The Spartans were a very unique civilization. They had the best armies, the strictest government, and were the most cruel to their slaves, but they were also very successful. For over 200 years, Sparta was the most powerful city-state in ancient Greece.
Sparta's power came from the strict discipline that made their formidable army. Once a child was born, government officials would come around to inspect it. If it seemed sick or poorly, then it was left up in the mountains to die. When boys were seven years old, they were taken away from their families to live in barracks with other boys their age. They were put into military training under the control of older boys, and known as trainees. Trainees needed to learn how to "obey orders and endure pain". They were made to go barefoot, and were permitted to only wear a cloak, even in winter. They were given the least amount of food possible, and if they did even one thing wrong, they were whipped. Trainees were expected to not show even the slightest sign of suffering through all of this. Boys were encouraged to fend for themselves, and many ended up stealing whatever food they could from other boys, or from behind the backs of lax guards. However, if they were caught, they were given a beating, and their food provisions were taken away.
At the age of 30, men became citizens, which meant they were allowed to vote. However, they still had to serve the army, and they were forced to eat in mess halls, instead of with their family. Spartan food was cooked deliberately to taste awful. They did not believe in luxury of any kind, and thought that deprivation would keep you strong.
The purpose of women in Sparta was mainly to bear children. It was believed that a woman must be healthy and fit to have healthy kids, so Spartan girls were trained to be just as athletic as Spartan boys. They were taught how to throw javelins, wrestle, run, and many other forms of exercise. Unlike other city-states, women were given more freedom and more equality to men. They could own land, do business, and run their own households. They were not permitted to wear perfume, jewelry, or any other nice but unnecessary things, but that seemed to be a small price to pay for the freedom they had.
When men were not at war, they had free time. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted. Some people might wonder at why this was - wouldn't they have to farm their land and look after family affairs? The reason why they had so much time on their hands was because of slaves, called "helots." Like many other Greek city-states, the slave population far outnumbered that of the actual citizens. In Sparta, helots outnumbered the people by 10-1. The helots farmed their master's land, and Sparta depended on their slaves to keep the city going. Because of the large slave population, Sparta was always fearful of revolt. They took extra precautions to keep the helots under control. At night, teenage boys patrolled the roads, killing any traveling slave they came across. A helot was also killed if he or she appeared smarter or stronger than the others. Because the Spartans were so cruel to their slaves, the helots revolted many times. Although some of the rebellions ended up lasting for years, the Spartan government always won in the end. The helots hated the Spartans so much that one person said that they would "eat a Spartan raw".
Sparta had a huge army. A Spartan man was expected to fight to the death, and Sparta conquered Athens in the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. After Athens was defeated, Sparta was the ruling city-state of Greece until 371 BC, when it was conquered by Thebes. Thebes had destroyed Sparta's army, and without it, the city-state "collapsed". The Romans finally took it over in 146 BC, and then Sparta was gone for good.
References:
Knight, Theodore. "The Ancient Olympics." The Ancient World. 2010 ed. 2010.
Print.
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| Spartan Soldiers |
At the age of 30, men became citizens, which meant they were allowed to vote. However, they still had to serve the army, and they were forced to eat in mess halls, instead of with their family. Spartan food was cooked deliberately to taste awful. They did not believe in luxury of any kind, and thought that deprivation would keep you strong.
The purpose of women in Sparta was mainly to bear children. It was believed that a woman must be healthy and fit to have healthy kids, so Spartan girls were trained to be just as athletic as Spartan boys. They were taught how to throw javelins, wrestle, run, and many other forms of exercise. Unlike other city-states, women were given more freedom and more equality to men. They could own land, do business, and run their own households. They were not permitted to wear perfume, jewelry, or any other nice but unnecessary things, but that seemed to be a small price to pay for the freedom they had.
When men were not at war, they had free time. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted. Some people might wonder at why this was - wouldn't they have to farm their land and look after family affairs? The reason why they had so much time on their hands was because of slaves, called "helots." Like many other Greek city-states, the slave population far outnumbered that of the actual citizens. In Sparta, helots outnumbered the people by 10-1. The helots farmed their master's land, and Sparta depended on their slaves to keep the city going. Because of the large slave population, Sparta was always fearful of revolt. They took extra precautions to keep the helots under control. At night, teenage boys patrolled the roads, killing any traveling slave they came across. A helot was also killed if he or she appeared smarter or stronger than the others. Because the Spartans were so cruel to their slaves, the helots revolted many times. Although some of the rebellions ended up lasting for years, the Spartan government always won in the end. The helots hated the Spartans so much that one person said that they would "eat a Spartan raw".
Sparta had a huge army. A Spartan man was expected to fight to the death, and Sparta conquered Athens in the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. After Athens was defeated, Sparta was the ruling city-state of Greece until 371 BC, when it was conquered by Thebes. Thebes had destroyed Sparta's army, and without it, the city-state "collapsed". The Romans finally took it over in 146 BC, and then Sparta was gone for good.
References:
Knight, Theodore. "The Ancient Olympics." The Ancient World. 2010 ed. 2010.
Print.
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