Sparta (Earth-5875)

Sparta (Greek Σπάρτα) was an important city-state in ancient Greece, formerly known as Lacedaemon (Λακεδαίμων, Lakedaímōn), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement on the banks of the river Eurotas in Laconia, in southeastern Peloponnese. Around 650 BCE, it rose to become the dominant military land-power in ancient Greece.

History
The SPARTANs of the UNSC are named after the Sparta. The SPARTAN-II Program follows a modernized ideology of the ancient military training techniques of the ancient Spartans. Much like the warriors of Sparta, the SPARTAN-IIs were raised from a very young age to be soldiers, working in small numbers but compensating with tremendous skill and strength against a much more overwhelming and powerful enemy. The SPARTAN-II Program was started with funding for three hundred candidates, much like the famed three hundred Spartans of the Battle of Thermopylae, although the number was ultimately reduced to seventy five in its final stages. The last stand of Thermopylae are better compared to the SPARTAN-III Program's Alpha and Beta companies during two missions that led to their massacre.

While presenting the N7 and discussing the SPARTAN-IV Program, Musa-096 referenced King Leonidas and the Battle of Thermopylae, stating that despite two thousand years having passed, the battle is still discussed, meaning that "the Spartans did something right".

Trivia

 * Sparta on Wikipedia.