Spartans

Sparta was a warrior society in ancient Greece that reached the height of its power after defeating rival city-state Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.). Although Spartan women were not active in the military, they were educated and enjoyed more status and freedom than other Greek women. Spartan men were professional soldiers, all manual labor was done by a slave class, the Helots. Sparta, also known as Lacedaemon, was an ancient Greek city-state located primarily in the present-day region of southern Greece called Laconia. 

The word Spartan means self-restrained, simple, frugal and austere. The word Iaconic, means pithy ad concise, is from the Spartans, who prized brevity of speech.The Helots, whose name means “captives,” were fellow Greeks, originally from Laconia and Messenia, who had been conquered by the Spartans and turned into slaves.The women played a big role in the Spartans.Spartan women had a reputation for being independent-minded, and enjoyed more freedoms and power than their counterparts throughout ancient Greece.While women played no role in the military, female Spartans often received a formal education, although separate from boys and not at boarding schools. Marriage was important to Spartans, as the state put pressure on people to have male children who would grow up to become citizen-warriors, and replace those who died in battle.

Spartan society was carefully constructed around a strict moral code and sense of duty, and its people underwent extreme hardships and deprivation on their way to becoming accepted as full citizens. Infanticide was a disturbingly common act in the ancient world, but in Sparta this practice was organized and managed by the state. All Spartan infants were brought before a council of inspectors and examined for physical defects, and those who weren’t up to standards were left to die. If a Spartan baby was judged to be unfit for its future duty as a soldier, it was most likely abandoned on a nearby hillside. Left alone, the child would either die of exposure or be rescued and adopted by strangers.

At the age of 7, Spartan boys were removed from their parents’ homes and began the “agoge,” a state-sponsored training regimen designed to mold them into skilled warriors and moral citizens. At age 12, initiates were deprived of all clothing save for a red cloak and forced to sleep outside and make their own beds from reeds. To ready them for a life in the field, the boy soldiers were also encouraged to scavenge and even steal their food, though if detected they were punished with floggings.

This link will take you to a short video about the Spartans.

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/sparta/videos/deconstructing-history-spartans

Sources:

Andrews, Evan. “8 Reasons It Wasn't Easy Being Spartan.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 5 Mar. 2013,                   www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-reasons-it-wasnt-easy-being-spartan.

History.com Staff. “Sparta.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/sparta.