Simalacrum said:
Spartans aren't as impressive as we make them out to be, they quite frequently got their arses handed out to them by Athenians, Persians, Macedonians... you name it
I'd say I'd bring a TV and a DVD with lots and lots of our deadly weapons on it. I'd show them the TV (they'd be impressed by that thing alone), and say that if you try attacking me I'll destroy you with said weapons. Hopefully the bluff would work :3
I believe that the Spartans were actually more impressive than we make them out to be, in the beginning. After a while though, they got lazy and rode their reputation around and got their buts kicked a lot. I didn't study a lot of Greek history, only the very basics, but my friend did and said that.
Also, the battle of Thermopylae was real. 300-ish Spartans held off an army of tens of thousands for days. They only lost because they got flanked. And historians estimate the Persian casualties to be about 20,000. That's a 66.666/1 kd. While holding their ground too. Pretty impressive if you ask me.
Think about it, if you train a kid from 6-8 years old until manhood in how to fight, kill, and use weapons, he's going to be an incredible fighting machine. When you add in teaching how to fight as a unit and then stick him in a group with 299 more just like him, he kicks all kinds of ass.