of Athens or the unified Greeks under Alexander--yet, the Spartans were a HUGE force in the ancient world--a major regional power.
The series is narrated by Bettany Hughes--a scholar who looks absolutely nothing like the stereotypical professor! This is not a complaint--just a comment on how beautiful and engaging she is here. In addition to her narration, there are lots of clips of various artifacts and visits to locations discussed in this three-part series. Overall, it's exceptionally well done, interesting and very, very thorough! Well worth seeing.
