Actually, the Spartans (and other hoplites) used a 7 to 9 foot spear. While not nearly as long as the later Macedonian sarissa, this is certainly not short.
Their short range secondary weapon was a short sword, the xiphos, somewhat similar to the Roman gladius.
To: smokingfrog
Beyond 50 yards I would prefer a rifle, from 5 to 50 it would be a shotgun. From 1 to 5 yards a pistol or revolver.
From zero to a yard, maybe a pistol again but I probably would be more afraid of a guy holding a short battle axe.....
Get yourself a Taraus “Judge”...410 shotgun at close range will certainly put a serious hurt on a perp.
Thanks for the info. You can learn a lot on FR. I was basing my guess on seeing a Greek, (which I should have realized was not necessarily a Spartan) soldier painted on a shield. Not sure where the image came from but I can picture it in my mind perfectly.
I did know the Spartans used their spears for stabbing which seemed to be in keeping with a shorter spear but I guess 7-9 feet is not really that short.