Sparta Strengths

Sparta is a small single city state in the southern end of Greece, and known for being the home of the great Spartan warrior. Founded in 900 BCE, it was almost a cult-like warrior society with a military 10,000 men strong originally created to contain the helots, the slaves in Sparta. The Spartan soldier was the most elite of the time. There military dominated Athens in the Peloponnesian War and famously held off the gargantuan Persian army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers with their measly 300 men for three days. Because they were a relatively small city state, if it weren't for their extreme military training they would have been decimated by their opposition. While thought to be cruel and unethical, Their violent ways were effective

A baby that was of inadequate strength would be left to die, possibly thrown off of a cliff or left in the wilderness. The infants that passed would be bathed in wine to harden them. The babies lived with their mother and one nurse. When the young Spartan boy reached the age of seven, he was taken from his mother to begin his course in the elite Spartan military “agoge”. The boys lived and breathed fighting from this point on. Once they were in training they received just one cloak and no shoes. The boys were fed a minimal amount of food and encouraged to steal more food from the helots, although if caught, they would be punished by the helot and then beaten by the older soldiers. The older boys in training were directed to beat the younger boys to toughen them up. The training soldiers were instructed to instigate fights between each other. Although they were told not to fight with anger, boys would die when they got beat, and some boys ran away to escape. When a boy became seventeen he entered his second stage. The boys were yet to be men, they continued living in barracks and at this point they were military reserve. Some were chosen to be police or city guards. Although age is

The Spartan boys and girls started this education at the age of seven. The children were taught to read, write, and learn the Spartan ways. The boys did not fight for themselves or their family,nor did they live for themselves or family. The Spartans lived for the state, they lived for the people. They were all living like war heroes, putting those who they were fighting for far before themselves. Honor was so very important in the Spartan society. Before a Spartan mother sent her son to battle she told him “Son, either with this or on this.” ( Sayings of Sparta). This was a very strong phrase. It meant that the mother wished her son to return with his shield after fighting and winning, or that he would fight to his death. But if he returned without his shield after he had fled from a fight he would become an outcast. But unlike some cultures whose soldiers went to fight expecting death, the Spartans fought to protect other Spartans, doing everything in their power to stay alive and protect their