Sparta was a great and powerful city-state in Ancient Greece. It was the society of soldiers. The qualities that were widely respected in Sparta were strength, misleading the enemy by telling lies, and feearlessness concerning battle and death. Spartans brutally trained their men, so that they could become a most-feared army in Ancient Greece.
The biggest rival of Sparta was the city-state of Athens. Athens was the home to many artists and thinkers, but also the birthplace of democracy. Sparta was run by an oligarchy of a few powerful and very wealthy families. Spartans, however, left very few writings, and very few artifacts behind, so most of what we know about Sparta today has come from enemies and visitors.
In Spartan society, only 10 percent of men had full citizenship. Citizenship was gained at the age of thrity. Their only job was to be soldiers in the army. They weren't allowed to persue other jobs and occupations. Spartan soldiers ate their meals in an army mess hall, away from their families, where the food was deliberately bad-tasting.
Sparta had very harsh laws. For example, all newborn babies were inspected by the government, and if they looked unhealthy, they were left on a mountain to die. Also, boys left their homes at the age of seven, when they started training with other children their age. The conditions for them were very difficult. They were beaten, but were expected not to show any suffering or pain. They were provided with very limited amount of food. Girls were also had very difficult training, becuase it was believed that fit women are more likely to give birth to healthy offspring.
Women in Sparta had much more freedom then other women in Greece. They could be owners of land, run businesses, etc.
Beside the women and male citizens of Sparta, there were two other types of people, and those were the perioeci and the helots. The perioeci were the people who lived in towns around Sparta, and provided food for the Spartans. They had no rights whatsoever, but could grow rich as traders or craftsmen. The helots were slaves, and they were owned by Sparta. Their job was to work at the farms of Sparta, and they were treated very cruelly.
After the Peloponnesian War in 404 B.C.E., Sparta beat Athens, and became the most powerful city-state. But, in 371 B.C.E. the city-state of Thebes beat the Spartan army, and Sparta collapsed.
Price, Sean. The Ancient World. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. The Spartan Way
The biggest rival of Sparta was the city-state of Athens. Athens was the home to many artists and thinkers, but also the birthplace of democracy. Sparta was run by an oligarchy of a few powerful and very wealthy families. Spartans, however, left very few writings, and very few artifacts behind, so most of what we know about Sparta today has come from enemies and visitors.
In Spartan society, only 10 percent of men had full citizenship. Citizenship was gained at the age of thrity. Their only job was to be soldiers in the army. They weren't allowed to persue other jobs and occupations. Spartan soldiers ate their meals in an army mess hall, away from their families, where the food was deliberately bad-tasting.
Sparta had very harsh laws. For example, all newborn babies were inspected by the government, and if they looked unhealthy, they were left on a mountain to die. Also, boys left their homes at the age of seven, when they started training with other children their age. The conditions for them were very difficult. They were beaten, but were expected not to show any suffering or pain. They were provided with very limited amount of food. Girls were also had very difficult training, becuase it was believed that fit women are more likely to give birth to healthy offspring.
Women in Sparta had much more freedom then other women in Greece. They could be owners of land, run businesses, etc.
Beside the women and male citizens of Sparta, there were two other types of people, and those were the perioeci and the helots. The perioeci were the people who lived in towns around Sparta, and provided food for the Spartans. They had no rights whatsoever, but could grow rich as traders or craftsmen. The helots were slaves, and they were owned by Sparta. Their job was to work at the farms of Sparta, and they were treated very cruelly.
After the Peloponnesian War in 404 B.C.E., Sparta beat Athens, and became the most powerful city-state. But, in 371 B.C.E. the city-state of Thebes beat the Spartan army, and Sparta collapsed.
Price, Sean. The Ancient World. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. The Spartan Way
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