1. [n]  a resident of Sparta
2. [adj]  practicing great self-denial; "Be systematically ascetic...do...something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it"- William James; "a desert nomad's austere life"; "a spartan diet"; "a spartan existence"
3. [adj]  unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; "a parent severe to the pitch of hostility"- H.G.Wells; "a hefty six-footer with a rather severe mien"; "a strict disciplinarian"; "a Spartan upbringing"
4. [adj]  resolute in the face of pain or danger or adversity; "spartan courage"
5. [adj]  of or relating to or characteristic of Sparta or its people

Spartan
This epic tale is set in Sparta in the fifth century B.C. when it was plagued by the Persian invaders. A sickly, crippled Spartan baby is left on a mountain to die, as was the custom, but he is rescued and raised as a shepherd. His healthy brother becomes a soldier. Eventually, the two find themselves fighting for Sparta at the Battle of Thermopylae--and they wonder why they seem so similar, and why they are so drawn to each other.....

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