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 the Persian Wars and adversary during the Peloponnesian Wars, Athens, it did not have a democratic system of government. Rather, it was a military, collective dictatorship where young men were reared from birth to be warriors and servants of a proud and cohesive military state. Spartan women were reared to be mothers of great soldiers, and were famously said to tell their sons leaving for battle to either come back with their shields (victorious) or on their shields (dead) (29).
Analysis
The author paints a thought picture of Spartan fighting techniques, lifestyle, and dress. There are many illustrations to substantiate his archeological claims about common dress, as well as citations from contemporary authors, many of whom were not Spartans themselves but were fascinated by the Spartan's apparently strange way of structuring and governing their lives. He analyzes how Spartans were alternately feared, despised, and respected by their fellow Greeks for their dedication to a military...
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 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, 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
Ancient Sparta The city of Sparta is located along the Eurotas River, in the southern Greek island of Peloponnesus. Today, the city serves as the capital of the Lakonia province and is home to a few thousand people and ruins of temples and ancient public buildings. The appearance of modern Sparta belies its importance in antiquity. Ancient Sparta was the most powerful and important Greek city-state at the conclusion of the Peloponnesian
Thucydides was an Athenian, but had very little reason for offering a distorted view of the war that was eventually won by Sparta. Jackson states, "Thucydides was an active participant in Athens for a time, he had a network of contacts, while banished to Thrace he observed the war there first hand, and as an Athenian exile he traveled along the Peloponnese" (Jackson, p.175). Thucydides wrote of a Sparta that
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),"
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