The Spartan kingdom

Spartans and their athletic and militaristic values.

Ancient Greece's Sparta was a warrior civilization that rose to power after defeating Athens, a rival city-state, in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.). Military service and state loyalty were important to Spartan culture. The rigorous state-sponsored schooling, military training, and socializing program for Spartan boys began when they were 7 years old. The boys, known as the agoge, were raised to be competent warriors who would uphold the prestige and grandeur of their city while living in communal mess halls.Any Spartan might seek assistance at the Athena temple, where weapons and armor were kept. The Spartans were renowned as strong warriors who preferred to battle until the end rather give up.

The Culture

The ancient Greek city-state of Sparta, also named Lacedaemon, was principally situated in the southern Greek province of Laconia. The Spartans, or Spartiates, who were full citizens, the Helots, or serfs/slaves, and the Perioeci, who were neither slaves nor citizens, made up the city of Sparta's population. The Perioeci, whose name translates to "dwellers-about," were dealers and artisans who also produced weapons for the Spartans.Boys lived in communal mess halls and were expected to become skilled warriors who would bring honor and glory to their city. Weapons and armor were kept in the Sparta’s temple of Athena, where any Spartan could go for help.

Social classes existed in Spartan culture, and conquered individuals were not granted citizenship or political rights. A group known as the helots was much lower than the populace that had been captured. Helots were in charge of taking care of the Spartans' daily needs, including farming. Spartan citizens needed this assistance since they were purely concerned with politics, military training, and athletics. Sparta was controlled by two kings from two distinct houses. This made it possible for the other monarch to rule the city even when one went on a military expedition. In addition to acting as judges and conducting public gatherings, an elder council provided advice to the kings.

Military

The Spartans were known to be fierce warriors who would fight to the death rather than surrender.The people of ancient Sparta developed a militaristic culture that helped make the city-state one of the strongest in Greece. During the fifth century B.C., Sparta’s standing army may have totaled 8,000 to 10,000 citizens, not including any foreign allies or helots (serfs).At age 20, Spartan males became full citizens (homoioi)and entered the army. They were expected to remain unmarried because it was believed that marriage and children would interfere with their ability to serve in the military.

No soldier was thought to be better than another. A Spartan soldier, or hoplite, would don a massive bronze helmet, breastplate, and ankle guards before engaging in combat. They would also equip themselves with a circular shield made of bronze and wood, a long spear, and a sword. Long hair and red cloaks were two more characteristics of Spartan warriors.The Spartans were adept at fighting in a phalanx formation in the classical Greek manner due to their rigorous military training and discipline. The army performed coordinated mass maneuvers as a unit in a compact, deep configuration known as a phalanx.

The Rivalry

The tyrants of Athens were overthrown by Sparta under Cleomenes (ca. 520–490 BCE), but the ensuing democracy put an end to any Spartan ambitions in the city. However, Sparta fought valiantly at Thermopylae in 480 BCE and at Plataea a year later as an ally of Athens in the defense of Greece against the invasion of Persian King Xerxes. Regional disputes and helot revolts from 480 to 460 BCE severely harmed Sparta, and things got worse when rivalry with Athens led to the Peloponnesian Wars from c. 460 to 446 BCE and again from 431 to 404 BCE.Both sides suffered losses throughout the protracted conflicts, but Sparta eventually emerged victorious when Lysander sank the Athenian navy at Aegospotami in 405 BCE, assisted by the Persians. However, Sparta's reign as the top city-state in Greece was to be brief.

The Corinthian Wars with Athens, Thebes, Corinth, and Persia from 396 to 387 BCE forced the city into yet another protracted struggle due to continued Spartan ambitions in central and northern Greece, Asia Minor, and Sicily. The outcome of the fight was the "King's Peace," which gave Persian sovereignty over Sparta's empire, which Sparta had no way of effectively managing because she lacked the necessary bureaucratic infrastructure. However, Sparta was still allowed to rule over Greece.Sparta attempted to subjugate Thebes, but was defeated by the ace Theban general Epaminondas in the pivotal battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE. After Thebes conquered portions of Messenia, Sparta lost its position as a major power.

Sparta never regained her former greatness and was forced to join the Achaean Confederacy in 195 BCE after temporarily resisting Macedonian rule in the third century BCE and coming under Pyrrhus' siege in 272 BCE. Sparta was given permission to leave the confederacy in 147 BCE while under Roman rule, which ignited the Achaean War. Things did become better for Sparta once it became a free city in the Roman realm, and the city enjoyed cordial ties with her conquerors, but in 396 CE, the Visigoth king Alaric stormed the city, and Sparta's days were numbered.

Women in Sparta

Spartan women were married at age 18, and the state encouraged them to bear many children. The Spartans believed that a large population was necessary for their survival as an independent city-state. They also placed great emphasis on physical fitness and military training for both men and women.Spartan girls had more freedom than women in most other Greek states—including the right to own property—and they received an education geared toward exercise, sports, hunting and dancing. Young women shared common meals with men and could consort freely with them. They competed publicly in running, wrestling and javelin throwing.

women were told to have strong bodies because weak women could not produce strong children for sparta.spartan women were supposed to live simple lives and not get caught up in luxury and fancy clothes.and jewelry. Girls were taught to be strong and competitive, while boys were taught to be gentle and unemotional. Spartan women were also encouraged to get involved in politics, though this was not common practice outside of Sparta’s ruling class.Spartan women were expected to have strong bodies and minds. Girls were taught to be competitive and not get caught up in fancy clothes or jewelry. Boys were taught to be gentle, unemotional and strong. However, outside of Sparta’s ruling class, this was not common practice for women outside of Sparta’s ruling class.

Spartan women were encouraged to get involved in politics, though this was not common practice outside of Sparta’s ruling class.Spartan women were expected to have strong bodies and minds. Girls were taught to be competitive and not get caught up in fancy clothes or jewelry. Boys were taught to be gentle, unemotional and strong.However, outside of Sparta’s ruling class this was not common practice for women outside of Sparta’s ruling class. Spartan women were encouraged to get involved in politics, though this was not common practice outside of Sparta’s ruling class. Spartan women were expected to have strong bodies and minds. Girls were taught to be competitive and not get caught up in fancy clothes or jewelry. Boys were taught to be gentle, unemotional and strong.

Conclusion

The Battle of Leuctra, which took place in 371 B.C., saw the Thebans utterly destroy Sparta. Theban general Epaminondas (c.418 B.C.-362 B.C.) led an expedition into Spartan territory late the next year and oversaw the freeing of the Messenian Helots, who had been held as slaves by the Spartans for several centuries, dealing a further blow.The Spartans would endure, but as a marginal force in a protracted era of decline. Otto (1815–67), the Greek king, gave the order in 1834 for the modern town of Sparti to be established on the site of the ancient city of Sparta.

Sparta was one of the strongest city-states in Greece. The people of Sparta developed a militaristic culture that helped make the city-state one of the strongest in Greece. During the fifth century B.C., Sparta’s standing army may have totaled 8,000 to 10,000 citizens, not including any foreign allies or helots (serfs).