Summary: Greek Warriors Of Ancient Sparta

The Warriors of Ancient Sparta
Sparta, also known as Lacedaemon, was an ancient Greek city-state located primarily in the present-day region of southern Greece called Laconia. Life was very different in ancient Sparta than it was in the rest of ancient Greek city-states. The Spartans were proud, fierce, capable warriors. No great works of art came out of Sparta. But the Spartans, both men and women, were tough, and the Greeks admired strength. The population of Sparta consisted of three main groups: the Spartans, or Spartiates, who were full citizens; the Helots, or serfs/slaves; and the Perioeci, who were neither slaves nor citizens. The Perioeci, whose name means “dwellers-around,” worked as craftsmen and traders, and built weapons for
Sparta was also an important member of the Greek force which fought in the Trojan War. Indeed, the Spartan king Menelaos started the war after the Trojan prince Paris kidnapped his wife Helen, offered to Paris by the goddess Aphrodite as a prize for choosing her in a beauty contest against fellow goddesses Athena and Hera. Helen was said to have been the most beautiful woman in Greece and Spartan women in general enjoyed a reputation not only for good looks but also spirited independence.
All healthy male Spartan citizens participated in the mandatory state-sponsored education system, the Agoge, which emphasized obedience, endurance, courage and self-control, but more on that later. Spartan men devoted their lives to military service, and lived together well into adulthood. A Spartan was taught that loyalty to the state came before everything else, including one’s family.
The Helots, whose name means “captives,” were fellow Greeks, originally from Laconia and Messenia, who had been taken over by the Spartans and turned into slaves. The Spartans’ way of life would not have been possible without the Helots, who did all the day-to-day tasks and unskilled labor required to keep society going: They were domestic servants, farmers, military attendants and
While they played no role in the military, female Spartans often received a formal education, although separate from boys and not at boarding schools. In part to attract mates, females engaged in athletic competitions, including javelin-throwing and wrestling, and also sang and danced competitively. As adults, Spartan women were allowed to own and manage property. Additionally, they were typically unencumbered by domestic responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning and making clothing, tasks which were handled by the