This is a pencil drawing of a hoplite (soldier) from ancient Sparta, which is probably the most famous of the classical Greek city-states after Athens. The Spartans’ reputation for military prowess and courage has endured to the present day, but while the film 300 portrayed them as fighting on behalf of freedom and justice, they in fact developed their entire gung-ho warrior culture to keep their enslaved population (known as the helots) in line.