Welcome to Frontline History, In this Series We will be delving into how renowned
fighting Forces have historically prepared their soldiers for war
and how modern warfighters have learned to achieve a level of lethality at unprecedented levels .
What was the training taught and the abilities learned that allowed
certain armies through out history to dominate their known worlds? How was the individual
soldier conditioned from the Spartan Hoplite and the Roman legionary to the English Archers
at Agincourt and the Storm Troopers of WW1. How did we learn to be more efficient at killing
our enemies while increasing our own survival?The Answer is: You Train as you Fight. (Title Card)
If you ask a SOLDIER what the number one challenge of peacetime training is
he might laugh and reply that its fighting boredom. Most military leaders would argue
that it is in fact maintaining an effective fighting force when you have no one to fight.
This has been a major obstacle for as long as we have been throwing stones at each other as
a species. Never the less, The advantage of having your warriors specifically trained
to overcome the horrific challenges of war has been proven time and time again.
The concept behind Training as you Fight has been there all along and it means
to provide realistic training in order to desensitize a soldier to the rigors of war,
to build constitution in the face of the enemy during the din of battle and to train muscle
memory so that critical actions are instinctive. In this episode we will be looking at How the
Spartan Warriors develop themselves for combat and attained their mythical status in history.
Get comfy, hit some buttons below and lets take a closer look.
The Spartan City State produced what is one of the most iconic and well recognized warrior societies
in history. Known far and wide for their bravery, professionalism and skill on the battlefield.
We continue to recognize and revere them today, two and a half millennia after they
achieved the height of their power. What set the Spartans apart from their counterparts to
earn such renown? The answer is in the details. The most common type of Heavy Foot Soldier in
the days of Ancient Greece was the Hoplite named for their specific equipment and notable shield.
These soldiers dominated ancient Greek warfare from the 7th to the 4th Centuries
BCE. Traditionally organized into several hundred strong regiments and lined up into
ranks of 8 men or deeper, the Phalanx was the slow lumbering tank of the ancient world.
Standing close together and operating as one massive battering ram with spears,
each man counted on the cohesion of the unit as much as his neightbour who protected part of
his body with their own shield. A poorly trained phalanx of hundreds might break ranks on the move
and begin dispersion, losing the advantage before even joining contact with the enemy.
A well disciplined Phalanx could walk or run thrusting their spears into the opposing phalanx
in what became a series of pushing and shoving matches. This ended when one side broke formation,
most likely to flee, often leading to the largest casualties during the battle.
The phalanx was an easy to learn, hard to master style of fighting.
It’s very nature required constant drilling and would demand strict obedience to maintain,
otherwise the formation would crumble. Morale was a key component to which side broke first.
The importance of this cohesion was recognized during the age when it was noted that a Phalanx
in battle would walk slightly more to the right as each man attempted to protect his
body with the shield of the man on his right side. Hence the position of Honor in a phalanx
was the Right wing of any army, where the bravest troops could be expected to hold firm.
At this time it was a standard expectation that citizens of Greek City States with
sufficient means would equip and make themselves available for a short period of Military Service.
Athens, the greatest rival of Sparta, for example had a policy of compulsory Military Service
from 18-20 years of age with the expectation of being called to serve only during periods of war.
Enter the Spartans, Who’s practices were even considered strange and notably cruel by other
Greeks at the time. They Prided themselves on their standing army who idolized exercise,
discipline and their ability to endure any hardship.
From a Young Age: The Spartans are well documented
to have undergone some of the most intensive and brutal training of any civilization in
ancient history. The word Spartan itself means self restrained, simple, frugal and austere.
Sparta is certainly an interesting case study , few cultures began such
aggressive selection and education of their future soldiers so young.
Immediately after birth, any infants found to be Puny or mal formed would
be discarded and forgotten. There was no room for the weak in Spartan Society.
Having survived this first test, At age 7 Spartan Youths were cut from family ties
and given en masse to military boarding schools, where they would remain for the
next 13 years as they underwent Brutal training even by contemporary standards.
