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The True Cause of the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian war analysis
Peloponnesian war analysis
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Thomas Peden Mr. Schoon World History 4 December 2013 Spartan Life In 7th century, Ancient Greece a fierce group of warriors called the Spartans were the best in warfare. But life for the Spartans was not easy. As infants their strengths were tested. Babies would be bathed in wine rather than water to test their reaction and the belief it will make them strong. If a baby were ill born it would most likely be left on a nearby hill or used as a slave. If the baby passed the inspection to see if it was healthy, it would be kept to soon become a warrior. The babies were taught to not fear the darkness or solitude, and frequently ignored when crying. At age seven Spartan males were taken away from home and put into military barracks, the young soldiers were instructed in scholastics, warfare, stealth, hunting and athletics. At age 12, recruits were deprived of all clothing except for a red cloak and forced to sleep outside on beds they made by themselves from reeds. To ready them for a life in the field, the boy soldiers were also encouraged to scavenge and even steal their food, though if detected they were punished. Spartans were encouraged to fight and inflict pain to fellow recruits. At age 20 Spartans had to a difficult test to graduate and become citizens. The soldiers received the aristocratic citizenship. If they failed the test they became middle class. Classes were based on accomplishment rather than birth. If the young men passed, they continued to live in the barracks and train as soldiers but were required to wed to produce new young Spartans. The state gave them land, which was tended by slaves. At age 30 the Spartans could finally live with there families, but they still had to train. Finally at age 60 a Spartan ... ... middle of paper ... ...nd peace was maintained. The Lacedaemonians were not content with simply sending aid to Sicily; they also resolved to take the war to the Athenians. The Corinthians, the Spartans, and others in the Peloponnesian League sent more reinforcements to Syracuse, in the hopes of driving off the Athenians; but instead of withdrawing; the Athenians sent another hundred ships and another 5,000 troops to Sicily. Under Gylippus, the Syracusans and their allies were able to decisively defeat the Athenians on land; and Gylippus encouraged the Syracusans to build a navy, which was able to defeat the Athenian fleet when they attempted to withdraw. The Athenian army, attempting to withdraw overland to other, more friendly Sicilian cities, was divided and defeated; the entire Athenian fleet was destroyed, and virtually the entire Athenian army was sold off into slavery.
To look at this epistemologically, there is an understanding that almost every aspect involved in this culture was derived for the good of the polis. This seemed to be a very proud and arrogant people. A city with no walls, and in almost certainty, only natural born were allowed to earn citizenship. To even be called a Spartan meant years of fighting, service and status. Tyrtaeus states this argument best in the last line of his work. “Thus a man should endeavor to reach this high place of courage with all his heart, and, so trying, never be backward in war.” These writings are great resources for Spartan’s war enhanced values and societal customs, but lack in evidence of governmental affairs and religion.
...ining until old age. Because they focused more on military training rather than education, these young boys knew of no other life than what was instilled though Lycurgus. Also, under his reforms, Lycurgus killed a lot of babies. Because he wanted to build a strong army and a strong nation, having weaklings was not part of his plan. As a result, Spartan's population was not as grand as what they made it seem.
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.”
Things are now different in our American culture, but in the core of the test for your manhood it is inherently the same. For example, young men and women who join the US Military have to undergo their own “agoge” which would be boot camp/basic training, the most rigorous of these would be the United States Marine Corps Boot Camp, the Marines go through the most grueling time of their life during their agoge.Which in turn gives them the ultimate sense of pride in who they are because of the hardship Marines face during their agoge they tend to emulate the Spartans, not only for their warrior pride but in their moral values.Other things the Spartans valued, respect for elders and more senior military members have also transferred over to our culture in the form of modern military respect and
Religious and Funerary Practices were thought of as extremely important by the citizens of the city-state of Sparta, in fact, their beliefs reached such an extreme that the other city-states mocked the Spartans. The three principal sub-elements that affected religious and funerary practices in Sparta are, the Gods/Goddesses worshipped, the festivals celebrated and solemnized, and the myths and legends passed through the generations.
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...
People in Sparta had to serve in the military before they could become involved in public life, while people in Athens who were citizens, reached a certain level of wealth, and were of a certain age could participate.
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.
And, made sure that they know the difference between right and wrong, and I can have respected. He could have just trained his men to be unthinking un law full killing machines, but he took the time to make sure that above all they're still human and they still did the right thing. He would go on and train the young Spartan’s until they reached the age of sixteen. Here is when all the testing all the training and all the time spent would be tested, this was without a drought the toughest part of their training. No one knows what happens ant this part of the training it has been released. All that we know is that they leave at the age of twenty and they are completely different people when they leave almost not human. In that four years, 37 of the 65 original children, and crippled 9. Those of which did not pass are honorable or medical discharge and kicked from the program. Candidates who had been killed were placed in cryo-suspension, in the hope that they could someday be resuscitated. The candidates who were crippled were eventually rehabilitated and began training under different programs. These candidate trainings were kept secret from Wicker and only Professor Angus and Professor Jason knew about their existence. The Covenant war is what changed the objectives for the SPARTAN-II program, the
To what extent do the sources provide us with a reliable picture of the lives of Spartan women? (45 marks)
...litary end even the women in Sparta would have been affected by the military ways of life almost as much as the young men. From childhood they were being primed to raise a family, they were taught in the ways of mid wifery, learning the correct manner in teaching the future young men of Sparta and keeping themselves fit to produce fit children.
Sparta was ruled by two kings who ruled simultaneously as well as a council of twenty-eight men. There were three main groups of Sparta; the Spartans, which were full citizens, Helots, which were the slaves, and Perioeci, which were the craftsmen and traders. At age seven, all boys went through the Agoge, which was a tough military training to strengthen their army. The women of Sparta participated in a number of athletic competitions to strengthen themselves for when they were to give birth. A lot of the daily tasks that women would often do were handled by the Helots instead of the women. The people of Sparta also believed in a number of things; they encouraged stealing in the boys who went to the military training. They weren’t allowed to travel to foreign places for fear that they might learn new traditions, if a baby was born too small or not healthy, they would be brought to a chasm. The people of Sparta also ate together, whether they were rich or
One of the greatest responsibilities a woman had in Classical Sparta was giving birth to the Spartan males. Through physical training when a young teen with the Spartan boys, the women needed to be healthy and strong to produce healthy children capable of going through the agoge training. “…By athleticism they made sure that their children would be up to the standard of physical fitness demanded by the Spartan system.” (H.Michell, Sparta). The Spartan mother would prepare the young Spartans prior to the agoge; she would have minimal interaction and supply minimal clothing and
Like the Athenians, women were expected to bear sons. Boys were taken away from their mothers at the age of seven and put under the control of Spartan leaders. The boys were taken to live in military camps and were “subjected to harsh discipline to make them tough and given an education that stressed military training and obedience to authority”. For most of the Spartan men’s lives, they lived in these camps, and trained for battle. Once the males turned 30, they were allowed to vote in an assembly. They were able to marry and live in their own homes, but had to remain in military service until the age of 60. Spartan women, unlike Athenian women had more control and power in society. Woman like men contributed in physical activities because it was “thought that is both parents were strong their children would be more