(16.6), Young Spartans Exercising by DegasNational Gallery (Public Domain). The program was first instituted by the lawgiver Lycurgus (l. 9th century BCE) and was integral to Sparta 's military strength and political power. (2001) city, 17,503; (2011) 16,239. Any action or routine behavior considered a waste of time was discouraged, and this applied even to the way one spoke. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Cartwright, Mark. led an invasion into Spartan territory and oversaw the liberation of the Messenian Helots, who had been enslaved by the Spartans for several centuries. The Spartans constant military drilling and discipline made them skilled at the ancient Greek style of fighting in a phalanx formation. This tough training resulted in a professional hoplite army capable of relatively sophisticated battle manoeuvres and made them feared throughout Greece, a fact perhaps evidenced by Sparta's notable lack of fortifications for most of its history. It would be another decade of warfare before the Spartan general Lysander defeated the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami. The first period lasted 10 years and began with the Spartans, under Archidamus II, leading an army into Attica, the region around Athens. The next year, starved by an impenetrable blockade, Athens capitulated. Training in speech continued in the transitional period when one became known as a paidiskoi (bigger boy) around the age of twelve. Hostilities resumed between Athens and Sparta with an assault launched by the Athenians at Sicily. Spartan citizens did not indulge in farming activities themselves but devoted their time to military training, hunting, war, and politics. Indeed, the Spartan king Menelaus instigated the war after the Trojan prince Paris abducted his wife Helen, offered to Paris by the goddess Aphrodite as a prize for choosing her in a beauty contest with fellow goddesses Athena and Hera. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. But the boys hunger was also intended to embolden them to steal food from gardens and other places in order to make the boys more resourceful in getting supplies, and better fighting men, Xenophon wrote. All Rights Reserved. As Cartledge writes in Spartan Reflections, it wasnt until age 60 that Spartans finally were allowed to retire from the armyprovided that they lived that long. World History Encyclopedia, 15 Jun 2021. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! The original illustration was made in black and white, and was colorized at a later date. Even today, the word Spartan conjures up an image of an awesomely fit, skillful fighter, indifferent to pain and fear. Sparta was traditionally the great land power of the Greek world and controlled many neighboring territories whose populations were tied to the land as slaves. The result of the conflict was the 'King's Peace' where Sparta ceded her empire (for which she in any case lacked the necessary bureaucratic apparatus to manage properly) to Persian control but Sparta was left to dominate Greece. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The fighting engulfed virtually the entire Greek world, and it was properly regarded by Thucydides, whose contemporary account of it is considered to be among the world's finest . Sparta was a warrior society in Ancient Greece that was set during 401 and 434 BC. Indoctrination into this lifestyle began early. They were subjected to continual physical, competitions (which could involve violence), given meager rations and expected to become skilled at stealing food, among other survival skills. Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. This body consisted of 28 over-60 years of age males who held the position for life. For the first five years in the agoge, between the age of 7-12, boys were taught to read and write, but the programs emphasis was on endurance events, athletic competitions, military prowess, and teaching them to survive and outwit others. Male Spartan citizens were allowed only one occupation: soldier. Last modified May 28, 2013. However, the democratic leaders refused Spartan peace offerings, and the war continued at sea with the Spartan and Athenian fleets trading costly victories. Being a militaristic state, Sparta's primary focus was on its land-based army, composed of armoured hoplites. Famous episodes where the Spartans put religion above warfare and even national crisis were at Marathon and Thermopylae during the Greco-Persian Wars. The Spartan society was known for its highly-skilled warriors, elitist administrators, and its reverence for stoicism, people today still look to the Spartans as model citizens in an idealist ancient society. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. However, in 480 B.C.E., Sparta allied with Athens, to prevent the Persian king Xerxes from invading Greece. Each stood at the head of alliances that, between them, included nearly every Greek city-state. Stealing was considered an important survival skill and so it was not the act of theft that was punished, it was the carelessness exhibited in getting caught. Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society. The Peloponnesian War was a war fought in ancient Greece between Athens and Spartathe two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece at the time (431 to 405 B.C.E.). World History Encyclopedia. The ancient Sparta city was one of the most powerful city-states in Ancient Greece. It is possible, therefore, that Xenophon is wrong even though he is frequently cited by modern writers claiming there were no homoerotic relationships among the candidates of the agoge. Fighting ensued, and the Athenians then took steps that explicitly violated the Thirty Years Treaty. localized power A key characteristic of ancient Greek city-state was a political (government) system based on independent city-states where everyone could be left alone to do their own thing. While the boys were going through the agoge program, the girls were raised by their mothers or by trusted servants but, unlike in other city-states such as Athens, they did not learn how to spin, weave, or clean house. This was the name given to those who had been for two years out of the class of boys, and Melleirens, or would-be-eirens, was the name for the oldest of the boys. There were many different dining messes, and it was imperative that a young man be elected to one of them. They trained young men to become soldiers. It is called Na (New) Spart locally to distinguish it from the ruins that were excavated in 190610 and 192429. What was Sparta's focus as a city-states? Cite This Work In the late 8th century BCE, Sparta subjugated most of neighbouring Messenia and its population was made to serve Spartan interests. Sparta and its allies accused Athens of aggression and threatened war. Sparta grew to rival the size of the city-states Athens and Thebes by subjugating its neighboring region of Messenia. Cartledge comments: One particularly striking instance of this displaced or surrogate fathering was the institution of ritualized pederasty. Sparta was located in the fertile Eurotas valley of Laconia in the southeast Peloponnese. Though Sparta absorbed this population, it did not integrate the conquered people into society. Peloponnesian War, (431-404 bce), war fought between the two leading city-states in ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta. Spartas continued agitation spurred Romes war on the Achaeans (146) and the Roman conquest of the Peloponnese. Thanks in part to the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., in which a small force of Spartan soldiers stayed behind to fight to the death against a vastly larger Persian army, the warriors of Sparta have long been famous for their military prowess and tenacity. In 1834, Otto (1815-67), the king of Greece, ordered the founding of the modern-day town of Sparti on the site of ancient Sparta. The Ephors were among the older men who oversaw punishments given to the younger boys by their elders. Sparta- The Great City-State. Although Spartan women were not active in the military, they were educated and enjoyed more status and freedom than other Greek women. On April 26 the three students, all girls, ages 14, 15 and 16-years-old began assaulting a 15-year-old student, Atlantic City police said. Books Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Not long after, however, the two cities began fighting each other in the two Peloponnesian Wars (460 to 446 B.C.E. The Spartans also suffered reverses at sea. The Peloponnesian War, one of the most significant events in ancient Greek history, enveloped the city-states of the ancient Greek world, forever changing the region. License. Sparta's position as the number one city-state in Greece, though, was to be short-lived. The population of Sparta consisted of three main groups: the Spartans, or Spartiates, who were full citizens; the Helots, or serfs/slaves; and the Perioeci, who were neither slaves nor citizens. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Sparta was a warrior society in ancient Greece that reached the height of its power after defeating rival city-state Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.). We care about our planet! You cannot download interactives. His two sons were both educated in the agoge program, and he maintains that there was no homoerotic element to the relationships at all. The teenage boys who demonstrated the most leadership potential were selected for participation in the Crypteia, which acted as a secret police force whose primary goal was to terrorize the general Helot population and murder those who were troublemakers. Sparta. It was the ancient capital of the Laconia district of the southeastern Peloponnese, Greece. 30 Apr 2023. Sparta is best . From the Sphinx of Egypt to the Kama Sutra, explore ancient history videos. Rise of City-States: Athens and Sparta The Acropolis played an integral role in Athenian life. With your support millions of people learn about history entirely for free, every month. The events that led to renewed hostilities began in 433, when Athens allied itself with Corcyra (modern Corfu), a strategically important colony of Corinth.
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