41 Ancient Greece Sparta Facts: Details On Spartan Warriors For Kids

Sparta was one of the foremost Ancient Greek City states to exist.

Their rise to power was one made of rigor and intense discipline. Ancient Sparta was a warrior society that was only rivalled in power by Athens.

The city state of Sparta was located in the region of Peloponnese in Ancient Greece. Spartan citizens were known to be fierce, for the grueling life they had to endure to become a citizen of Sparta. The Spartans were a fierce group.

Their society made large use of the system of meritocracy. Sparta was the most powerful state in the southern part of the Peloponnese. After the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC, Sparta lost its military superiority, eventually being absorbed in the Achaean League.

Like the rest of the Ancient Greek world, the Spartans were a group that worshipped the Olympian pantheon of gods. Spartans would go on to worship specific gods, for their characteristics resonated with Sparta's ideals. One of the gods they worshipped was Apollo. There were three festivals that were celebrated throughout the year.

The first was the Gymnopaedia, where choral competitions were held to celebrate the god of music. The second was the Hyacinthia.

During this festival, Spartans made sacrifices to the god and his dead lover Hyacinthia. This festival was of extreme importance to Sparta, so much so that during the Battle at Marathon, when Kind Darius fell, Spartans refused to participate for the festival was underway.

Spartans refused to bear their arms and dishonor their traditions. The third festival of Apollo was the Carnea. A race was held where a boy was chased by other Spartan boys. If he was caught, it would bring good fortune to the Spartans. It was known to teach young boys lessons about Spartan life that was to come.

The second god that the Spartans were known to worship was Artemis Orthia. This goddess was a mixture of Artemis and Orthia, who was a local deity. These rituals were focused on the transition to adulthood, as well as fertility. The goddess Athena was also worshipped by the Spartans.

They understood the importance of military might. Athena was the goddess of war, as well as strategy. Spartans worshipped her to gain her blessing during war.

Before the armies of Sparta headed off to war, a goat would be sacrificed at the altar to appease her, and so that she was by their side. Spartans were also known to revere the rulers Helen and Menelaus as gods.

A cult formed south of the city in an ancient palace, the Menelaion. Among other humans who were held in high regard by the Spartans was Lycurgus.

He was the founder of the society that would go on to become Sparta. He was the one to institute the Rhetra, as the oral constitution of Sparta.

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Sparta Role And Significance In Ancient Greece

Sparta was one of the most prominent Ancient Greek city states. What truly set them apart from other city states, especially Athens, was how they governed themselves and their role in Ancient Greece.

The fundamental difference in how Sparta functioned was that their government was a mixture of an oligarchy, monarchy, and contained features of democracy. The military state had two kings presided over Spartan society and they were military commanders. During peacetime, a Spartan king would address legal issues and similar problems.

The national assembly passed laws and legislation, and members were only allowed to join after serving in the Spartan army for a period of time. The root of this idea was that internal strife and conflict would weaken the Spartan state.

They could be attacked by other Ancient Greek city states. Their way of governance was critically different from their rival, Athens. Athens was the largest Ancient Greek city state.

It functioned as a democracy, similar to the Roman empire, while Ancient Sparta was a more authoritative state. Sparta was essentially a warrior society.

Its military prowess was evident since its powerful army was one of the strongest in not only Ancient Greece, but in the ancient world too. Due to this, the major role of Sparta in the Ancient Greek was to be protectors and the military arm.

Spartan boys received military training that taught lessons of the phalanx formation and survival skills. Sparta was happy to provide Spartan soldiers as protectors of Greece.

Their aims were focused on military expansion as well as gaining more territories to grow Spartan society. While Athens did have these goals too, they were also concerned with developing their infrastructure as well. These common goals often caused battles that saw the red cloaks go against the Athenian soldiers.

Sparta had the larger armies, but the naval prowess of Athens balanced the odds. A very significant difference was how Spartan women lived in contrast to how Ancient Greek women lived. For Greek women in Athens, calling life difficult would be an understatement. They were treated very poorly. A woman could not vote and she could not own property.

A women's life decisions were made by her father, until the father decided she was ready to marry. After marriage, the decisions were then taken by the husband.

The role of Greek women in Ancient Greece consisted of cleaning and cooking. Athenian women were not allowed to be in the same room if there were other male guests present.

They were made to live in a separate space, in rooms that had no windows so people outside could not see them. In fact, Athenian women were not permitted to watch the Olympic Games.

Sparta changed that. They were not extremely progressive, but much better than Athens. Spartan women were respected because they gave birth to warriors. Spartan women were able to inherit property.

