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The Spartans were one of the most feared military forces in world history. During the 6th to 4th century B.C., it was commonly accepted that one Spartan soldier is worth several men of any other state.
As King Agesilaus (often called as the Lame King of Sparta because Sparta had lost most of its prestige and power by the time he died) said, “The walls of Sparta were its young men, and its borders the points of their spears.”
Males were subjected into military training from infancy. When a male baby was born, he was tested by bathing him in wine rather than in water. If he was determined as weak by the elders of Sparta, he was either taken to a mountain & abandoned or he became a slave. Once born into this world, a Spartan male already was in a situation of life and death. This situation would be experienced many times until one’s death finally comes. There lied only two fates for Spartan males; slavery/death or military. There were no other choices.
Damaratus, once a King of Sparta, said to Xerxes, “The Spartans are the equal of any man when they fight as individuals; fighting together as a collective, they surpass other men.”
The Spartan army was fearful because they had discipline, skill and determination. They also fought side by side, Spartan fighting beside a Spartan. Trained their whole life to become military soldiers and fight, Spartans were taught self-discipline. Discipline is the backbone of an army. Without it, an army crumbles. Spartans formed phalanxes which they varied deeply to confuse enemies. Through their discipline and determination, they do not run away or flee in dear even when they are facing death. Though sometimes, they pretend to run away but then have a surprise attack ready for the enemy when they begin to make chase. They fight side by side like brothers protecting each other from harm. The
“The best form of taking care of troops is first-class training, for this saves unnecessary casualties,” said Erwin Rommel.
Spartan army was the most disciplined army in all the Greek city-states. It had a very tough military training. The Spartans became the greatest warriors of ancient Greece by their hard and brutal training, the Agoge, which is believed in our modern world to be the hardest training ever to have been used. They had skill, physical & mental fitness and superior training that outlasted their adversaries. They never give up. They would fight until the last Spartan falls and/or until reinforcements arrive. They were loyal to their country and had a sense of pride and honor to protect Sparta under all circumstances.
Strength could get one’s wants and needs back in the ancient times. That’s why Spartan society flourished. Sparta did not waste time in learning to read and write, instead they trained. Athens, on the other hand, strived for excellence and was the intellectual center of Ancient Greece. Whatever Athens had, Sparta could get through its military strength. It would just march to Athens, fight the soldiers there and just get what they wanted.
Sparta, unlike other Greek city-states, respected their women. Spartan females went to school to learn how to read and write. They had an independent mind of their own. They were taught to do household chores and be good wives and mothers. They were also physically trained through gymnastics to obtain a good body shape. It was believed that having a great physical body will lead to the female giving birth to a strong and healthy boy. When a woman from Attica asked a Spartan female of why the Spartan women the only ones who can rule men, the Spartan female replied, “Because we are also the only ones who give birth to real men.” Spartan females had freedom to go where they wanted to unlike in the other Greek city-states where the women would stay indoors and do household chores if that’s what their husbands wanted them to do. Sparta was one of the very first states to respect women and treat them well.
Homosexuality was very common in Sparta. This might shock you because how could ferocious warriors be homosexual, right? Truth is that Spartan male grew up with the same group if men throughout their entire life. Therefore, it was largely common for men of ancient Sparta to be homosexual or bisexual. Bisexuality was also common among women when females would have affairs with unmarried and young women.
The Spartan government did not speak of their opinions. They did not have enough respect from the other Greek city-states so they established a military government. The government became like a war camp. Young men were trained in these boot camps until they become superior fighting machines. They were more feared even though the Spartan army was much smaller than other armies of the other city-states. The Spartan government and the city-state itself gained respect and dignity throughout Greece and in the Persian Empire through their dedication to the art of war and their great skill in it.
Sparta did not run out of soldiers. Every male was mandatorily required to have at least one son to serve the city-state and to continue his father’s reputation. The men who did not have sons were called Agamoi and they were often pressured to produce a son. They were excluded from the main Spartan festival called Gymnopaidai and they were treated with little respect.
"Son, remember your courage with each step."
Without the Spartans, Greece would have been destroyed. Its legacy would have been gone and it could have been a dead civilization. The Spartans were the ones who fought off Xerxes’ invasion of Greece. They destroyed and repelled hundreds of thousands of troops from Asia with skill an immerse training. If it was not for them, Greece would have fallen under Persian rule.
What Sparta ever wanted was to survive. They put together a superior military for the sole purpose of surviving. They wanted to protect themselves from barbarians, riots, revolts and outside enemies. They became a great military power because of survival. Their devotion to the art of war earned them respect and reputation. That art helped them survive. If one wanted war, they would get the Spartans.
Spartans gave women their rights and by opening homosexuality. Women were not only treated as child-bearers but were also cared for and looked after. Homosexuality was an open subject and was not hidden. On top of all of these, it had a superior military and these are the reasons why Sparta was the greatest Greek city-state during the ancient times.
“How glorious fall the valiant, sword in hand, in front of battle for their native land…”
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