Ancient Sparta, one of the Greek state states, became a symbol of strength, masculinity and inflexibility. The whole world knows the feat of three hundred Spartans, who stopped the huge Persian army in the Thermopyllian Gorge. Of course, during this time history has grown into fables, but historians and archaeologists claim that all the information we know about harsh Spartans is pure truth.
Ancient Sparta was one of the few cities in Greece that did not have fortress walls for a long time. The townspeople claimed that the best defense was not fortress walls, but the courage of its inhabitants. Later, the walls were still built. It occupied an area of 1182 km². This is about one and a half times larger than the area of modern Singapore. In addition to 300 Spartans, other Greeks took part in the famous Battle of Thermopylae. The number 300 is more likely for beauty. After the main forces of the Greeks retreated, about 500 people remained under the command of King Leonidus. From the very birth of children in Sparta, they were subjected to various tests. If the council of elders found any physical disabilities in the baby, he was left to die in the wild. Spartan parents taught babies not to be afraid of darkness and loneliness, so their cry was ignored. At the age of 7, the Spartan boys were taken from their home for military service. It was called “agoge”. At the same time, the girls remained with their parents. Clothing young Spartans were allowed to wear only 12 years old. At the same time, they slept on cold ground, right on the street. The ability to steal in Sparta was welcomed among young men who were specially not given enough food, thereby encouraging them to steal it. But those who were caught were flogged. In Sparta, a unique system of government, a gerontocracy, has developed. In addition to the kings, she was ruled by geronts, that is, older people who were elected for life. There were always exactly 28. There were always two kings in Ancient Sparta, and they came from one dynasty. In the event of war, one of them went to fight, and the second remained in the city.
Sparta was located in the Laconia region, and it was thanks to its inhabitants that the word “laconicism” appeared. When Philip of Macedon, father of Alexander of Macedon, approached the walls of Sparta, he sent a message to the townspeople, which said: “I conquered all of Greece, I have the best army in the world. Surrender, because if I seize Sparta by force, if I break her gate, if I smash its walls with rams, I will mercilessly destroy the entire population and raze the city to the ground! ” To which the Spartans sent the shortest known answer: “If”. At the age of 20, young men who survived studies at the agoge were declared full-fledged citizens – spartariates. Finally, all the rights and obligations of the Spartans received in 30 years. One of those rights or duties was the requirement to marry soon. The country needed to be replaced by those killed in numerous wars. The only profession the Spartan boy could count on in the future was the warrior profession. All Spartans were considered military liable until the age of 60. The rest of the work fell on the shoulders of prisoners of war and simply “inferior” citizens, unsuitable for the army. According to the law of Sparta of those times, only two categories of people deserved the right to perpetuate their names on tombstones – women who died during childbirth and men who lay down their heads in battle.
The famous Spartan legislator Lycurgus decided that the government system he created should be respected forever. To do this, he took a desperate step – went on a trip to the city of Delphi, taking an oath from the inhabitants of Sparta that before his return they would not change any of the existing laws. To bind this oath of the Spartans forever, Lycurgus starved himself to starvation at Delphi. Mental activities in Sparta were not encouraged. People who tried to deal with them were declared cowards and driven out. Over the centuries of its existence, Sparta has not given Greece a single philosopher, speaker, historian or poet. Spartans often forced helots (second-class citizens) to get drunk, sing obscene songs and dance obscene dances. In this example, they demonstrated to young people what a drunk person turns into. Tough parenting measures were not limited to boys. Sparta was an exclusively military country. The daughters of the Spartariates also passed the facilitated science of military life, were distinguished by a strong physique and were able to fight. The armament of the Spartan was a spear, a short sword, a round shield, a helmet, a shell and greaves. The total weight of weapons reached 30 kg. Excess weight was considered a vice in Sparta. Spartan feasts were notable for their paucity of poverty, and obese people were condemned to the point that they could be expelled from the city.
