Spartans – a force to reckon

Spartans, known to be the warrior clan of the Greeks, were the protectors of the Greek community. Spartans had a rough lifestyle. They were known to be very stubborn and rigid. Spartans had their own method of leading a life. They were not experts in anything other than the art of war.

A Spartan lifestyle was full of hardships. Every Spartan man was a soldier. The Spartans formed a minority community even in their own region of Lakonia in ancient Greece. But they were so powerful that they suppressed the majority and made them work for them. They were a major military power between 500 and 350 BC and were unmatched in military prowess.

The Spartan lifestyle was a very simple one. A Spartan used to go to school to learn the art of war. Every Spartan man was supposed to become a soldier and hence the Spartan children were taught to live and survive in the most difficult of situations. Their education system was called the “Agoge”, which gave importance only to discipline and understanding the value of the Spartan state. In fact when a child was born he used to be dipped in wine to see whether he survives. If he used to survive he was trained as a soldier or else he was thrown away as a sacrifice. This ritual eventually resulted in the Spartan doom.

The Spartans were trained to be the toughest men and to survive in wilderness. Even Spartan women were adept to the hard lifestyle. Spartans were educated to become smart and fit. They used to wear the minimum clothes and eat simplest of food. Spartan women were most respected in their clan and they too were very tough. A Spartan mother would kill her son if he would return from the battlefield without his shield.

Spartans have a glorious history. The Battle of Thermopylae is a famous event in the Greek and world history. In the year 480 BC, 300 Spartans, 700 Thebans and around 400 Thespians fought against a massive 1 million army of the Persian king Xerxes. King Leonidus of Sparta led his army of 300 Spartans and prevented the Persians from invading Greece. All 300 Spartans perished while protecting the pass to Greece from the Persians but the Persians faced enormous losses caused by the valor of the handful of Spartans. This battle ranks first as an example of courage and valor.

The Spartan glory was such that even after they were no stronger as they were, Alexander the Great never even thought about invading Sparta during his quest of conquering the world. The Spartans remained un-invaded for centuries because all others knew the enormous losses they would face even if the Spartans were defeated.

In the modern times, a person who follows simple living and avoids luxurious life style is said to be a Spartan. Adolf Hitler used to give example of Spartans to the German military and used to urge his men to be like Spartans.

Linus Orakles
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