Spartan Race™ is a world renowned obstacle race. Named after the Greek warrior tribe, the title “Spartan” evokes visions of elite warriors that would stop at nothing to be victorious. The advertisements themselves are without words. They appeal to primal urges and desires of greatness and exceeding limitations. Participants do not know exactly how long the race is or what to expect. There is a clandestine appeal and assurance of a great feeling of accomplishment. Through portraying competitors enduring treacherous obstacles and miles of adversity, Spartan Race™ challenges athletes to test their fortitude and see if they have what it takes to be called a Spartan.
Spartan Race™ is globally recognized as the world’s number one obstacle racing competition. Its attraction reaches every continent on the planet. Men, women, and people of many ethnicities are represented in their advertisements, to reach out to everyone. The races are held in almost every country, to give everyone a chance to prove themselves. There are many levels of the race for every echelon of athlete. For younger athletes, there is a Spartan Kids race at every event. From the beginner’s Spartan Sprint, to the elite Spartan Beast race, there is a Spartan Race™ for everyone.
The Spartan warrior helmet is used as the Spartan Race™ logo. This helmet is a legendary icon used to symbolize elite soldiers. The soldiers of the Greek city of Sparta have been immortalized by their reputation. They are best known for their triumph in battles against the expanding Persian Empire. Their legacy was that they were the descendants of Hercules, who was the son of the Greek god Zeus. This mind set, coupled with their extensive training and innovative tactics, allowed the Spartan soldi...
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...d with discounts. Spartan Race™ also discounts team sign-ups. By offering greater discounts for larger teams, they encourage people to recruit more customers. With the many ranks of races, Spartan Race™ can open up their doors to a wider range of customers.
Through their advertisements, Spartan Race™ shows that they are the most renowned obstacle race in the world. Using the “Spartan” title, they suggest that they are the best of the best. They do not tell people about Spartan Race™, they show them. They appeal to the inner beast inside of everyone. Completing the obstacle race implies excellence and having the determination to break through barriers. Viewers are dared to face the unknown and achieve glory. By depicting competitors challenging harsh environments and grueling obstacles, Spartan Race™ provokes viewers to see if they have what it take to be a Spartan.
“No man ever proves himself a good man in war unless he can endure to face the blood and the slaughter, go against the enemy and fight with his hands.” The preceding was quoted from “The Spartan creed” by the poet Tyrtaeus. There are two authors in this primary resource reading which include Tyrtaeus as well as Xenophon, whom authored “The laws and customs of the Spartans”. These two works give great detail to the Spartan society. As history has presented it, Sparta was a smaller polis and yet was one of the most, if not most, influential societies in history. What we know of this culture comes to us from excavation of its heritage as well as literary works such as these. But are these “eyes” into history factual and creditable enough to base our own interpretations of such a masterful race? These writings are great resources for Spartan’s war enhanced values and societal customs, but lack in evidence of governmental affairs and religion. This lacking may have been due to both writer’s motives for their work.
Spartan Women prove the old saying, behind every great man is a great women, to be true. Everyone has heard of the Spartan warrior men and their courageous battles. What about the women that stood behind those men, the ones who birthed those men, married those men? Spartan women helped to shape, protect, and form the society that they lived in.
As with most historical re-enactments, 300 places significant exaggeration on each civilizations central city-state ideologies and this is reflected in each scene by the actions of the individuals throughout Zack Snyder’s film. The representation of the Spartan warrior mentality through scenes depicting young Spartan children throughout their childhood participating in multiple life threatening challenges; are seemingly accurate as the primary purpose of Spartan schooling was to produce perfect soldiers, through strictly disciplined military training that began for all boys at the age of 7 as they left home to join the agoge. The agoge was set up in order to weaken family ties and create personal identity. These children were usually allotted no shoes, little clothing and educated through a vigorous training schedule of boxing, wrestling, javelin and discus throwing. They suffered through harsh conditions and were taught to take satisfaction in enduring pain and hardship, as well as to value strengt...
Hellenic culture in the Spartan community was that of a humble elite. True Spartan culture is well captured in Xenophon’s work, Spartan Society, as he wrote of how this elitist society viewed not only themselves, but the other countries around them. This work shines light into the three-part worldview of the ancient, Hellenic Spartans of: humanism, idealism, and rationalism. As Xenophon begins to write over the whole of the Spartan society it can be seen how the Spartans lived out the worldview of this Hellenistic society. This living out of the worldview recorded in Xenophon’s, Spartan Society, illustrates their worldview through the noting of Lycurgus’ accomplishments and the contrast of the “other.”
Like most Greek states of the Archaic and Classical Era, the Spartan city-state was a militaristic one. Sparta, however, took the idea to its extreme. In order to become the best soldiers, Spartan citizens had to dedicate their entire lives to the occupation. In fact to be a soldier – a hoplite – was the full infrastructure of Spartan society. While most Greek city-states looked down on labor, physical work, and even working for profit, they still had to work for a living, produce something. “The Spartans a...
