Plutarch’s vivid and engaging portraits of the Spartans and their customs are a major source of our knowledge about the rise and fall of their remarkable Greek city-state between the sixth and third centuries BC. Through his Lives of Sparta’s leaders and his recording of memorable Spartan Sayings, he depicts a people who lived frugally and mastered their emotions in all aspects of life, who disposed of unhealthy babies in a deep chasm, introduced a gruelling regimen of military training for boys, and treated their serfs brutally. Rich in anecdote and detail, Plutarch’s writing brings to life the personalities and achievements of Sparta with unparalleled flair and humanity.

普鲁塔克对斯巴达人及其习俗进行了生动而引人入胜的描绘，这是我们了解公元前六世纪至三世纪期间其卓越的希腊城邦的兴衰的一个主要来源。通过他的《斯巴达领导人生平》和他记录的令人难忘的斯巴达谚语，他描绘了一个生活节俭、在生活的各个方面都能掌握自己情绪的民族，他们把不健康的婴儿丢在深沟里，对男孩进行艰苦的军事训练，并粗暴地对待农奴。普鲁塔克的著作充满了轶事和细节，以无与伦比的天赋和人性将斯巴达的个性和成就展现在人们面前。

七十多年来，企鹅公司一直是英语世界中经典文学的领先出版商。企鹅经典拥有1700多种图书，代表了全球历史上跨流派和学科的最佳作品的书架。读者相信，该系列提供的权威文本由杰出的学者和当代作家的介绍和注释以及获奖译者的最新译文来加强。