Jamari Miller
Ancient Greece and the Great Sparta
Jamari Miller
11/18/2012
Professor O
10:00 History wise
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Jamari Miller
Being a citizen of Sparta was not a privilege but it was earned. To become a full Spartan
citizen one had to be apart of the military and go through relentlessness war training from birth.
Ancient Greece was a very powerful nation filled with many independent city-states. Each city
had its own name, culture, currency, religious thoughts, and economy; some cities in ancient
Greece held more power than others. Sparta was a warrior society located in southern Greece and
their culture was centered on loyalty to the state and military: “For the Spartans it was deeds, not
words, that counted… they organized their whole style of life around the demands of battle
readiness”1. They had a strong economy, and they were the first to introduce a democratic
government in Ancient Greece. Spartans were the most gruesome warriors of the ancient times,
due to their successful political system, philosophies for war, and their strict loyalty to battlereadiness; this led to them becoming one of the most powerful city states in Ancient Greece.
From the beginning of the empire Sparta was known as a stand out city-state by developing a
basis for war, defending it culture and citizens while also intimidating its rivals.
The Spartan civilization started in 715 B.C. when Dorian Greeks conquered the lands of
Laconia and Messene. "Everything in this civilization was subordinated to the art of war; the sole
aim of the state was to create a race of invincible warriors"2. After conquering the land, Sparta
became a city dedicated to training for battle, because their captives from war outnumbered them
five to one. Sparta used their relentless training to dominate war and strongly defend their land
and culture. Spartan’s clothing was simple and usually homemade; their clothing mainly
consisted of one cloth that could be styled in many different ways. The Spartans wore this kind
of clothing to help them cope with the scorching hot Greek summers. During battle Spartan
1
Paul Cartledge, Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities , (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2009), 71.
2 Robert Payne, Ancient Greece: The Triumph of a Culture , (New York: Norton & Company
INC, 1964), 322.
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soldiers wore a crimson robe, and with them they carried a bronze shield, sword, and a spear. All
male Spartan citizens above the age of twenty fought as heavily equipped foot soldiers, also
known as hoplites. Every male citizen was required to fight in battle; therefore the Spartan army
consisted of as many as 8,000 soldiers. Becoming a citizen of Sparta was not a legal entitlement
for those born in Sparta, but earned from birth. All male babies were required to be presented for
an inspection from the elders of Sparta, and if he appeared to be too weak for the Spartan
lifestyle he was taken to the mountains and abandoned. At the age of seven, boys were taken
from their parents and given over to the state. The state funded school was not to teach them a
formal education, but it was to create battle-ready warriors. Spartan schools stressed physical
training a love for intellect and knowledge, by the age of ten young Spartan boys began their
training as soldiers, and was taught to live stealthily, harshly, and with barely enough food to
survive like they would have to during war. They were required to hunt and cook their own
meals, and slept on leaves gathered from the bushes. They had no connection to their families but
were watched over by the older boys, who punished them severely for the littlest acts of
indiscipline, such as getting caught stealing food from a market. The result of this training was to
produce a hardened soldier by the age of eighteen. By twenty-one Spartan males were assigned
to an army barrack, where they prepared for battle. The training process was so strict married
Spartans could not leave their barracks to live with their families until the age of thirty. While
tough training produced battle-ready males the females were acquiring the education needed to
become a serving wife and responsible mother. 345
3
Robert Payne, Ancient Greece: The Triumph of a Culture , (New York: Norton & Company
INC, 1964), chap. 22.
4
Legends & Chronicles, “Spartan Warriors." Accessed November 14, 2012. http://www.legendsandchronicles.com/ancientwarriors/spartan-warriors/.
5
Paul Cartledge, Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities , (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2009), chap.7.
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Spartan females were also required to acquire a formal education. Spartan women were
educated at state expense. Women were influenced to get married by the time they reached the
age of twenty. Married women had very little domestic responsibility due to them being handled
by the Helots. Their main responsibility was to raise brave Spartan soldiers, and honor their
husbands.
“Even mothers enforced the militaristic lifestyle that Spartan men endured. There is a
legend of a Spartan warrior who ran away from battle back to his mother. Although he
expected protection from his mother, she acted quite the opposite. Instead of shielding
her son from the shame of the state, she and some of her friends chased him around the
streets, and beat him with sticks. Afterwards, he was forced to run up and down the hills
of Sparta yelling his cowardliness and inferiority”6
To reiterate the mothers of Spartan warriors took it upon themselves to instill courage in to their
sons. Along with the Helots and Periokoi women also contributed to the economic wealth
acquired by Sparta through large chorus concerts.789
There were three main groups in the Spartan society: the Spartans, which were the
citizens and warriors, the Helots who were from a city called Macedonia, which had been
conquered by the Spartans; the people were captured and forced into slavery. The Periokoi which
the people that lived in Laconia, who were responsible for the creating weapons used by the
Spartan army. The Periokoi were not citizens of Sparta, but were obliged to serve the Spartan
army. They also were artisans and responsible for most of Sparta’s finest pottery and metal work
in Greece. The Periokoi were forced to acquiesce to the demands of Sparta, and their
contributions were responsible for a large portion of its economic wealth. The Helots were
New World Encyclopedia Online, “Sparta,” accessed September 29, 2012, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/sparta
Nigel Kennell, the Gymnasium of Virtue: Education & Culture in Ancient Sparta , (Chapel
Hill: The University Of North Carolina Press, 1995), chap. 2.