The laws of Sparta dictated that the owner's children would inherit any land they had. A Spartan daughter received an equal share as Spartan boys. Moreover, Spartan women could manage any piece of land that she owned.

A Spartan woman could earn income from the land. A woman in Sparta was given the same education as Spartan men.

Spartan girls were trained in academic and physical education, and were taught the same physical activities that were taught to Spartan boys. Their life at home was not like Athenian women. The household duties went to slaves in Sparta.

This equality between men and women in Spartan culture is perhaps their most significant contribution to the Ancient Greek world, outside of the battlefield. Athens, the place considered the birthplace of democracy and the civilzsed world as we know it, home to the greatest thinkers and philosophers of the day, was far behind on the way it treated women.

Sparta showed the ancient world the glaring errors of the Athenian way. Spartans were not perfect with it, but they certainly had the right idea to begin with. If you were a woman born in Ancient Greece, Sparta would have been your best bet.

Contribution Of Sparta To Ancient Greece

Sparta was at the forefront of the defense of Greece, fighting wars, and defending city states.

After the fall of the Persian army at the hands of the Athenian fleet during the famous Battle of Marathon, Darius, the Persian king died. His son Xerxes succeeded him and it was his will that the Persian wars of expansion continued. The Persian king Xerxes wished to make Greece another one of Persia's colonies, and began his conquest.

Sparta was one of the first city states to deal a huge blow to the Persian army. One of the Spartan kings at the time, King Leonidas, led a group of 300 full citizens, and slaves called helots, to hold the pass during the Battle of Thermopylae. Spartan soldiers held the pass against waves of Persian soldiers.

They all died and were immortalized as the most famous Spartans in history. Indeed, the Battle of Thermopylae became the most famous battle in the ancient world. It has been the subject of many movies and is widely know around the world, as 300 Spartans stood against the march of the largest army of the world at the time.

One of the interesting facts about Sparta is that Spartan culture revolved around finding glory on the battlefield, and a Spartan citizen would lay down their life if it meant Sparta would prosper.

The Battle of Thermopylae was only the beginning of the Persian invasion, and the real test for the Spartans and the very city state of Sparta. The Spartan army played perhaps the most crucial role during the defense of the city states of Ancient Greece.

The Peloponnese League was a confederation of various city states that worked together to fight wars.

During Xerxes' invasion of Ancient Greece, Ancient Sparta and the Spartan army sat at the head of the Peloponnese league due to their military power. When Persia eventually defeated Athens, Sparta's army led the charge to chase out the invaders and maintain Greek sovereignty.

Their contributions are not limited to bolstering the numbers of the Greek army, but extend much further than that. The Spartans fought to end the Persian push into the west, halting the Persian goal for expansion.

Sparta's contributions to Greece was also seen in the Peloponnesian War. Sparta remained at the head of the Peloponnese League, and led it during the war against Athens. This was the Peloponnesian War. The Peloponnesian War witnessed the Spartans lead the League, where the Spartan army defeated Athens.

How tall was the average Spartan?

A Spartan soldier went through intense training, that changed their physique. Let's take a look at it!

A Spartan soldier was about 7 ft (2 m) when fully clad in armor, with their plumed helmets. It was a sight to behold as it showed off their years off hard work. They had a lean, well-rounded body. Spartans would wear clothing that was simple, and represented the colors of Sparta.

Spartans maintained long hair. This included growing large beards. It was an indication of their strength, ferocity, virility and elegance.

How tough was a Spartan?

To explain how tough Spartan citizens were, we must understand what made them the frightening force they were.

Spartans became full citizens of Sparta only when they would fulfil active duty. Their military training and duties were the price they needed to pay for their political rights in the city state of Sparta. Spartan soldiers were basically Spartans who were looking to be full citizens.

They were put through harsh military training, and had to endure a range of challenges before Spartan boys could wear the red cloaks of the military. Boys were treated as future soliders.

Spartan girls were not allowed to join and were made to study at home withSpartan women. Spartan boys were made to learn swimming, boxing, wrestling, discus-throwing, and javelin-throwing. The phalanx formation was taught to be their home.

They were thrown out to the world, and stealing food would become a part of their survival. If they were caught stealing, they would be punished as a slave would would be in Sparta.

Upon reaching 30, if they served honorably in the Spartan army, Spartan soldiers would become Spartan citizens. Spartan men were allowed to marry, but were not allowed to live with their wives.

Spartans carried a shield, a spear, and a sword. The sword weighed 0.99–1.98 lb (0.44-0.89 g). Their military strategy used the phalanx formation of interlocking shields, with the spears protruding out from the gaps. It allowed the Spartans to hold the line while simultaneously inflicting damage on their foes. Sparta was indeed a pinnacle of military ingenuity.

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