The cloak traditionally worn by ancient Spartan soldiers was red.
Ancient sources and later descriptions associate Spartan military clothing with a red cloak, commonly identified as the phoinikis. The color became part of Sparta’s memorable visual image, alongside long hair, bronze armor, and the round hoplite shield. Spartan soldiers wore the cloak as part of their distinctive military appearance rather than as a modern-style uniform.
Red was also linked in later tradition with the practical aim of concealing blood, although that explanation is not the only way ancient or modern writers have interpreted the garment. The cloak should not be confused with the armor itself, which included bronze equipment and a painted shield.
Popular images sometimes portray every Spartan in identical clothing, but equipment varied by period and circumstance. The red cloak is nevertheless a well-established conventional detail in accounts of Spartan soldiers and is one reason red became strongly associated with Spartan military culture.