Lately, I've been reading about Ancient Greece again and one thing that struck me is that many ancient writers, despite being from other cities (like Xenophon and Thucydides) clearly admired Sparta. Of course, they do mention some flaws but overall the impression seems to be pretty positive. Which made me wonder. If these people are taken to be representative of a broader trend amongst aristocratic greeks, would there have been a trend to imitate the Spartan appearance? As in, their long hair, women still wearing the peplos, and in a military context, the pilos helmet.

What do you think?

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  • I suppose that Greeks from other city states may have copied some of Sparta's trends in terms of military tactics and uniforms. However, as a general matter, Sparta was not a trend setter for the rest of Greece. I'm sure it had its admirers, but Athens was far more important in terms of Greek culture.

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