Sparta Military Tactics

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Ancient Sparta has often been referred to as one of the most dominant military forces in history. During Sparta’s reign of dominance, Spartan forces employed tactics of intimidation and sovereignty. Spartan soldiers dedicated their lives to training and preparing for battle, enabling them to create a fierce, dominant military. Sparta used their military for both protection and conquering, maintaining a stable economy and civilization. One such war Sparta took effect in was the Peloponnesian war. Sparta was a dominant force and took hegemony over Athens and Athens allies(Martin 2000, 19). The Spartan military was able to dominate for so long because of superior military tactics, extensive training and discipline, advanced weaponry and armor, …show more content…

One tactic often deployed by the Spartan military was the Phalanx formation. The Phalanx formation was a rectangular formation, holding heavily armed infantrymen on the inside. Soldiers held shields up to cover and protect themselves and allies, and through holes and cracks in the wall of shields long spears were thrust through by another line of warriors to strike down approaching enemies.(Penedas, N.D.) The shields were always held on the left arm of a soldier, as to protect the soldier to their left, leaving the soldiers on the far right side exposed. Due to this, the most skilled and experienced warriors usually were placed on the right side, as to prevent the formation from drifting or collapsing. Behind each shield bearer in the front stood another soldier with the long spear, enabling for swift and powerful semi ranged attacks from behind the wall of shields.(Penedas, N.D.) Spartan warriors followed a code in battle that exemplified how a Spartan should have acted in battle, as to not endanger the rest of the Spartan army(Legends&Chronicles, 2007) Perfection of the Phalanx achieved by Sparta aided in the domination of Sparta from 550-362 BC(Rusch 2011, 1). Even with the perfected tactics in war, attack strategies were not the only way Spartans dominated the field of …show more content…

Children went through rigorous training and preparation at a young age and men spent most of their life training for battle. Adult Spartan warriors moved into barracks at the age of 20 and began life as a permanent Spartan warrior. Spartan men were encouraged to marry, but were required to live in barracks until the age of 40, where soldiers could leave the barracks. Once a warrior turned 40, he was placed into the reserves until the age of 60 (AncientMilitary.com, 2012). When battle arose, Spartans had rules and codes that must have been followed to ensure safe travels and good luck. When departing for war, Spartan warriors carried 20 days of provisions on their body as well as their personnel weapons and armor. In life, the worst crime for a Spartan hoplite was to display cowardice on the battlefield. If cowardice was displayed, the warrior was disgraced and treated horribly by the other men and women in Spartan society. Anyone associated with the coward was disgraced and treated badly as well. When Spartan warriors were leaving for battle, their mothers had a tradition of giving them their shields and saying “Either with this or upon this”, meaning mothers would rather their child die than display cowardice on the battlefield(Penedas, N.D.). Before a Spartan warrior could live in the barracks and be a permanent soldier, it was required of them to

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