Greek Polis Paper

Ancient Greek Polis: Sparta
Allison Jimenez
In ancient Greece, the city-state of Sparta was situated in the southeast Peloponnese. By
enslaving the adjacent territory of Messenia, Sparta expanded until it was comparable in size to
the city-states of Athens and Thebes. They were distinguished from other Greek city-states by
their martial culture and caste system. Sparta was renowned for its phalanx-style fighting, which
included the use of spears, shields, and hoplite armor. Despite taking in this population, Sparta
1
did not incorporate the vanquished people into its culture.
Social classes existed in Spartan culture, and conquered individuals were not granted
citizenship or political rights. A group known as the helots was much lower than the populace
that had been captured. Helots were in charge of taking care of the Spartans' daily needs,
including farming. Spartan citizens needed this assistance since they were purely concerned with
politics, military training, and athletics. Sparta was controlled by two kings from two distinct
houses. This made it possible for the other monarch to rule the city even when one went on a
military expedition. In addition to acting as judges and conducting public gatherings, an elder
council provided advice to the kings.
“Military activity was essential to Sparta. At the age of seven, boys left home to begin
training at a military academy called an agoge.”2 For the past two and a half millennia, ancient
Sparta has been portrayed as the unrivaled warrior city-state where every male was brought up to
battle to the death. The legendary act of bravery performed by Leonidas, king of Sparta and hero
of the renowned Battle of Thermopylae (480 B.C. ), is credited with giving the story of Sparta's
martial ability a great deal of its power. More than 7,000 Greeks were killed by the Persian Army
1
Geographic, National. "Sparta." National Geographic Sparta. Last modified May 20, 2022.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/sparta/.
2
Geographic, National. "Sparta." National Geographic Sparta. Last modified May 20, 2022.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/sparta/.
during the conflict, including 300 Spartans, who are commonly and wrongly believed to have
been the only Greeks present. The Persian Army then captured and burned Athens.
Leonidas and his troops fought to the death despite being outnumbered and outflanked,
exemplifying Herodotus' proclamation that the Spartan soldiers would "abide at their posts and
there conquer or die." Our perception of the actual Sparta has long been clouded by this one
instance of selfless bravery.
Actually, Spartans were just as liable to be dishonest and cowardly, to capitulate or run
away, as any other ancient Greek. We are blind to the true ancient Spartans because of the
super-warrior myth, which was most recently reinforced by the special effects spectacular 300, in
which Leonidas, who was 60 at the time of the conflict, was presented as a hot 36-year-old. They
were flawed, human beings with flaws whose biographies teach us valuable lessons about
bravery, military ingenuity, and all-too-human mistakes. “There is King Agis II, who bungled
various maneuvers against the forces of Argos, Athens and Mantinea at the Battle of Mantinea
(418 B.C.) but still managed to pull off a victory.” 3The illustrious Admiral Lysander's illustrious
military career came to an end in the war of Haliartus (395 B.C. ), where he lost his life after
rushing into war against Thebes, perhaps to steal honor from a local competitor. In the
Peloponnesian War (431–404 B.C. ), Callicratidas' pragmatism won crucial finance for the
Spartan Navy, but he made the fatal error of ordering his ship to ram the Athenians' during the
Battle of Arginusae.
Sparta was a city-state governed by a variety of individuals and organizations, including
two kings, democratically elected overseers, and an elder council that was chosen for life. Its
caste system was generally divided into three major classes, each of which had a specific
3
Cole, Myke. Sparta Was Much More Than an Army of Super Warriors. N.p.: Smithsonian Magazine, 2021.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/sparta-much-more-army-warriors-180978583/.
location in and around Sparta. The Spartiates, the city-state's residents and warrior class,
occupied the city-state's core. The city-state's agriculture, which was managed by the helots, a
general term for the working class, surrounded it. Despite being slaves, the helots were able to
work and pay for their release. The merchant class, known as the perioikoi, also surrounded the
entire city-state of Sparta. “Though the perioikoi were free men, unlike the helots, they were not
considered citizens of Sparta and could not even marry into it, but they did have to serve as the
reserve forces of the Spartan military”4. The only Spartan caste members who were permitted to
leave the city-state and conduct business with other nations and peoples were known as
perioikoi. They also had the responsibility of maintaining and controlling the helot class. The
warrior class, known as Spartiates, were unable to leave the society's relative isolation without a
special permit.
4
Comunale, Joseph. "Sparta History and Facts." Spartan History. Last modified March 13, 2022.
https://study.com/learn/lesson/sparta-history-facts-ancient-greece.html#:~:text=Sparta%20is%20known%20for%20their,used%20
in%20the%20phalanx%20style.
Sources:
https://study.com/learn/lesson/sparta-history-facts-ancient-greece.html#:~:text=Sparta%20is%20
known%20for%20their,used%20in%20the%20phalanx%20style.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/sparta/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/sparta-much-more-army-warriors-180978583/

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Ancient Greek Polis: Sparta

council provided advice to the kings.

instance of selfless bravery.

Sparta was a city-state governed by a variety of individuals and organizations, including

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