Seeing Through the Spartan Mirage
Why does this ancient society capture the modern imagination?
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If you’re American, you’ve probably seen it on the rear window of a car or perhaps on a too-tight T-shirt on a muscly guy: two Greek words, “ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ.”
There seems to be a thriving business in ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ (molon labe, in the Latin alphabet) merch — if you visit your online retailer of choice, you can get the phrase on stickers, hats, shirts, flags, keychains, sew-on patches, tie pins, pop sockets, license plate frames, and ammunition boxes. The phrase often appears next to the American flag, the “don’t tread on me” snake, militia insignia, and, most of all, guns.
Molon labe means “come and take them.” It’s used by American gun…
