Sparta, leading by example at Thermopylae and their military strength at Plataea that crippled the Persian army..don't get me wrong, Athens played a strong part too, awesome vistory at Salamis and they did good work in the siege work at Plataea.
I like Augustus, I havn't formally learned about him in class but I've read the twelve Caesars and a whole bunch of articles about him and I find him the most interesting. Also I'm doing Antony and Cleopatra for powerplays in English...I like that interpretation it brings one of the most...
Hey don't google it, i find the result unreliable, I suggest hitting "A history of Greece" by Bury and Meiggs. I think it is the best of all the text books on Acient Greece.
Hey, the best source on this Period is Herodotus the histories, for Sparta's contribution I would look in book seven as it has the battle of Thermopylae which is a signifigant factor in Sparta's war contribution. Sparta set an example in this battle for the rest of Greece, to win or die trying...