Sex Lives of Spartans

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

History Hit

Society, Sex, Scandal, Education, History

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When you hear the word Sparta, what do you picture?

Well, put aside the images of the rippling six packs for just a moment, as there's a lot more to this workout-obsessed state of the ancient world than you might imagine.

Joining Kate today to get to know the Spartans is the master of all things Ancient Greece, Helen King. You can check out Helen's book, Immaculate Forms: Uncovering the History of Women's Bodies, here.

What were the Spartans views on same-sex relationships? Were they really as ripped as 300 made out? And did Spartan women invent the mini skirt?

This episode was edited by Nick Thomson and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

All music from Epidemic Sounds/All3 Media.

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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm your host, Kate Lister.
0:02.4	If you would like betwixt the sheets, add free and get early access, sign up to History Hit.
0:08.7	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of original documentaries with top history presenters.
0:16.0	And enjoy a new release every single week.
0:19.8	Sign up now by visiting history hit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:24.5	Hello, my lovely betwixters.
0:26.6	How the hell are you doing?
0:27.8	Well, I'm fine.
0:28.6	Thank you very much for asking.
0:30.0	And we are both here together to listen to Betwixters sheets.
0:33.2	But I do have to let you know.
0:35.2	This is an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about adulty things
0:37.9	in an adulty way covering a range of adults' subjects,
0:39.6	and you should be an adult too.
0:40.6	And we have to tell you that, even though, quite frankly,
0:43.2	you should have fucking worked out by now that this is a podcast of an adult nature.
0:46.9	But if you hadn't, well, that fair do's warning was for you.
0:50.1	Right, on with the show.
1:00.4	Yeah. Right, on with the show. I don't know how your morning is playing out, but I am back in ancient Greece,
1:04.9	seeing how the next generation of Spartan fighters' training is coming along.
1:10.6	It's pretty brutal, but certainly more brutal than a Zumba class, that's for sure.
1:14.6	There's a whole lot of pain and endurance going on, and some of them are as young as seven.
	...

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