Sparta (Doric Σπάρτα; Attic Σπάρτη Spartē) was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the River Eurotas in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From c. 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars. Helots were the majority inhabitants of Sparta (over 80% of the population according to Herodotus). They were ritually humiliated and during the Crypteia they could be legally killed by Spartan citizens. Between 431 and 404 BC Sparta was the principal enemy of Athens during the Peloponnesian War. By 362 BC Sparta's role as the dominant military power in Greece was over. Sparta continues to fascinate Western Culture; an admiration of Sparta is called laconophilia. (via Wikipedia)