Sparta

Sparta was one of the strongest Greek city-states to ever exist. They fought valiantly in many wars, all because their strong military force could defeat almost anyone. They were the neighbors of Athens, a city-state that prided itself on their arts and strong government. Sparta’s dominance stems from its long history as a militaristic society. The lives of the soldiers were hard because they had to be so disciplined to last in the tough military schools that all men seemed to have attended from a very young age. Their women were held to higher standards than the neighboring city-states because the men could do nothing but be in the military. Women were given a new level of respect that was not seen anywhere else at that time. Spartan soldiers were the ultimate hoplite warriors, devoting their lives to training as heavy infantry (ancientmilitary.com, 2013).

Sparta was said to be founded around the 10th century BCE (Cartwright, 2013), although Greek mythology traces it back even further. The founder of the city was Lacedaemon, a son of Zeus, who gave his name to the region that Sparta was in. The name “Sparta” was given to the city because it was his wife’s name (Cartwright, 2013). One of the first times Sparta is seen in any military conflict is when they participated in the Trojan War. Greek mythology tells one story, but there is evidence that Sparta really started during the Iron Age, which is about 1000 BC (Jarus, 2013). Sparta was formed by four villages: Limnae, Pitana, Mesoa, and Cynosoura. These villages joined together to become the early city. They were in a prime location that offered an abundance of food and their people thrived there. In very early years, the people of Sparta prided themselves on their artistic abil...

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...e lucky enough to be trained to ride horses as well as drive the carriages in the parades (Jarus, 2013).

The Spartan military gained eternal military fame when 300 Spartan soldiers defeated an entire Persian army during the Peloponnesian War (Papakyriakou, 2013). Their unmatched army would become the pinnacle of dominance that would inspire later western culture. Sparta was the leader of all things military for any years, but they unfortunately could not keep up with Athens’ navy and the Persian’s sheer number of soldiers. The ideals that Sparta lived by are still evident in some parts of the military today. Not all men are required to fight of course, but the idea of obedience that stemmed from their training is still very evident. Sparta’s legacy is still relevant thousands of years later, and will remain evident as we continue to learn about military history.