Laconic (adj)

Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise

300Why did all the Spartan soldiersin the movie 300carry shields with a triangle on them?

Sparta• Sparta was a city-state in

ancient Greece renowned for its emphasis on the role of the warrior in society.

• The Spartan name for their own country wasn’t “Sparta,” but “Lacedaemon.”

• They called themselves “Laconians.”

In Greek, Lacedaemon is spelled

Λακεδαίμονα.The “triangle” on the

Spartan shield is actually a lambda (a Greek “L”) the first letter of the name of

their homeland.

So, what does being Spartan (i.e. Laconic) have to do with

being “terse or concise”?

• Is this comment “brief and to the point.”• Is Leonidas’ response to the Persian demand to lay

down their weapons “concise and terse”?

In other words, Spartans don’t talk too much. They let their actions

speak for them. They are laconic.