8 Paul Cartledge, Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities , (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2009), 71-75.
9 Stanley Burnstein, Walter Donlan, Sarah Pomeroy, and Jennifer Roberts, Ancient Greece A
Political, Social, and Cultural History , (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 131 155.
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responsible for all duties in and outside the house. Although they weren’t citizens they belonged
to families of Sparta and the help of the helots and Periokoi was important to the success Sparta
achieved. It is obvious that there was no dearth of help with all responsibilities Spartans did not
want to handle; which left ample time for them to focus on a stronger empire. The Spartan
economy was carried by the great chorus shows put on by the women of Sparta, luxury items,
racehorses, purple textiles, and gold jewelry. Sparta faced only one problem; their war captives
outnumbered them by four or five. The helots revolted into two wars the first and second
Messenia war they were both won by the Spartans. Although the wars had a negative affect on
the economy, Spartans were convinced if they trained their hoplites to the highest degree
possible they would enjoy an overwhelming advantage over the helots, and other enemies. This
proved successful as the economy rose, and until the Hellenistic period Spartans were the only
professional warriors in effect they were the strongest city in Greece. The economic wealth of
the Spartans was used by aristocratic families to create a government that was both successful
and powerful.1011
Spartan government consisted of three branches of power; two hereditary kings, Ephors
and Gerousia, and lastly the assembly. The kings were responsible for leading the men into battle
and preserving the state’s religion; they also served as the head of the government and judicial
powers. The kings were drawn from the families of the most powerful aristocratic families, and
the succession was passed on to their oldest son. One King served as commander in chief while
the other handled all domestic disputes. The dual kingship was cooperative and competitive but
they were equal in power. The kings were not just figureheads but the paradigm of what a
10
Schrader, Helena. "Sparta Reconsidered." Last modified 2012. Accessed October 27, 2012.
http://www.elysiumgates.com/~helena/Government
11 A & E T e l e v i s i o n N e t w o r k s , " S p a r t a n s . " L a s t m o d i f i e d 2 0 1 2 . A c c e s s e d S e p t e m b e r 1 7 , 2 0 1 2 .
http://www.history.com/topics/spartans.
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Spartan should act like and huge contributors to the military effectiveness of the city. Every year
five Ephors over the age of thirty were elected, and the most important responsibility of the
Ephors was to begin and oversee the training of the Spartan boys; and preside over the Gerousia
and foreign embassies. The Ephors also exercised judicial powers in civic matters and in cases
involving the Periokoi. The Gerousia consisted of twenty-eight Spartan elders and a general
assembly of citizens over the age of sixty. All citizens were eligible to serve on the Gerousia, but
the members usually consisted of wealthy, influential men. Being elected into the Gerousia was
one of the highest honors a Spartan could aspire to become. They assisted the king in judicial
functions by serving as a criminal court for homicide cases. There was an assembly that met
once a month during the time of full moon to review bills that had been accepted or declined by
the Gerousia. The assembly consisted of all citizens over the age of 30. The Spartan government
displayed stability and is admired by political theorists.12
Sparta was the most successful city of ancient Greece, and evidently it is due to the way
its economy, government, and war training was strictly administered. Sparta’s legacy still lives
on as they are admired by many political theorists for their military formations along with their
democratic government that has been duplicated by the United States. Sparta was a nation of
economic stability, a government with well control over the people, and a strong military. It was
a city of great success that differed from other cities because it did not fall from its own greed or
instability and that intensifies why it was so admired. Sparta is the paradigm for how to run a
successful nation without being the reason for its own downfall.
12
Nigel Kennell, the Gymnasium of Virtue: Education & Culture in Ancient Sparta , (Chapel
Hill: The University Of North Carolina Press, 1995), chap. 2
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Work Cited
 A&E Television Networks, "Spartans." Last modified 2012. Accessed November 14,
2012. http://www.history.com/topics/spartans.

Cartledge, Paul. Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2009.
 Donlan, Walter, Stanley Burnstein, Sarah Pomeroy, and Jennifer Roberts. Ancient Greece
A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
 Kennell, Nigel. The Gynasium of Virtue: Education and Culture in Ancient Sparta.
Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1995.
 Payne, Robert. Ancient Greece: The Triumph of a Culture. New York: Norton &
Company Inc, 1964.
 Schrader, Helena. "Sparta Reconsidered." Last modified 2012. Accessed November 14,
2012. http://www.elysiumgates.com/~helena/Government
 Sparta. s.v. "New World Encyclopedia Online."
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/sparta (accessed November 14, 2012).
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