Sparta

Sparta or Lacedemonia , located on top of the Eurotas river valley on the Peloponnese peninsula, specifically in the Laconia region , becoming its capital.The land of the region was characterized by being very mountainous with winding valleys and separated by the buttresses that reach the seashore. Two mountain ranges cross its territory , these are oriented in in parallel, Mount Taigeto and Parnon, between the two runs the river Eurotas and on its banks the City of Sparta was built.

Sparta | History of the City State of Sparta

Sparta is a city of Greece, located on the edges of the river Eurotas, in the southeast of the Peloponnese region.It was one of the most important city states of Ancient Greece Sparta emerged in the mid-ninth century BC

During the Mycenaean era, there were two urban centers Amiclas and Terapne south of the nascent Sparta /strong In this latter city they found sanctuaries dedicated to King Menelau and his wife of Helena, characters from Homer's Iliad.As in other places in Greece, Laconia suffered a decrease in its population at the end of the Mycenaean era, in the 10th century BC, the region had fallen into the hands of the Dorians.strong In the ninth century BC, four villages of Laconia they had joined to found or establish Sparta, /strong later in the 8th century BC, the city of Amiclas was included within Sparta./p p em The increase of strong population and the land scarcity /strong /em, they threw serious problems, strong the solution /strong that Sparta adopted was a strong military response, /strong in contradiction to what other cops had done Greeks, using the foundation of colonies./p p Sparta strong I choose to conquer the neighboring territories /strong, getting to conquer the entire plain of Laconia at the end of the 8th century BC /p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b147c66ac8.jpg" alt="Sparta" p In the fight for dominance in the Peloponnese, strong Sparta had a rival in the city ​​of Argos /strong, a city located northeast of Sparta, worse this does not stop the Spartans, managing to conquer the neighboring strong city of Messinia, /strong region located southwest of the Peloponnese.Peloponnese peninsula was divided between strong Sparta, Laconia, Elide and Arcadia./strong About 700 BC, two hundred years later, conquered its other neighbors by the military or diplomatic route, strong forming League of Peloponnese./strong /p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b147f52d17.jpg" alt="Sparta" p At the end of the century strong VI BC /strong., the city of strong Sparta had become the most powerful state of the Peloponnese /strong and exercised its hegemony over Argos, the next city in importance.I also found other weight allies, such as strong Corinth and Elis, /strong freeing Corinth from tyranny and helping Elis ensure control of the Olympic Games.The same policy favored other incorporations, until practically the entire Peloponnese was part of the alliance./p p In the year strong 570 BC, /strong a t strong initiative to conquer Arcadia, /strong which at that time was a prefecture of Greece, in the Peloponnese region, strong led to failure /strong, with Sparta having to modify its policy in the direction of diplomacy./p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b1482a2cfb.jpg "alt=" Sparta " p Ruins City of Arcadia /p p Most of the states of the Peloponnese would integrate to this league, with the exception of Argos.During the Persian wars, Sparta led the forces that had defended Greece by land, while Athens defended it by the sea./p p Related to power, strong Athens was Sparta's main rival /strong and the one that would lead the city-states of Greece in the fight against the Persian invaders, in 480 BC /p p With the end of the medical war, strong the relations between Es Split and Athens /strong em had deteriorated too much, /em culminating in strong the Peloponnesian War, years 431-404 B.C., /strong with the result of victory in favor of the Spartans./p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b14856b0db.jpg" alt="Sparta" p The defeat of Athens meant that it was Sparta who virtually ruled all of ancient Greece, but strong in 371 BC, /strong the strong other member states /strong of the league, strong rebelled /strong, defeating Sparta, although he still maintained an important military force./pp em Descriptively, /em Sparta is located in a region of land appropriate for the cultivation of the vine and the olive tree.In ancient times it was a city of militaristic and oligarchic character, strong I never developed an important urban area /strong.The Sparta government had as its strong non-main objectives to make its citizens models of soldiers, /strong well trained physically, courageous and obedient to laws and authorities./p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b14883684c.jpg" alt="Sparta" p Spartan Soldier /p p In Sparta the men were in their mostly soldiers and were responsible for the advancement of military techniques, improving military development.They organized an intense discipline never seen since then, as we will see later./p p strong The Constitution of Sparta, /strong according to tradition, it was written by strong the legislator named Licurgo, /strong who would have lived in the strong century IX BC /strong/p p In 1834, em the government then of the Kingdom of Greece /em established the em modern city of Sparta, /em occupying part of ancient Sparta, being the capital of the department of emLaconia./em/p h2 Sparta | Political Organization /h2 p em strong Both the political and educational system is owed to the mythical Licurgo /strong /em.Licurgo was em uncle and regent of King Leonidas I of Sparta./em Called by the Pythia "God more than man", strong receiving an oracle that allowed him to create the constitution of the city, the "Great Retro" /strong, inspired by the Cretan laws.em Possibly it was never written and had to be elaborated during the Messenian wars, /em that caused the crisis to the whole city, no matter the em social status./em /p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b148ad79fd.jpg "alt=" Sparta " p strong In order to guarantee their livelihood, the" eunomia "was instituted, /strong which was a em system whereby everyone was equal before the law /em, in order to calm down, privilege and discontent.But the "eunomia" was not only equality, but strong also entailed discipline /strong, all members of the city were forced to do s acrificio, the crown, the aristocracy and the people./p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b148e2cab2.jpg" alt="Sparta" p em strong Ruins Sparta /strong /em /p p strong The system sought to coexist the various political systems /strong known in Greece, such as the em diarchy (where there are two kings), the oligarchy (senate or council of elders), tyranny (with the governing council of the "eforos") and democracy (the popular assembly)./em /p h2 Sparta | The Government of Sparta /h2 p According to Spartan legislation, the government was made up of the following bodies: strong the kings, the senate, the assembly and the eforos./strong /p h3 The Kings /h3 p strong At the head of the State /strong were strong two hereditary kings /strong, belonging to two dynastic families that were believed descendants of Heracles (Hercules )./p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b1490b5e3d.jpg" alt="Sparta" p em strong Leonidas I of Sparta /strong /em /p p em strong The kings enjoyed honors, but no power./strong /em One of them was the high priest and in peacetime his role was exclusively religious, offering the sacrifices to the gods in the name of the people.The other was the army chief, in time of war, directed the military operations and gave the signal of combat.This dual system guaranteed good governance, each king countered the power of the other./p h3 The Senate /h3 p strong Also called Gerusia /strong, was made up of twenty-eight members all strong of honorable families of Spartans, over sixty years of age /strong.They were em elected by the assembly and with a lifelong character./em /p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b149327b2c.jpg "alt=" Sparta " p em strong Gerusia /strong /em /p p The Senate strong had legislative functions /strong (they created the laws).The Senate eventually subtracted the powers of government from the kings who ultimately maintained only the military headquarters./p h3 Assembly /h3 p strong Formed by all citizens over thirty years of age /strong, with the exception of the periecos and ilotas /em.The Assembly strong appointed the senators Yeforos, /strong approved or rejected the laws presented by the Senate./p h3 LosEforos /h3 p em strong There were five magistrates elected by the Assembly /strong /em, which had the mission of em to prevent any change in the political structure, to protect the privileges of the ruling class against kings, periecos and ilotas./em /p img src="//serviciodeviajes.com/seo4/img/5d5b1496a1a40.jpg "alt=" Sparta " p em strong The 5Forums /strong /em /p p strong Loseforos /strong also strong should ensure the education of youth and the maintenance of order./stro ng> lastly, they summoned the assembly and forced the kings and officials to account, their mandate lasted only one year, at the end of which they held accounts of their administration.