Firstly, the rejection of luxury and avarice invariably results in a focus on military pursuits. Secondly, the apparent equality belies a vast slave network (common in antiquity, but the unique brutality of the Spartan kind can only bring to mind the Gulag). Lastly, intellectual sterility sets in. Sparta, intellectually, seems to be only good at cracking jibes (Athenian: “I can imitate a sparrow” Spartan: “So what, I have heard the real thing” upon approaching the walls of a city, a Spartan said, "What kind of women live here?"). Their poetry is stale and militaristic; their women are absolutely free; children are encouraged to steal; sex is made to resemble rape; parents mourn when their children return safe from war, and celebrate when they die: this is the weirdest state ever. The book “On Sparta” is a well written book as well is most of Plutarch’s
1. Spartans' (super soldiers, highly advanced warriors, specially bioengineered and technologically augmented, the best in the universe - quiet, professional, and deadly) completion of training camp on the planet REACH (human's last station of defense to stop the covenant from finding the location of earth) After the completion of the training camp the Spartans were used for their main purpose, to protect and save human civilization on earth, by acting as the humans' secret weapon against the enemy.
Along with movie stars and musicians, athletes are arguably the most famous people to walk the planet. Most people think that athletes have become idols just recently but this is not the case. The first famed athletes can be traced back to Rome, these athletes being the gladiators. Now by watching movies or reading stories about gladiators it is easy to fall to the stereotype that pits them as bloodthirsty humans who kill for fun. This belief is mostly false and it is easy to forget where the gladiators came from. Most of them were forced to fight and did not do it for fun. The gladiators trained hard in order to perform well in hopes to finally win their freedom after a successful career. The gladiator games are misunderstood so it is now time to learn the truth about the famed gladiators.
Ancient Sparta was the head of the Greek military, at one point the only Greek military. Genius tactics at the time led Sparta to become famous throughout the Mediterranean region as the strongest military force. The hoplites were known for their round shield and carried long spears with short swords (Sidebottom). During times of war, a military formation known as the phalanx, in which was essentially warriors standing in a box formation supporting one another, was used to essentially “push” the other side, striking down the other side by either being trampled or stabbed by the short swords of the opposing side. This basic formation was the very heart and soul of Greek warfare.
Sparta was a strict military city-state. The people were Dorians who conquered Laconia. This region lies in the Peloponnesus, which lied in southern Greece. The invaders turned the conquered people into state owned slaves, called helots. Since the helots greatly outnumbered their rulers, Spartans established a strict and brutal system of control. The Spartan government had two kings and a council of elders who advised the monarchs. An assembly made up of all citizens approved all major decisions. From child-hood, a Spartan prepared to be part of the military. All newborn were examined and the healthy lived and the sickly were left to die. Spartans wanted future soldiers or mothers of soldiers to be healthy. At the age of seven, boys trained for a lifetime in the Spartan military. They moved to the barracks and endured brutal and extensive training.
The. Kennell, Nigel M. Spartans: A New History. New York: Routledge, 1998. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print. The.
Fun at organized, purpose-driven sports is associated with achieving goals rather than physical expression and joy. The process is now secondary to the product, and the journey is secondary to the destination. People in postindustrial societies live with the legacy of industrialization. They emphasize organization according to rational principles based, whenever possible, on systematic research. Being organized and making plans to accomplish goals is so important that spontaneity, expression, creativity, and joy- the element of play- are given low priority or may even be considered frivolous by event planners, coaches, and spectators. Snowboarder Terje Haakonsen decided against performing in the Olympics because he didn’t want to endorse a form of sport in which organization and rationalization had subverted play. Haakonsen believe that fun and effort merge together in sports when they are done in terms set by participants. This merger collapse when sports are done for judges using criteria that ignore the subjective experience of participation. When creating sports, these are important things to remember because there is a tendency in postindustrial cultures to organize all physical activities for the purposes of rationally assessing skills and performances. Working to improve physical
Modern Day Olympics are a huge tradition that sweeps the screens of televisions across the world. Competitors take the arena with uniforms that dawn their countries colors and designs that are meant to resemble their designated flag. For months the news is centered around the games; the preparation, the athletes, and of course the competition. Countries aren 't obsessed, they are inspired and full of pride seeing athletes from their country compete and show their incredible skill. This tradition dates back to ancient Greece where the games began. Tony Perrottet writes about the traditions of the ancient game in his book The Naked Olympics.
In Greece, the Spartans were the most acclaimed army in all the land. With their advanced military tactics and weapons, the Spartans were no easy feat to overcome. However, one army may have given the Spartans a run for their money. This army is the Macedonian army. They were also known for their superior weaponry and strategy. By comparing the two armies, the Spartan regiment was the better of the two due to their rigorous training, “martyr-istic” mindset, and education in the art of war.
My impression regarding the comparison of the likely daily lives of the citizens of Athens and Sparta is that they were two very different things. The differences hold true for men, women and children alike. In this discussion I have focused on the "average" person with the understanding that the roles of people of higher or lower social elevation surely led different lives.