Max Arthur Team 6      Oct. 28, 2012

Sparta

This is my Sparta report.

In my report, I will be telling you about Sparta’s military system, family life and education, clothing and culture, agriculture and architecture, philosophy and theology, geography and stem.

I hope you like my report.

Spartan Military life:

The Spartan city state produced what is probably the most iconic military in ancient history. The ancient Spartan warriors were known for their bravery.  The Spartan’s took the rich lands of their neighbors and made those people slaves called Helots.

At age 20, the Spartan citizen began his membership in one of the Sissitia, it’s a group of about fifteen other warrior students. Every male citizen had to be a member and every group learned how to bond and rely on one another.  Spartan men stayed in the military reserve until age 60.

Family life:

The men were suppose to marry at age 20, but they were not allowed to live with their wife and kids until they got out of the active military at the age of 30.  When babies were born, the mothers would bath them in wine, if the baby survived , they were considered strong. Children that were considered puny or deformed would be tossed into a chasm. The mothers would take care of the family and property for the soldier husbands.

Education:

In ancient Sparta, boys at age 7 left home and entered the public education system called the Agoge.

The goal of the system was to produce a well drilled military. Spartan soldiers were like machines, they did what they were ever told to do.

The boys were fed “just the right amount of food to keep them going but not be full.

Boys were taught physical training, weapons training, reading, writing, music and dancing.

Girls were taught the same stuff , without the weapons training.

 

Clothing:

They wore light weight clothing made of silk or linen in the summer and in the winter they would wear wool clothes.  Their dresses would go down to the ankles and did not show a lot of skill.  They used long pieces of colorful fabric to make their clothes.

Culture:

Spartans were completely focused on the military lifestyle.  It was an entire way of life.

The training of a Spartan started from birth. The newly born child was inspected by the elders to decide if they were worth living or continuing in military life.

If considered weak, the babies would be left to die.

They had different classes in the Spartan culture.  Citizens were called Spatiates and they had full rights. Non Spartan free men were called Mothakes were raised as Spartans.  Freed men were called Perioikoi   and the state owned slaves were called Helots.

Agriculture:

They grew olive trees and used the olives to eat and make make olive oil.  They harvested grapes and made wine. They made the wine by crushing the grapes with their feet. They grew wheat, barley, and oats and used a sickle to harvest it.  They also used oxen, donkeys and mules to help them and to trample the wheat to make bread.  They had to use an hoe and hammer to break the ground after winter so they could plant the wheat.

Architecture:

The Spartan house windows were very small and buildings had lots of designs on them.  Buildings were usually made out of stone or sun dried mud bricks.  They liked their homes to be private.

Temples were built to celebrate civic power and pride.  Spartan temples were some of the biggest temples in the world.

Philosophy:

The Spartans believed in equality for their own people and they believed war was a part of life.  The Spartans needed a really strong army so the slaves could not revolt and try to be free.

Theology:

Their religion was Greek polytheism. They believed in many gods like Apollo , Artemis and Posieden, but they worshiped Zeus the most.

Geography:

Sparta was located on the banks of the Eurotas River in Laconia, in south east Peloponnese  in the 10th century BC.  Sparta was in a valley along the river that priovided fresh water for them.  It had mountains on the north and on the west that help protect it from invaders.  It had a harbor Gythieo, on the Laconian Gulf.

even though it was mostly land locked.

Stem:

They created coins to be used as money for trade.

They also came up with special war tactics, like the Phalanx for their army and tactics for their boats to help them attack in battle.

Spartans also built forts.

They also come up with a new unique system of slavery where the slaves, Helots were owned by the state to work in agriculture.