Verified Document

Institute Such Strict Military Controls Sparta's Militarism Essay

Related Topics:

¶ … institute such strict military controls? Sparta's militarism and commitment to maintaining a standing army was no accident. "Sparta seems to have developed gradually as a practical response to unusual circumstances," ("History of Sparta," n.d.). "The evolution of the Spartan army began during the heroic Mycenaean age (1600 BCE to 1100 BCE), a time in Greek history when tactics were simple and warriors sought individual glory (and fought out of formation)," ("The Spartan Military," 2010). Moreover, the Dorians staged frequent invasions into the area. Sparta needed to protect its borders. By the 8th century B.C.E., Spartan leaders realized the value of a standing army and implemented one in the interests of what can be called national security. Later, Spartan militarism would threaten Athenian dominance. Sparta found itself in the situation of needing to institute strict military controls as a matter of self-preservation.

One reason why Sparta instituted strict military controls was that they could; it was a matter of convenience and...

The Peloponnesian state already had at its disposal a fairly large and healthy labor force. But by invading neighboring regions, the Spartans were able to expand its population and create an army built partly on slave labor. The acquisition of slaves led to a self-perpetuating cycle of militarism. The slaves, or helots, eventually organized rebellions strong enough to prompt the transformation of Sparta into a police state and military superpower. Sparta developed a powerful militaristic society but created with it "the permanent danger that the helots will rise in revolt against their military masters. On several occasions they do so. The constant threat prevents this rigid society from relaxing or developing," ("History of Sparta," n.d.). Thus, Sparta needed to institute strict military controls as a matter of domestic security and foreign policy.
Encounters with Messenians seriously sparked Sparta's burgeoning militarism. The Messenians, a Mycenaean-speaking Greek people, encroached upon the Peloponnesian peninsula. Sparta emerged…

Sources used in this document:
References

Gill, N.H. (n.d.). Sparta: A Military State. Retrieved online: http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/sparta/a/spartamilitstat.htm

"History of Sparta," (n.d.). History World. Retrieved online: http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac44

Sekunda, N. (1998). The Spartan Army. Osprey.

"The Spartan Military," (2010). Ancient Military.com. Retrieved online: http://www.ancientmilitary.com/spartan-military.htm
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Spartan Women and the Downfall
Words: 1548 Length: 5 Document Type: Thesis

In conclusion, based on the available historical evidence concerning ancient Sparta and its culture and the viewpoints of Aristotle, the Spartan women obviously played a major role in the downfall of the Spartan empire; however, like related historical events, one cannot place all of the blame on this role, for there is certainly a conglomerate of reasons why Sparta failed to survive as a major Greek polis. In basic terms,

Spartan Army
Words: 915 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Spartan Army by Nick Sekunda attempts to give as in-depth account as possible of the ancient Spartan society's military code of conduct and way of life. Particular detail is given to military dress, weapons, and uniforms, as well as the history and geography of this ancient Greek city-state, and is methods of training its citizen-warriors. Sparta was one of the major powers of ancient Greece, but unlike its ally during

Compare and Contrast the Spartan and Athenian Constitutional and...
Words: 1607 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Spartan and Athenian constitutional and political systems. In the first part, an introduction of Athens and Sparta has been given. In the second part, both the forms of governments in Spartan and Athenian lands have been discussed. In the final part, a summary of the differences and similarities between the political systems of the two poleis have been included. Ancient Greece is well-known as the starting point of western civilization.

Ancient History What Constitutes a Spartan Indeed,
Words: 1279 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Ancient History What constitutes a Spartan? Indeed, what characteristics are exemplary of a Spartan? According to Steven Pressfied in his work, "Gates of Fire," Spartans are synonymous with the term warrior. So much so in fact, that one is likely to find the word Spartan in the thesaurus when researching the term "warrior." In his book, Pressfield provides the reader with very detailed and accurate descriptions of the ideal Spartan, as

Leonidas the Spartans: The World of the
Words: 2084 Length: 7 Document Type: Book Review

Leonidas The Spartans: The World of the Warrior Heroes of Ancient Greece Paul Cartledge's book known as The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece is by far one of the most intriguing books about one of the most looked at civilizations of ancient Greece. It brings to light new thoughts on the civilization that was known as a pure warrior society (Cartledge, 2004). Cartledge asks the question known as

Accuracies in the Snyder's Film Herodotus and
Words: 1593 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Accuracies in the Snyder's Film Herodotus and Zac Snyder have at least one thing in common: they both portray the ancient Persians in very unflattering terms. The grim, ghastly, almost monstrously barbaric (yet weirdly effeminate) features of the Persian leader Xerxes is one of the most visually arresting elements of Snyder's film 300 (based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller). How historically accurate is the film? Considering the fact

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now