Ancient Sparta

A detailed Summary of Ancient Sparta

Imagine. War is your only goal. War is your only purpose in life. The first memories of your entire life are all overshadowed with the theme of war. As a teenager you went through rigorous skill tests to improve and fine-tune your body and mind. It is never mentioned whom exactly you are training for, yet that never seems to matter. All that matters is you are ready for who or whatever threatens your city. You goal in life is to fight in a war and to kill, or die with honor. There is only one possible place and time you could be living in: Ancient Greece, in the land of Sparta.

Ancient Greece had many different peoples all with very different mentalities. One of the main groups, the Athenians, was based on freedom and individuality. Yet one of the most interesting peoples of ancient Greece was based on an ideology far from the practice of the Athenians. This group of people prided themselves on their strict behavior and mindset. They were a people of war. From birth till death their whole life was war and how to fight in war or how to prepare for one. This group of people was known as the Spartans and they lived in the powerful city of Sparta. Much that is written or said about Sparta is critical of how they practiced their cult

There were three main classes of people in Sparta. The upper class was called the Spartiate, or native Spartan. Spartiates could trace their entire histories back to an original inhabitant of the city. Spartiates served in the army and enjoyed the full political and legal rights of the state. The middle class was the Perioeci, also called "dwellers around or about." These were foreign people who served as a type of medium between the Spartiates and the helots. Since they were important to the function of the city Perioeci were accorded a great deal of freedom. Perioeci's main job was trade and commerce, and therefore was a main source of wealth for the city. The lowest class of people was the helots, who were barely even considered people and did slave work. This class system used in Sparta was very typical of the times.

Unfortunately for historians, the Spartans did not leave much literature and art behind to be studied. What is known of Spartan art and literature is almost as impressive as their physical abilities. Their architecture was equal or better than anyone else's at the time. "Although Spartans were proud to say they built their monuments "in flesh" - meaning that the virtue and courage of its citizens were the greatest monuments any city could possess - they were not lacking in architectural and artistic achievements." Their music and dance was also well known throughout the entire ancient world. While education did not seem to be Sparta's main focus, scholars such as Plato and Aristotle praised their educational system. Sparta was also very influential in the politics of the times. Sparta, on numerous occasions, would intervene on other city-states that were being overtaken by tyrants and restore democracy.

One thing Sparta is well known for was its hatred of Athens, a nearby ancient city. These two city-states were bitter rivals. Sparta was a war-like city based on a physically tou

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Approximate Word count = 1299
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History