Why did Spartan warriors choose to fight to the death at Thermopylae but surrender at Pylos? What do these differing decisions reveal about the strategic, cultural, and political pressures facing Sparta during each conflict?

One 10–12-page paper, double-spaced using Times or Times New Roman font. This paper will explore the contrasting decisions made by Spartan warriors at Thermopylae and Pylos, focusing on why Spartans chose to fight to the death in one battle and surrendered in the other. By examining the historical, cultural, and strategic contexts of each event, the paper will analyze how Spartan values—such as honor, discipline, and loyalty to the state—interacted with practical military and political considerations. The goal is to understand how these two moments reflect broader tensions within Spartan society and to consider what they reveal about the evolving nature of warfare and identity in Classical Greece.
Use all the sources attached and the citation style is (Author, page number) after using a source, very important. Include bibliography.

The Evolution of Spartan Warfare: Thermopylae, Pylos, and the Shifting Meaning of Honor

While Spartan warriors chose to fight to the death at Thermopylae to uphold ideals of honor and collective sacrifice, their surrender at Pylos reflected changing strategic necessities and political pressures; together, these events reveal a shift in Spartan military identity from heroic self-sacrifice toward pragmatic survival shaped by the realities of prolonged war.

Primary

Herodotos, 7.174-239.

Plutarch, Themistokles 7-11.

Diodorus, Diodorus of Sicily in twelve volumes, transl. C.H. Oldfather et al. (Cambridge and

London 1976), vol. 4. Bk. 11. 4-11.

Thucydides, 4.1-41.

Secondary

https://academic.oup.com/book/8096/chapter/153545021 done

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/wfu/reader.action?docID=4355958&ppg=52 dome

Two on thermopolaye

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1085931?sid=primo done

https://www.jstor.org/stable/705852?sid=primo done