Sparta | Social Organization

The invasion of the dorios caused the separation of Spartan society into three large classes , clearly differentiated by ethnic, political, economic and cultural reasons. These classes were: the Spartans or the same, the periecos or laconios and the ilotas.

The Spartans or the same

They were the first social class. They were the descendants of the Dorians, the dominators of the first settlers. They formed a true aristocracy . Thanks to the reforms of Lycurgus, all were equal in rank and fortune.

They were the only ones who could choose and be chosen. They should not execute any kind of work, except their constant preparation for war and certain functions p olitic This privileged minority dominated the city and accumulated all rights.

Los Periecos or Laconios

They formed the second social class, less than Spartan, but with certain limited rights since they were free men and retained ownership of the land in exchange for an annual tribute, but could not participate in the government.

Taxes for land ownership

These were only the former owners of the land, submitted peacefully.They engaged in artisanal, industrial, agricultural and commercial work or were free workers, but with the obligation to pay taxes. They must fulfill military service in time of war .

The Ilotas

They were the property of the nation, a kind of servants of the State made available to the pa rticulars to work the land .They were forbidden to leave the land, but they could not be fired either.

His luck was better than that of a slave, They could have a house and live with their family on the plot that was to be cultivated.

Only was obliged to provide each year to the owner a certain amount of wheat, wine and oil .They were not mistreated since the State in time of peace I needed them for agriculture and in time of war they should defend the Spartans.

