On the subject of Sparta, fun fact, when I was in primary school, be briefly touched on Greek history. I recall an essay we had to write where we could choose between Athens and Sparta. With the exception of one student, literally the entire class (myself included) wrote on Sparta. And why? Because Spartans are "kewl." I mean, obviously, Athens has had a more enduring legacy in Greece than Sparta, but, well, y'know...
And TBH, much as I'd love to say I'm enlightened now, I find myself still more interested in Roman history than Greek history (it's the other way round for their mythologies). On one hand, you could argue that Rome had a wider impact on the Mediterranean, but on the other, you don't become one of the world's largest empires by giving flowers. Basically, they fall into the club of "magnificent bastards."