Please support World History Encyclopedia. Pre- and post-battle sacrifices were a common feature of Greek warfare in general but the Spartan army took things one step further and sacrificed before crossing rivers, for example, and even withheld from mobilising the army if an important religious festival was ongoing. Sparta, Modern Greek Spart, historically Lacedaemon, ancient capital of the Laconia district of the southeastern Peloponnese, southwestern Greece. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In a decisive battle at Amphipolis in 422, both Brasidas and the Athenian leader Cleon were killed. From the age of seven, males had a militaristic upbringing known as the agg where they were separated into age groups and lived in barracks. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. National Geographic Headquarters 1145 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. In 371 B.C., Sparta suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Thebans at the Battle of Leuctra. Part of the reason for this was that the boys upbringing had instilled behaviors that encouraged harmony and cooperation.. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. During this final period of the agoge, a man might marry but most did not until they graduated at the age of 30. Spartan girls also engaged in a number of sports including boxing, wrestling, discus and javelin toss, horseback riding, and foot races. Known as the Agoge, the system emphasized duty, discipline and endurance. As adults, Spartan women were allowed to own and manage property. Fighting ensued, and the Athenians then took steps that explicitly violated the Thirty Years Treaty. The Falcons' leadership team of general manager Terry Fontenot and Smith also . They were like the Hikkos and the Assyrians and Unlike the Phoenicians or the Mionaons. It was a period in which diplomatic maneuvers gradually gave way to small-scale military operations as each city tried to win smaller states over to its side. The agoge gradually declined in support from the 4th century BCE, though some form of it existed during the early years of the Roman Empire. At age seven, Spartan boys were turned over by their parents to the state, where they were organized into companies that lived, studied and trained together. Mark is a full-time author, researcher, historian, and editor. Updated: July 21, 2022 | Original: November 12, 2009. It resulted in the emergence of Sparta as the most powerful state in Greece. On April 26 the three students, all girls, ages 14, 15 and 16-years-old began assaulting a 15-year-old student, Atlantic City police said. Spartan culture was. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Xenophon, however, denies there was any sexual element to the relationships of the boys in the agoge. The Byzantines repopulated the site and gave it the ancient Homeric name Lacedaemon. Within a few months, however, Pericles fell victim to a terrible plague that raged through the crowded city, killing a large part of its army as well as many civilians. Spartan culture was centered on loyalty to the state and military service. (18.1). A small commercial and industrial centre of the European plain, the city trades in citrus fruits and olive oil. World History Encyclopedia. The Perioeci, whose name means dwellers-around, worked as craftsmen and traders, and made weapons for the Spartans. In 396 ce the modest city was destroyed by the Visigoths. Continued Spartan ambitions in central and northern Greece, Asia Minor, and Sicily once again dragged the city into another protracted conflict, the Corinthian Wars with Athens, Thebes, Corinth, and Persia from 396 to 387 BCE. The elderly men also kept close watch of them, coming more frequently to their places of exercises, and observing their contests of strength and wit, not cursorily, but with the idea that they were all in a sense the fathers and tutors and governors of all the boys. what was sparta's focus as a city -state Hulda Gleason Lvl 10 2021-09-10 13:39:06 This answer is: Study guides US Presidents 19 cards What science is related to the study of world history. Whipping was a test of courage and stoicism, Reiter says. The fighting engulfed virtually the entire Greek world, and it was properly regarded by Thucydides, whose contemporary account of it is considered to be among the worlds finest works of history, as the most momentous war up to that time. Plutarch writes: The training of the Spartans lasted into the years of full maturity. Both city-states educated their citizens in order to become productive members of society. Sparta's focus as a city-state was military. In his The Polity of the Athenians and the Lacedemonians, he writes: The relationship of lover and beloved [in the agoge] is like that of parent and child or brother and brother where carnal appetite is in abeyance. The Agoge was a trial by ordeal, as Paul Cartledge, a professor emeritus of Greek culture at the University of Cambridge, wrote in his 2003 book Spartan Reflections. This eiren then, a youth of twenty years, commands his subordinates in their mock battles, and indoors makes them serve him at his meals. The boys lived communally under austere conditions. Updates? The Ephors were among the older men who oversaw punishments given to the younger boys by their elders. Help our mission to provide free history education to the world! In 425 the picture was bleak for Sparta, which began to sue for peace. It is possible, therefore, that Xenophon is wrong even though he is frequently cited by modern writers claiming there were no homoerotic relationships among the candidates of the agoge. There were foreigners (xenoi) in Spartan society but these were not as welcome as in other city-states, and those that did live in Sparta were sometimes forcibly expelled by their overly suspicious and at times positively paranoid hosts. