The Importance Of Ancient Spartan Militarism - 833 Words

Ancient Spartan militarism led to Sparta being a large military power in Ancient Greece, but the strict restrictions on citizenship led to the decline and destruction of the city-state. The overly strict requirements combined with a string of military defeats led to a weakened state from which the Spartan government could not recover from. This led to Sparta becoming a second rate power in Greece until its destruction at the hands of the Roman imperial army at the battle of Adrianople. Spartan militarism came into being when a man known as Lycurgus the Lawgiver reformed Sparta. During the seventh and eighth centuries BC, Sparta experienced extended periods of lawlessness and civil strife. Lycurgus studied the governments of the†¦show more content†¦When they are in the agoge they are treated horribly, required to go barefoot and underfed. There were three main reasons for under feeding them. One was to get used to going without food so they could go on extended campaigns wit h minimal supplies. Another was to force them to steal to boost their survival skills. The third was to weed out the weak from them so none made it into the military (Cutler). The Spartans also used the boys to terrorize and control the helot, or slave, population (Ancient Military.com). The slave population of Sparta was used to do the day to day activities the Spartan citizens saw as beneath them. They were farmers, servants, nurses, military attendants, and other unskilled workers (History.com). The helot population outnumbered the citizen population significantly. Because of this, the citizen population was allowed to treat the helot population brutally and oppressively. They often got the helots debilitatingly drunk so they made fools of themselves in public (History.com). On the harsher side of things, Spartans could kill the helots for trifle things such as being to athletic or to smart (History.com), and there was an annual holiday where the citizen population declared ritua listic against the helot population, which meant all crimes against them were legal (Ancient Military.com). These measures were put in place to keep the helot population living in fear, and toShow MoreRelatedPlutarch, Lycurgus and Spartan Militarist Values1169 Words   |  5 PagesRunning head: PLUTARCH, LYCURGUS AND SPARTAN MILITARISM Plutarch, Lycurgus and Spartan Militarist Values Student Name The University of Southern Queensland APA PLUTARCH, LYCURGUS AND SPARTAN MILITARIST VALUES Militarist systems of government have been instituted in many nations around the world; however one of the earliest and most extreme examples of this system is that of Sparta. The Spartan State was a militaristic force to be reckonedRead MoreThe Life Of Spartan Women2027 Words   |  9 PagesThe lives of Spartan women were unusual in the sense that they were very different from those of other Greek women. In Athens, for instance, women were confined to the domicile and wore clothing that covered and hid their form. In Sparta, this was not the case at all. Sparta enjoyed communal ownership of property and all things, in essence, belonged to the State—men, women, children and goods. Thus, all were equal (or nearly so) before the State’s needs and women had more freedom to move aboutRead MoreEssay about Ancient History: Sparta 98% Assesment Mark6373 Words   |  26 PagesANCIENT HISTORY ASSESMENT: SPARTA By Jorge T What are the main features of Spartan government in the period to 500BC?: HOW SPARTAN CONSTITUTION/GOVERNMENT CAME TO BE: Throughout the Greek world at this time, a great period of expansion and colonization took place, chiefly due to land hunger. Sparta attacked neighboring Messenia and engaged in a series of wars, reducing the population to serfdom. The success in these wars enabled Sparta to double the agricultural resources. At some pointRead MoreEssay on the Role of Women in Ancient Greece14417 Words   |  58 Pagesâ€Å"Rulers ruled by women†: an economic analysis of the rise and fall of women’s rights in ancient Sparta Robert K. Fleck  · F. Andrew Hanssen Received: 10 January 2008 / Accepted: 27 May 2008 / Published online: 20 March 2009  © Springer-Verlag 2009 Abstract Until modern times, most women possessed relatively few formal rights. The women of ancient Sparta were a striking exception. Although they could not vote, Spartan women reportedly owned 40 percent of Sparta’s agricultural land, and enjoyed other