Classical Sparta Research Paper

Spartans military was a hard core and well rounded out military in its time. Part of the reason why they were so successful is because of their rigorous training each boy had to go through. Why I said boy is because the Spartan military training would start at age 7 for a chosen boy. The boy gets chosen to live in spartan society at birth. If the Spartans did not believe that the boy would be rounded out for their society they would leave the boy to die. During the boys training hazing and fighting was encouraged to help improve strength among the boys. During spartan training each boy was mainly taught mathematics, music, and how to fight. Also during their training, they would learn how to steal but without getting caught. If they were caught they would not be punished for stealing but only for getting caught. This type of training continues until the boys would become men. Which is at the age of 20 for the Spartan's. At age 20 Spartan men would have to pass a series of demanding

Source R is of … The main role of their army was to protect Sparta’s borders from both other city-states and in revolts. Sparta’s whole way of life, their militaristic society and the State’s constitution all revolve around its army. As time went on, Sparta developed into the leading military force in ancient Greece and they believed that they had the ‘best army in the world’ at the end of the Peloponnesian War and upheld this status for over a quarter of a century.

Did you know if a baby was born in Sparta and they were disabled they would be left on a hillside to die? Sparta was the best war state and most feared in Greece. Sparta had many great tactics in war such as flanking and round shields to protect themselves from arrows. Sparta was not just a war state, they had pottery, poetry, and architecture to do on the side of war. One of Sparta’s famous artists was Leonidas.

In the fifth century BCE, Sparta developed in the Eastern Mediterranean. Sparta was limited in size (population), but its military was famous for its toughness. Even with a small population of an army of about 8,000 men, they managed to defend Sparta from incoming attacks. Unfortunately, Spartan boys were forced to join and receive training from age 7. Like the battle of Thermopylae, Sparta was able to shield itself, but all the warriors died.

Although, Sparta had weaknesses they did have the strongest military of their time. The Spartan army perfected a battle formation called the phalanx that is still talked about today. Sparta’s weaknesses still outweigh the strengths because of the reasons I listed above, they lacked education, they didn’t last over 300 years and they abused their

There is a reason Sparta is still known for its military tactics today. Sparta was a powerful city-state on the peninsula peloponnese with their powerful military that brought down dozens of other city-states. The Strength of Sparta outweighed the weaknesses because they had an advanced military,women were respected,and they trained their soldiers at a young age. First the Spartans had an advanced military.

This tradition allowed for a city-state with an exceptional army, women with a substantial amount of liberties, and a gene pool that was superior to those around it. The Spartan way of life was one that focused itself on the importance of a physically strong society, and the people of this city-state went to great lengths to ensure that they maintained this tradition. As a result of this mentality, the authoritative figures of Sparta gave women more freedoms, as society did not see them as inadequate versions of men, but more as the mothers of society, whose job was to be the backbone of the strong Spartan army by birthing and raising robust young men. In fact, this lifestyle was so prevalent and noticeable that soldiers and writers from Athens and other outside lands took notice. Many documents from almost all areas around the Mediterranean Sea demonstrate this, especially in Xenophon’s “The Constitution of Sparta”, which describes the importance of physical ability in Sparta, as written by an Athenian soldier. The people of Sparta preserved this physical superiority in many ways. Boys moved into barracks at the young age of seven to train and become a part of the renowned Spartan army, and mothers abandoned babies with medical issues as soon as possible. This not only ensured that all citizens were able-bodied and working to improve the city-state at all times, but improved the gene pool of the civilization by eliminating any possible genetic disorders with visible phenotypes within the society. All these factors contributed to the health, wellness, and overall success of the Spartan

The government in Sparta followed a very different coarse than that of the Athenians. It was controlled by an oligarchy in which the power was held by a group of five men called ephors. Working below the ephors was the Council of Elders and an Assembly. Male citizens over age sixty could serve on the Council while anyone, male or female, over the age of twenty could be a member of the Assembly. Though the citizens had little say in the decisions made by the government, the system worked effectively. Over the years, the Spartan's brutal reputation in war grew so great that other nations and city-states were too frightened to attack Sparta even though the Spartan army was no larger then eight thousand men. The Spartan Constitution called for all men to begin their military education at the age of seven, where they were trained to be tough and self-sufficient. Every man in the army fought with a great deal of passion for his country. Life in Sparta may have been rough, but the rest of the Greeks envied the Spartans for their simplicity, straight forwardness, and fanatical dedication. The beliefs of Sparta were oriented around the state. The individual lived and died for the state. The combination of this philosophy, the education of Spartan males, and the discipline of their army gave the Spartans the stability needed to survive in Ancient Greece.

