Sparta


 * Sparta**
 * By Camron**

Did you know Spartan soldiers started training when they were only seven years old? Sparta had the strongest military force in Greece.

Read on to find out about Sparta’s success as a city and a military. This paper focuses on the education, the army, the women, the history, and the city and the government of Sparta.

What kind of education did Spartans have? Spartans were the strongest warriors in Greece. They were not taught to farm or smith, they were taught to fight. Once a child is born they were examined by the elderly. If they show any sign of weakness or illness they were thrown off Mt. Taygetos. At the age of seven the children leave their mom and begin to learn about becoming tough strong warriors. They were only taught to count men in a formation and to sing songs of war and write poetry of war. Food is rationalized and clothing is minimal, even in the harshest of winters. At the age of twelve they start military training and at twenty years the  y begin fighting in battle. They fight until death of until there too old to fight (Pearson).

Why was the Spartan army the strongest in Greece? They were the strongest because they trained to become a soldier all there life starting at the age of seven. They were given rigorous strength trainings and tough punishments. They had endless track and field events lead by physical conditioning. Along with that they had wrestling and martial arts training. After going through all of that some still might not be strong enough to fight in war. They were sent off to a holding camp where they trained until they were capable of war (MNSU education).

How were Spartan woman different than other Greek women? Unlike woman of the rest of Greece Spartan woman were taught to read and write. They were also taught to be strong and well fit because they need to produce strong children. Games and activities were all the same as the men. Women in Athens were taught spinning, weaving and domestic arts unlike women in Sparta. They were taught to protect themselves from invading forces. In times of war they could take over their husband’s property and keep it if they die. Spartan woman have many more advantages than other woman in Greece (Papakyriakou).

 How long did the city of Sparta Survive? The city of Sparta began in the tenth century BC. The city started as four towns that joined into one to turn into a Greek City-State. It was a strong city because early on they conquered the Messenia’s who were living close by. They enslaved them and made them farm food so the Spartans can concentrate on keeping a strong army. In 441 BC Sparta did not like Athens pushing the rest of Greece around so they went to war. This is known as the Peloponnesian War. Athens was winning the war then a plague swept through and Sparta rose on top. In 404 BC they defeated the city of Athens and destroyed their walls. Sparta did not enjoy the victory for very long in 369 BC the Theban army came into Sparta and helped the Messenia’s escape and create their own City-State. They escaped and Sparta was left to farm their own food and could not train as much for battle. They were now not the strongest army anymore and became a small city with not much power. By 338 BC Sparta and Greece were taken over and never rose again (hunt).

What kind of government do they have? Sparta is ruled by two kings. They do not have absolute power, it is shared among them. The kings would lead there army to battle and fight alongside their men. Also they have the gerousia, a group of elders over the age of sixty. They have the ability to make laws. The Spartans discourage outsiders to visit, and new citizens were not allowed to join the army (Spartan Government).

In summary, Sparta was a very powerful city because of the well ruled government and strong military. The women had good education and more freedom to speak their mind than anywhere else in Greece. Sparta has rich and fascinating history that we can learn a lot of good and bad things from.

Works Cited Ancient Greek Civilizations: The Women of Sparta. MNSU Education. Website. December 5, 2010. http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/aegean/culture/womenofsparta.html Hunt, Norman Bancroft. Living In Ancient Greece. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2009. Print. Papakyriakou/Anagnostou, Ellen. History of Sparta. 2000. Website. December 5,2010. http://www.sikyon.com/sparta/history_eg.html Pearson, Anne. Eyewitness Books Ancient Greece. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Print. Topic, By. "Spartan Goverment." Untitled Document. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. http://historylink102.com/greece3/sparta-goverment.htm