Spartans: Warrior Society of Ancient Greece

Spartans, a warrior community known to most of us from the movie '300', were a warrior society that lived in Ancient Greece.

The history of Sparta was first recorded in the 1st century AD by the Greek historian Plutarch. According to his work, the legendary King of Sparta was Lycurgus. Lycurgus was the legislator of Sparta and believed in the direct influence of the state on its citizens. According to him, the priority was the continuity of the Spartan state. Lycurgus claimed that all the evils in society stemmed from the disparity between the rich and the poor, and insisted that this gap should be eliminated and controlled by the state. According to King Lycurgus of Sparta, there should be no property difference among individuals in society; all property should belong to the state, the concept of money should be abolished, and activities such as trade that lead to wealth should not be pursued. A Spartan citizen should be given an equal amount of land when he reaches the age of 20. Spartan men should be prepared for the protection of the Spartan state, which is the greatest virtue, while tasks like production should be carried out by the locals known as Helots.

When we think of Spartans, warriors and war come to mind, because the Spartan state and its people were fundamentally committed to warfare from birth. Spartan men were raised from childhood to become soldiers. This indicates that the Spartan state had deep roots in militarism. In fact, when we look at the history of Spartans, they were a minority group. Spartans settled in the region as a result of the incursion of the Dorians, where the locals called Helots lived. They were the descendants of Dorian warriors. Spartans believed that their lineage traced back to Hercules. Despite being a minority group in the region, Spartans, due to their warrior characteristics, took control of the state's governance and effectively enslaved the indigenous population. After establishing the Spartan state, Spartans prioritized military matters and the training of warriors to prevent any uprisings among the local population. For this reason, Spartans had to be a militaristic state. At times, when the Helot population increased, they even engaged in small-scale massacres against these locals.

Every male child born in Sparta was examined by the elders. If there were no defects or signs of weakness, it was decided that he would be raised as a soldier. If any deficiency was observed, the babies were thrown down a precipice on Mount Taygetos to avoid consuming extra resources for Sparta. A special commission was established in Sparta to select babies for military service, and this commission examined newborns for any visible physical defects. Babies without defects were separated and subjected to training in later years. On the other hand, if a physical defect was observed in a newborn, the society was ruthless enough to abandon the baby to death, as they didn't want to deplete the resources of Sparta.

Spartans were seen as a society so committed to the pure and warrior race that they were ruthless enough to kill babies. This understanding of superiority of race laid the foundation for Nazism. In other words, the concept of a superior race.

Until a child reached the age of 7, he was taken care of by his mother. However, his mother didn't show affection to him to avoid any signs of weakness. It was forbidden for him to choose his own food, and he was constantly disciplined to not fear things like darkness. A Spartan child was never allowed to become spoiled. Spartan mothers were so disciplined that it's known that some nobles in Athens sought Spartan mothers as caregivers for their children. Conversely, foreigners were not welcomed in Sparta. It was believed that foreigners harmed the Spartan state and set a bad example for the youth. Due to the fact that they didn't engage in activities like trade, the number of people coming in and out of the Spartan state was historically low. Furthermore, in the Spartan state, foreigners were absolutely not allowed to take care of children.

When a male child reached the age of 7, he was taken from his mother and placed into a group of children called Agelaia, where he received discipline training. The children here began to be raised as soldiers, and each child had his hair cut short, walking around practically naked regardless of the weather. They were made to be resilient and disciplined. At the age of 12, a male child was given a cloak. The cloak was a highly important symbol for Spartan soldiers. A deceased Spartan soldier would be buried with his cloak. Additionally, in the Spartan state, only the name of the man who died in battle or the woman who died giving birth would be inscribed on the gravestone. The most honorable death for a Spartan man was to die on the battlefield. When a Spartan man reached the age of 20 and completed his training, he would be recognized as a Spartan citizen and continue his life. However, even though he was allowed to do anything, he would avoid getting involved in matters that hindered him from fighting.

Marriage was very important in Sparta. Its significance stemmed from the need to give birth to healthy soldier children for the protection of the state. The state itself got involved in individuals' marriages, encouraging them to marry in order to raise healthy children. (Choice of spouse) Additionally, in Sparta, bachelors were not respected, even if they were great warriors. Giving birth to children and becoming parents held significant value in Sparta. However, the concept of marriage in Sparta did not appear to be quite normal. Since the goal of Spartans was to raise healthy soldiers and superior individuals, certain things that might not be welcomed in marriage were allowed. An old man considered it a virtue to share his young wife with strong and young Spartan warriors. If a Spartan woman had a child with another Spartan man besides her husband, the husband treated the child as his own. According to the people of Sparta, this was in the interest of the state, so jealousy was not shown. Therefore, while adultery was not considered a crime in Spartan society, sharing of spouses was considered legitimate.

Although the form of government in Sparta was seen as a monarchy, it was actually governed by a council of elders called Gerousia. The Gerousia Council actually served as an advisory body. The form of government in Sparta was a monarchy. Initially, Sparta was ruled by a single king, but in later times, the number of kings increased to two. When one king went to war, the other continued to govern the country. However, the real governing power of the Spartan state was in the hands of the Assembly of the people called Apella.

The Apella decided on important matters such as war and peace, the preparation of laws, and the selection of members of the Gerousia Council.

Spartan women, on the other hand, aimed to give birth to soldiers for the Spartan state. The sole purpose of women in Sparta was to give birth to a large number of healthy babies. They were required to raise their children in strict discipline until the age of 7. Spartan mothers had to raise their children with constant recitations of epic tales and chants. Spartan girls were also subjected to education and engaged in sports just like boys.