In the classical Greek polis man pronouncedly dominated. Man – superior and overbearing. Women didn’t have a voice in the society and has always dependent on man. Independent woman was not heard of in ancient times. Woman was a lower creature and this position is clearly formulated by Aristotle. But the women of ancient Sparta were a special kind of women. She was a woman that produced worriers whose legend remains until this day.

Beginning around 490 BC when civilization was ruled largely by men; every man was proven their preeminence within their society based highly on their woman. As stated in the book, “Warrior Ethos,” Leonidas picked the men he did not for their “warrior prowess” but he instead picked them for the courage of their women. Women in the Spartan society were known for their great influence on Spartan men. Their roles as Spartan soldier’s wives were major. Spartan women were strong both physically and mentally, they were well educated and given more freedom than majority of women in the ancient world. Spartan women played a significant role in the rise and fall of the Spartan Empire, though it was small compared to world empires, it was a role that would providing a last impression for generations to follow. This role was based predominantly on their background growing up, their marriage, and how much land they possessed.

In the modern era we are living in, when people refer to powerful nations, they think of China, the United States, Germany, and Russia. In contrast to nowadays, at the early ages Athenians, Persians, and Spartans was considered one of the strongest civilizations. The preceded three nations were all strong and unique on their own ways, but there was a keen goal to Spartans they focused on becoming a perfect nation. Their military forces were one of the most powerful among the great nations existed at the time. Given its military pre-eminence, Sparta was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars Between 431 and 404 BC, About 650 BC Sparta rose to become the dominant military power in ancient Greece.

Bibliography•HSC Online Ancient History Ancient Sparta Notes:http://hsc.csu.edu.au/ancient_history/societies/greece/spartan_society/sparta_unbringing/ancient_sparta_upbringing.htmThis source was effective as it gave a range of information, particularly about life in the agoge and training of girls. It also had many useful references to ancient sources such as Plutarch. The only drawback is that it seems to gain most of its information from Plutarch, meaning that a wider range of sources may have

And lastly, the teamwork and survival skills of the Spartans was a major key factor to how they were so effective in battle. They were not something to mess with as they tend to have a powerful standpoint on how it should be for themselves of surviving. According to document B, it is stated that they were told to steal food for themselves as they live off of having hungry stomachs but if they get caught then they would be disciplined by being whipped, enforcing that they need to work fast and efficient, because getting caught in the real world is not an option, which is why it makes them hardened warriors that almost never fail at what they do as they keep the consequences under check. However, in document A, they were trained from ages 8-21 which makes their bond for each other be at its peak. as they take this brotherly bond into battle then they would have more effectiveness of getting things done as a group, making them a force to be reckoned with. The thing as it may be is that they train their Spartans to the max in order to have the utmost effective soldiers fighting for their own beliefs, which is why their powerful

A woman’s place was supposed to be at home, in both Sparta and Athens, but the capacity in which they were supposed to be at home differed substantially. In Athens, it was compulsory for women to be acquiescent and compliant. They were supposed to stay home most of the time, bearing, nourishing and taking care of the children, spinning and weaving clothes, keeping the home clean and tidy, preparing food or overseeing the preparation of food by the servants; women from Sparta were the complete opposite of the women in Athens, they were allowed to keep property with the over seeing of the male counterpart, which according to Aristotle, said that in 4th BCE, 405 Sparta was owned by women, and may have contributed to

First, besides their strong military, Sparta was known for providing women with a decent amount of rights. In these rights, education was provided. According to Plutarch(Document E), women had to be educated and trained in order to produce healthy offspring. Women were trained in many things such as “wrestling running, and throwing the quoit*, and casting the dart”(Document E). These activities were meant to strengthen women in order to produce “healthy and vigorous offspring”(Document E). By producing healthy and vigorous offspring, Sparta had a better chance at winning battles. Therefore, women being provided with an education had highly contributed to the strengths of a Spartan education.