Sparta | The Spartan Army

The military force in the city state of Sparta, was the Spartan army , a military force that became one of the most important in the history of ancient Greece They constituted the main pillar of the state , the main obligation of its citizens was to become magnificent soldiers.

The military training was exercised since childhood, were the most disciplined, trained and trained soldiers feared of ancient Greece.Between the 6th and 4th centuries BC, at the peak of Sparta, it was totally accepted in Greece that a Spartan soldier is worth what several men of any state.

The Army in the Mycenaean Era

We have to go back to the Iliad to find the first reference that has come to us about the Spartans in the war.Like the Other armies of the Mycenaean civilization, the Spartan army was mainly composed of infantry , which was equipped with short spears, swords and the characteristic Greek shield or dyplon.

The stories that have come to us from that time, offer us a kind of heroic court war, based in tactics that sometimes meant little more than a general burden.Most casualties occurred when one of the two armies rented fled in disarray, at which time the e the winning army could pursue them to kill the soldiers while they retired .In these "heroic wars" described by Homer in the Iliad , the use of the bow looked like an effeminate weapon.

Not all the troops had war tanks , these were used by the elites.It seems that they were only used to transport the warrior to the site of the battle.Then he got out of the car and fought on foot, if necessary, the soldier could return to take the reins of the car to get away from the car.combat or move to another point.There are other stories in which the warriors threw their spears against the enemy at the right time to dismount the car.

The Spartan Hegemony Over the Peloponnese

The two powers in the Peloponnese region were Argos and Sparta , and it was a matter of time before they both collided.I lie on the side of Argos, after his victory in the battle Hysias. This Spartan defeat was the trigger of the Second Messenian War , which occupied the Spartan army for almost twenty years.

Throughout the 6th century BC, Sparta would ensure its control over the Peloponnesian peninsula , Arcadia being forced to recognize Spartan supremacy , Argos He lost the city of Cinuria and suffered a severe blow at the hands of Cleomenes I in the battle of Sepea in 494.Meanwhile, a series of Spartan expeditions against the tyrannies served to greatly increase his military prestige.

At the beginning of the 5th century BC, Sparta was the undisputed power of southern Greece , and it held the hegemony of the newly created Peloponnesian League, better known to its contemporaries as the "Lacedemonios and their allies".

Wars against Persia and the Peloponnesian Wars

At the end of In the 6th century BC, Sparta was already considered the most important state city in Greece. King Creso de Lidia , signed an alliance with Sparta, for later, the Greek cities of Asia Minor went to Sparta for help in the Ionian revolt.

In the second Persian invasion, led by Xerxes I, Sparta received the title of general leadership of the Greek forces on land and sea.This is why the Spartans played a crucial role in the expulsion of the invaders, especially in the battle of Thermopylae and Platea.

However, the agreements of the General Pausanias With the Persians and the lack of interest of the Spartans in fighting far from their land, this caused them to withdraw to a kind of relative isolation, which meant that it was the city of Athens that assume command in the effort against the Persians.

The isolationist tendency of Sparta was strengthened by the revolts of some of its allies and by a major earthquake in 464 BC , which was followed by a large-scale revolt of the Messenian hilotas.

Later, the growth of Athens as a power would lead to the consequent friction between the two cities, which in turn would lead to two large-scale conflicts, the First and Second Peloponnesian War, that devastated Greece.

Sparta suffered a series of hard military coups in these wars, including the first case of surrender of a Spartan unit completed in the battle of Esfacteria in 425 BC ., but they finally achieved victory thanks to the help of the Persians.Under the command of Lisandro, the Peloponnesian fleet, financed with Persian money, captured the cities of the Athenian alliance and achieved the decisive naval victory of Egospotamos that forced the Athenians to surrender.The war left Sparta in possession of hegemony over the whole of Greece.

L to Spartan Egemony

This hegemonic situation of the state of Sparta over the other states of Greece did not last too long.The great casualties that he had suffered during the Peloponnesian Wars, and The conservative mentality and too narrow-minded, on other occasions, caused the alignment of many of its allies.The city state of Thebes, faced Sparta several times , doubting its authority.The war of Corinth with a humiliating Peace of Antalcidas, imposed by Persia, ended up destroying Sparta's reputation.

It was no longer the protective Sparta of the independence of the Greek state cities. The Spartan military prestige suffered even more when a contingent of 600 men were totally decimated by peltastas, light troops. Sparta was unable to project his power for over the whole of Greece.

