Sparta: The Elite Military Power of Ancient Greece

In ancient Greece during the 7th and 8th centuries, different armies and cities were fighting for control of land and power. During this time period, it was very gruesome and many people died because different states wanted to expand their control over new territories so they could gain more power. With all the different armies and militaries fighting for control, there was one that stood out as the elite of all militaries, Sparta. Quickly Sparta became known throughout Greece as the most highly disciplined and coordinated militaries in the world.

When we had to pick a topic, we had just gone over ancient Greece and Sparta was in the chapter. It caught my attention to learning more about Sparta with a primary focus on the military and that is why I chose to do my research paper on Sparta. Another driving force for me choosing Sparta was the movie 300. I saw it when it was in theaters and since then I have seen it well over 100 times. The most deadly Spartan and bad ass is obviously king Leonidas. One of the most famous Spartans to ever wield a Spartan spear was king Leonidas. He was king from about 490 B.C. to his death at the famous battle of Thermopylae. In the battle that took place, the king and his men were able to hold a narrow pass that funneled the Persians into them. They were

It was generally around 8 feet long and was called the dory. On one end of the spear there was a spike and on the other end, there was a leaf shaped spearhead. It had two sides for attacking in case the primary end for killing was broken off, which was the leaf shaped head. The spike could be used in its place to ward off enemies or simply to be planted into the ground for standing. The spear was meant to be wielded with one handed, so the shield could be held in the other. For most people it would take two hands to even pick the heavy spear up, but not for a Spartan