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Although an Athenian, Xenophon was a friend of Sparta and, in fact, served the state as a mercenary. She or he will best know the preferred format. Failure to secure election to any mess at all was tantamount to exclusion from the Spartan citizen body and, perhaps, also army. The Spartans conquered their neighbors and forced them to live as slaves, providing agricultural labor. You may have read on the web that Sparta had two kings. The present-day city was built in 1834 on the ancient site. (69), Kylix with Men Courting YouthsMetropolitan Museum of Art (Copyright). Please donate to our server cost fundraiser 2023, so that we can produce more history articles, videos and translations. It is an ancient greek city home to the Spartans. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Gabrielle Heim pitched a complete game and recorded 14 strikeouts for Sparta and allowed eight hits, four earned runs, and one walk as it defeated Lenape Valley 11-4 in Stanhope. This copper engravingby MatthausMerian illustration depicts the Athenian naval defeat near Corinth over the Corinthian and Spartan fleet around 430 B.C.E. In the late 8th century BCE, Sparta subjugated most of neighbouring Messenia and its population was made to serve Spartan interests. After the age of twelve, every Spartan teenager was expected to receive a young adult warrior as his lover the technical Spartan term for the active senior partner was 'inspirer', while the junior partner was known as the 'hearer'. Further, the Athenians were better prepared financially than their enemies, owing to the large war chest they had amassed from the regular tribute they received from their empire. Spartas continued agitation spurred Romes war on the Achaeans (146) and the Roman conquest of the Peloponnese. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Sparta was a city-state located in the southeastern Peloponnese region of ancient Greece. Mark, J. J. (16.6), Young Spartans Exercising by DegasNational Gallery (Public Domain). Especially, Sparta was a city-state that valued military education and their type of battling style. It would be another decade of warfare before the Spartan general Lysander defeated the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami. Reputedly founded in the 9th century bce with a rigid oligarchic constitution, the state of Sparta for centuries retained as lifetime corulers two kings who arbitrated in time of war. They had no need to learn to sew or weave because the menial jobs in Sparta were taken care of by the helots. During this period, the child soldiers were also taught to steal, especially to steal food, as they were fed little. This instability was the context for the emergence of Greek city-states. Spartan political system was a combination of monarchy (kings), oligarchy (Gerousia) and democracy (ephoroi, ephors). However, the democratic leaders refused Spartan peace offerings, and the war continued at sea with the Spartan and Athenian fleets trading costly victories. They trained young men to become soldiers. Web. Any action or routine behavior considered a waste of time was discouraged, and this applied even to the way one spoke. Unlike such Greek city-states as Athens a center for the arts, learning and philosophy Sparta was centered on a warrior culture. This set the stage for Cleons rival Nicias to persuade the Athenians to accept the Spartans offer of peace. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! A freelance writer and former part-time Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York, Joshua J. Mark, Joshua J.. "Agoge, the Spartan Education Program." A substitute teacher, 24, had tried to intervene and . In addition to local politics, from the 6th century BCE Sparta began to broaden her horizons by, for example, creating an alliance with Croesus of Lydia and sending an expedition against Polycrates of Samos in c. 525 BCE. Thus, the Athenians had the stronger navy and the Spartans the stronger army. This body consisted of 28 over-60 years of age males who held the position for life. I know two popular city-states of Ancient Greece: Sparta and Athens. However, in 480 B.C.E., Sparta allied with Athens, to prevent the Persian king Xerxes from invading Greece. Athens defeat was perhaps the worst casualty in a war that crippled Greek military strength, and thus the most culturally advanced Greek state was brought into final eclipse. The word means "raising" in the sense of raising livestock from youth toward a specific purpose. Spartan warriors were also known for their long hair and red cloaks. The Athenian alliance was, in fact, an empire that included most of the island and coastal states around the northern and eastern shores of the Aegean Sea. In preparation for marriage, Spartan women had their heads shaved; they kept their hair short after they wed. Married couples typically lived apart, as men under 30 were required to continue residing in communal barracks. In a further blow, late the following year, Theban general Epaminondas (c.418 B.C.-362B.C.) How did the Spartans become so awe-inspiring? Youths were taught to compress their speech to give maximum meaning and power in as few words as possible. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Athens believed that power should be used for the individual's benefit. If they were successful, even if the theft was detected afterward and the culprit clearly suspected, no punishment was given; if they were caught, they were severely beaten. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Not long after, however, the two cities began fighting each other in the two Peloponnesian Wars (460 to 446 B.C.E. As a Spartan ally, Corinth resumed hostilities toward Athens when Athens threatened Corinths interests in the region surrounding Corcyra. While they played no role in the military, female Spartans often received a formal education, although separate from boys and not at boarding schools.