Quote Originally Posted by Craterus
Spartans are commonly thought of as the best trained soldiers of the ancient world. I think that's why they're elite.
Bingo. Many buyers expect the Spartans to be special and CA didn’t want to disappoint them. This is the same reason the Egyptians don’t look Greek. It’s all about meeting customer expectations.

Regardless of how the Spartans in their heyday stacked up against other armies, they had certainly shot their bolt before the Rome: Total War timeframe.