Sparta In Ancient Greece: A Force To Reckon With

When you read about Greeks and their past, one could never appreciate it fully without knowing the story behind Sparta in Ancient Greece. Often known as a city state who concerned themselves in military training and discipline, rather on academic education, they were considered during their times to be different, as compared to their number one rival – the people of Athens.

Sparta in ancient Greece was considered tough and brutal, even towards their own kind. When a Spartan child is born, and if the child is deemed to be a weakling, they will leave this on the fields to die. While this is a practice other groups in Greece subscribe to, none implemented it more than Sparta in ancient Greece. They even made such an act a state policy.

At age seven, the Spartan males are brought into camps for training. This mainly involves training on military aspects, teaching the young males discipline & toughness, and a practical training on survival. This accounts for the security of Sparta in ancient Greece times, as their people, especially their males were capable of effectively defending their place. The women as well, provided an added force to reckon with, as it was believed that their women underwent training similar to what the Spartan males experienced. So, can you imagine a city state during the ancient times, where men and women were that capable of defending themselves, their state, and perhaps, conquering nations?

Sparta in Ancient Greece lived a life based on discipline, simplicity, self-denial and a life mainly dedicated for their state. The military training of a Spartan male is from age seven up to twenty. This is more than ten years of intense training. At age twenty, he will then become a Spartan soldier and will live in the camps together with the other soldiers. He is allowed to have a wife, but not to live with her – only at age thirty will the Spartan soldier be allowed to live with his wife.

An important part of Spartan history is their conflict with the Messenians. This was started though by the Spartans when they no longer had enough land that could support their growing number. Thus, Sparta conquered Messenia. And this led to Messenian revolts and continuous threat to the Spartan rule. But as history would show, the Spartans implemented a military state and converted the Messenians into agricultural slaves. The dedication of the Sparta people to a life, and death for the sake of their state, proved to be too much for such a conquered nation to contend with. Indeed, Sparta in ancient Greece proved to be victorious in their ways during these times, and over the course of history.