Sparta suffered from shortage of military human resources that was aggravated by her refusal to reform and update the army to solve this problem.The consequence of this was that the force of Sparta collapsed after the disastrous defeat before the Tebana force in the battle of Leuctra, in 371 BC the battle meant the loss of numerous spartiates who were the citizen troops of Sparta that had lower rank than the hoplite, and the end of his Messenian control.

Sparta | Education in Sparta

Spartan education, agoge , education system introduced by Licurgo, was mandatory, collective, public and intended in principle for the children of citizens , although as recorded in some writings, sometimes it was necessary to admit ilotas or periecos.Education in Sparta was conditioned by his ideal of life was in charge of the government and the ultimate was to form obedient citizens and perfect warriors.

When a child was born was submitted to the Review Board, advice that after reviewing the child decided whether it was healthy or weak and deformed.In the case that the child was not healthy, was considered a useless mouth and was thrown into the abyss from the Taigeto mountain . Children who deserved to live were delivered to their pad res so that they were responsible for making them strong until age 7, the age at which children became protected by the State, under the care and supervision of pedagogues.

Monte Taigeto, weak and deformed children were thrown

They were taught to hunt and fight , were subjected to gradual physical exercises, in disciplines such as jumping, running, launching disc and javelin, to ride and bear the fatigue and the blows.

In addition to a physical preparation the Spartans, received spiritual preparation, read, write and recite poems of Homer. To dispute the title of champion, they had to submit annually to the scourges, in front of the altar of the Goddess Artemis, the aspirant could not utter no complaints, if you wanted to get the title.

At 17, the Spartans accessed the army , under oath of loyalty, fidelity to the homeland, to the gods and to the laws. When they turned 30, they were allowed to enter the Assembly of the Citizens, although they were not free from military service until they were 60.Once they joined the Assembly, they could get married.

Young people were instilled in civility, respecting the authorities , cowardice was the greatest shame for a Spartan family, maternal love strengthened patriotism, even they even said goodbye to the children who went to war with phrases like "return with your shield or on your shield, if your sword is short, you will take another step in combat, don't stop ».

Gynocide, place for women in the home

As far as girls' education is concerned , it was aimed at creating strong and healthy mothers , apt to beget vigorous children, so he also insisted on physical education, as well as the systematic repression of personal feelings for the good of the city. It ended at the age of fourteen or fifteen years , age at which married a soldier and went from public to private life .

Sparta | Religion

Religion was a very important factor in the city of Sparta.A large number of shrines and temples distributed as follows:

• 43 Temples dedicated to deities
• 22 Temples dedicated to heroes
• 15 Statues of gods
• 4 Altars

To this list it is necessary to add the many funerary monuments, since in Sparta the dead were buried inside the walls, even reaching that some of these monuments functioned as places of worship .Because they worshiped a lot of gods were Polytheists.

Sparta-Religion | Religious Divinities

Female goddesses or deities s play in Sparta a very important role since of the fifty temples mentioned by the philosopher Pausanias, thirty and four were dedicated to goddesses.

The goddess Athena was the most adored of all. The god Apollo had some temple , but the importance of the god was crucial as it played a vital role in all Spartan celebrations, being the most important monument in Laconia the Throne of Apollo.

Altar of Apollo

A distinctive stroke of the Spartan religion was the worship or the cult of the heroes of the Trojan War .Philosophers like Anaxagora, already wrote about worship as if it were a God, Achilles, having two sanctuaries dedicated to him. The characters of Troy a were also honored in Sparta, heroes like Agamenon, Cassandra, Clitemnestra, Menelaus and Helena.

Among the gods that Sparta worshiped were the Dioscuros, d the famous heroes, twin sons of Leda and brothers of Helena de Troya and Clitemestra, these two famous heroes called Castor and Polux or Polideuco. In Latin they were known as Gemini, «Twins» or as Beavers.

The duality of characters was reminiscent of the existence of two kings in Sparta.Many miracles were assigned, especially related to the defense of the Spartans army, they even sent representations of enanfora twins that were taken to the battlefield next to the Kings.

Finally, Heracles , for the Romans Hercules, was in Sparta a kind of "national hero" according to the tradition, since he was a hero who would have helped I will try to regain his throne.

Sparta-Religion | Divine Sacrifices

L the priests played an important role in Sparta. The Kings should be present to carry out the public sacrifices, the priests were in charge to perform them especially in times of war.

Sparta also provided worship to the Dioscuros

Before a military expedition, a sacrifice was made in honor of Zeus, while the sacrifice was repeated on the battlefield in honor of Zeua, Athena and Ares, to have the favor Divine of the God of war.

Several anecdotes show that Spartans show respect for divine signs or signs, to the point of leaving the battlefield against unfavorable omens, such as earthquakes.