Modern western civilization can trace its roots to ancient Greece, with the foundations
for its military and government systems drawn from two of the most legendary city-states
to ever exist: Athens and Sparta.
Athens would inspire Western civilizations to rule fairly and espouse democratic ideals,
while Sparta would form the backbone of the military traditions meant to defend that democracy.
But what was life really like in ancient Sparta?
Hello and welcome to another episode of The Infographics Show- today we're asking, what
was life like for a Spartan warrior?
Spartan society was- well, spartan.
It was a civilization that eschewed luxury and comfort in favor for discipline, precision,
and obedience.
Its men and women were wholly dedicated to the Spartan military, with almost the entirety
of their effort spent every day in supporting or strengthening Sparta's ability to wage
war.
Spartan citizens weren't even allowed to engage in trading, and coins were outlawed.
Every free citizen was equal, there was no gender or wealth gap, as engaging in trade
or even making clothing and farming was seen as work only fit for slaves to do.
There was no 1%, as there was no interest in amassing wealth.
Sadly, there was also little interest in the arts, science, or philosophy- unless it served
the military.
A Spartan soldier's life began at birth, with the child inspected and discarded if found
to be physically or mentally handicapped in any way.
When a child reached age 5 they would be inspected once more, and killed if found to be unhealthy-
Sparta had no room for the weak.
At age seven male children were taken to a local agoge- a sort of military academy/boot
camp.
From that moment on a Spartan child no longer belonged to his parents, but rather to the
state as a whole.
At the agoge, Spartan children were purposefully underfed and encouraged to steal food- only
to be severely beaten if they were caught, but not because stealing was wrong, but because
they were in fact caught.
This was meant to teach them to be stealthy and crafty, but also to endure hunger as they
may have to in the midst of a long campaign.
You didn't have to be caught doing anything wrong to earn a beating though, as part of
a Spartan child's training in becoming a soldier included routine and random beatings meant
to ensure they grew up tough.
Living in groups under the tutelage of an older man, boys were encouraged to fight amongst
themselves to determine who was strongest- although they were strictly taught to never
fight each other in anger or hold grudges.
This too was purely pragmatic rather than philosophical, as it ensured that morale stayed
good amongst soldiers fighting side-by-side.
Spartan children were not given beds to sleep on, and instead had to make their own from
tough reeds pulled from riverbanks by hand- and forget about sheets or blankets.
At age 12 they were given only a single item of clothing a year- a red cloak- and would
not earn shoes until graduating into military service, going barefoot even in the middle
of winter.
This would prepare Spartan soldiers for the reality of life on the campaign trail, as
Spartans did not carry sleeping cots, tents, or even blankets with them as they marched,
sleeping on the ground itself wrapped only in their cloaks.
At age 12 a Spartan child was put under the tutelage of an older soldier in a sort of
mentor relationship, although many other Greeks often made claims about pederasty in Spartan
society.
This one-on-one relationship was meant to pass on knowledge and experience, as well
as build loyalty between soldiers and from the young child to the state.
At age 18, a Spartan youth would then be initiated into adulthood through a practice called the
Krypetia- a ritual seen as barbaric and brutal by the rest of the civilized world.
During the Krypetia, Spartan teenagers formed into small groups and were tasked with murdering
a number of slaves.
Sometimes blades were provided, other times they were left to fend for themselves and
improvise weapons or murder with their bare hands.
The teenagers would then look for the largest and strongest of slaves, and ambush the slave
when unawares.
Weak slaves or female slaves were rarely targeted as they were not seen as a great threat, and
thus it was the biggest and strongest who were at risk of being murdered.
Though participants in a Krypteia could be punished with beatings if caught, the beatings
were punishment not for the murder but for actually being caught- slaves had no rights
or protections, and in fact every year the ruling Spartan body would declare war on their
slaves so their murder was not seen as a murder, but rather as a casualty in an ongoing war.
Considering that Spartans relied completely on their slaves for everything from sewing
their clothes to trading with other city-states, it may seem insane that murder of their own
slaves was encouraged and even mandated, but for all their warrior might Spartans lived
in constant fear of their slave population.
Outnumbering normal Spartans 7 to 1, Spartans were all too aware that a revolt could be
devastating to the city-state- and in fact, it very nearly ended Spartan rule around 490
B.C. when slaves revolted and nearly overthrew the Spartan government.
From that day on Spartans kept a very tight leash on their slaves, and once even put wreaths
on the heads of 2,000 of their strongest slaves and promised them their freedom- only to lead
them away to a temple and slaughter all of them.
At age 20, Spartans officially became part of the army, but they were not allowed to
marry and lived together in barracks until the age of 30.
During this time they also competed fiercely with each other for entry into the Spartan
hippeis, the royal guard of honor of which only 300 of the best warriors would be chosen
to accompany the king.
Also at age 20 Spartans were voted into one of several public messes with votes cast by
members of those messes- think of it as pledging to a fraternity the way college students do
today, only with far less partying and drinking as most Spartans did not drink alcohol and
were warned against it from childhood.
For Spartans, alcohol and any other substance that incapacitated you was seen as building
weakness, and slaves would often be forced to get drunk on alcohol and then be publicly
humiliated so that Spartan children could see the dangers of drinking.
Votes for entry into a mess had to be unanimous, this would build a strong camaraderie between
the members of that mess and ensure cohesiveness in battle.
Spartans had until the age of 30 to gain entry into a mess, after which if they still had
not gained entry they would be denied full Spartan citizenship which meant they were
not allowed to vote or hold office.
Upon joining the army at age 20 Spartans drilled day and night in battle formations.
Spartan armies made use of the dreaded phalanx formation, in which rows of soldiers would
be stacked one after the other, with each soldier's shield protecting the right flank
of the man next to him.
This created an impenetrable wall of bronze bristling with spear points that was nearly
impossible to defeat as long as it held its cohesiveness.
Yet as powerful as the phalanx was, if discipline failed for even a second and the enemy forced
an opening, the entire formation would shatter, leaving soldiers vulnerable and exposed.
This in essence was the entire point of Spartan training: the phalanx must never break, and
in fact Spartan phalanxes hardly ever did.
With row after row of soldiers, each Spartan would push his shield into the back of the
man in front of him, pushing the entire formation forward and pressing into the enemy.
Those on the first three or four ranks would stab out with their spears or hurl them at
the enemy, and if injured or cut down, the man behind him would immediately take their
place.
A living tank of bronze, leather, and human muscle, the Greek phalanx was a thing to be
greatly feared- as the Persians would learn- and few were more formidable than those made
up of Spartan men.
Spartan society revolved entirely around their military might, and their adult life from
ages 7 to 60 was devoted entirely to training and fighting.
While not at war, Spartans spent every waking moment training and drilling, honing themselves
for future battles.
The ancient Greek historian Plutarch commented that for Spartans war was seen almost as a
holiday, saying “Their bodily exercises too were less rigorous during their campaigns,
and they were allowed a regimen less rigid.
They were the only men in the world for whom war brought a respite in the training for
war.”
Yet brutally overseeing a population of slaves that outnumbered them greatly, and routinely
rebelled against them, it's perhaps little wonder that Spartans dedicated themselves
wholly to fighting.
In the end though, this myopic focus on fighting would lead to Spartans influencing the military
traditions of the modern Western world, but it would be their hated rivals- Athens- who
would truly be the shining beacon of philosophy, science, and democracy that built a brighter
future for mankind.
Would you have liked to live in ancient Sparta?
Think you got what it takes to have been a Spartan warrior?
Also check out our other video, Life Of A Roman Slave!
As always, don’t forget to like, share and subscribe.
See you next time!