8 Astounding Facts About Sparta

Though there’s no direct proof of Sparta’s valor, they were considered one of the finest warrior species that ever existed on the earth. Spartans were popular for having the finest military strength in ancient Greece and they were also the world’s first democratic society.

It wasn’t easy to be a Spartan but surprisingly women enjoyed as much freedom as men. All in all, they were an interesting civilization. Let’ see you know more about Sparta!

1. Who were Spartans?

Sparta was one of the biggest rivals of Athens in ancient Greece. It was a city-state and the capital of district Laconia. In fact the word “laconic” was derived from Spartan language and it means terse. Also, the word “Spartan” means simple, prudent, sober and self-restrained.

2. Every Spartan was owned by the ‘state’

Sparta was very religious with their military training. As a result, high born Spartans were trained to become warriors since the age of seven. For a Spartan, anything they do was supposed to be for the welfare of the state.

3. The complex political system

Though Sparta was ruled by two kings at a time, its constitution was more than ‘dynarchy’. It sometimes followed three political systems: monarchy, democracy and oligarchy. Oligarchy is a kind of government ruled by a small group of elite people.

Sparta was jointly ruled by two brothers. One of the two remained in the state while other spent time in the warzone. Each king used to keep a check on the other. A Sparta council was responsible for legislative power and it usually consisted of 30 citizens. 28 of them were elders who were above the age of 60 and two were kings.

4. It wasn’t easy to become a Spartan even for an infant

Sparta made sure that all the warriors were of absolute physic. For this, the elders of the city-state used to inspect newborn infants, who were bathed in wine instead of water.

Those who passed this strange inspection were chosen by the constitution to become warriors. The weak or unhealthy ones were left in the nearby gulf named Mount Taygetus to die. These survived infants were often cared with “tough love”, highly ignored when they cried and forced to face the darkness and solitude.

5. The training

Spartans started their vigorous training at the age of seven. They were nearly starved to increase their hunger capacity. This was done to encourage them to live on meager ration and steal food.

After reaching the adolescent age, the boys who demonstrated the highest leadership potency were sent to the Crypteia. It was a secret police force responsible for terrorizing the Helot (slave) population and keeping them in order.

6. The Brutality

Not only were the Spartans brutal in battle but the kings were equally brutal. Nabis, a Spartan king had constructed an iron maiden, a torture device that was an exact replica of his wife. This device had finger nails that were used to pierce into the body of those who did not fulfill the demands of the king.

An infamous incidence called “Thirty Tyrants” was another example of Sparta’s brutality. After conquering Athens, Spartans imposed “Thirty Tyrants” and executed nearly 1500 Athenians by poison.

7. Punishments

 Even the punishments of Sparta were equally famous. As once noted, if any Spartan lost his weapon in the war, he would not give up and continue to fight by tearing enemy’s face using his teeth and fingernails.

Also, if the teenager trainee would not be successful in stealing his food during the training period, he would be punished for his poor skills.

Another brutal punishment or “practice” to be exact was “contest of endurance” in which the teenage boys were beaten (sometimes to death) in front of an altar.

8. The classification

Though Spartan were not allowed to choose any occupation other than joining the military, there was a small group named ‘Spartiates’ who were the elite Spartan society and they were bestowed with all the political and legal rights in the Sparta.

Sparta was mainly occupied by Spartans, Perioeci, and Helots. Perioeci were skilled laborers and craftsmen. They were free non-citizens of Sparta who were allowed to communicate with Sparta and lived in the surrounding areas of Laconia.

Helots were the lower class or slaves in Sparta who consisted majority of Sparta and were left to do activities involved in farming and food production only.