The Children were to remain barefoot for years and possessed only a single garment,
they were expected to steal for anything more than the bare minimum they were given.
The ultimate goal was to cultivate skills such as hand to hand fighting, stealth and pain tolerance.
Physical, mental and spiritual toughness was emphasized. Violence was continuously
reinforced or encouraged, ensuring they did not shy away from the thought of injury.
The idea of a solider overcoming death and killing his first opponent was not a concern with Spartan
men. A regular tradition and annual right of passage was to send the boys out into the night
to find and kill the strongest of state owned slaves (known as helots).
These Helots handled the basic aspects of society while the Spartans focused on their militarized
culture. Any Spartan Boy who failed in this task or who was caught in this process would be
severely punished and shamed by his peers. As they grew into men, Spartan children
were expected to also be more refined than you may think.
Formal skills such as singing and dancing were taught to round out finer skills and coordination.
Athletic champions were held in high regard and were often paired with strong members of the
opposite sex in order to breed the best warriors. Poor fitness however was cause for public ridicule
and alcohol or anything that may cause the body to weaken was severely frowned upon.
Spartans were also allegedly prohibited from possessing Gold or coins to discourage distraction
from their duties and to prevent the looting and chaos that would follow a battle or siege.
Teenage boys were purposefully mal nourished and given only one red cloak per year to wear day in
and day out. They had to make their own bedding from river reeds and the environment surrounding
them. This may have seemed an odd way to treat your men even by standards of the time but it
served to ensure that common hardships that might break lesser armies on the campaign trail such as
famine and a lack of supplies would not affect a Spartan host. Soldiers from Sparta were well
conditioned to the environment and would finish marching only needing their simple cloak and what
they could scrounge to carry on into battle. Famed Greek historian Plutarch which gives us
many of our known accounts of the culture, tells us that so strict was their training
regimen that the men often looked fondly to the tempo of war and the campaigning life
as this often gave a welcome reprieve from training day and night and would allow for more
down time to ensure they were well rested and free fro m the injuries that accompanied garrison life.
Special care was also taken to ensure the bond formed to each man in the army was strong. At
the age of twenty the Men of Sparta were moved into the barracks and became full time soldiers.
They were now considered Full Citizens and would be granted the ability to take an
honored place in the Spartan Battle Formation. They were expected to remain in the barracks,
regardless of their marital status until the age of 40. Surviving to this age did not mean
the end of your military career however. As the Helot slaves handled most aspects of society,
Spartan Men were free to focus solely on their military prowess,
hoping to one day have an opportunity to die in glorious battle.
After their time in the garrison they would be e xpected to foster strong children to restart
this process but were expected themselves to remain battle fit as part of the Reserve force
until 60 years of age. In times of hardship and decline, men in their 60’s were known to be called
up to defend supplies and static positions. Unlike the soldiers of other Greek States,
who had usually received only a taste of military training by their adults years,
the Spartans were raised with it every day of their lives. Every Spartan knew his place and
the importance of holding it. Through blood, sweat and tears he had earned this right.
The idea of defeat, or retreat in the face of the enemy was reinforced to be a fate worse than
death. In fact only two classes of people could have their names inscribed on their tombstones;
women who died in childbirth and men who fell in battle.
This ideology gave us the popular parting cry “Come back with your shield or on it”
supposedly spoken from Spartan Mothers to their Sons on the eve of their departure for battle.
This exemplifies the true spirit of the Spartan warrior as the shield was not worn to defend
themselves but the entire formation and thus represented the common good of all Sparta.
A further motivating factor to perform well in Battle was to dissuade Any notion of
Cowardice on or off the battlefield as it would be punished by banning them from making legal
contracts which included marriage. As if any strong Spartan woman would want them.
The constant military drilling and years of strict displine made the Spartans skilled at the ancient
greek style of fighting in a phalanx formation. Fear and the idea of a rout was not an issue for
the Spartan warrior. The Spartans also outdid their Greek counterparts in unit organization,
where most City States organized into units several hundred strong,
Sparta was different. Dividing further down into smaller units containing 32 men.
Rhythmic movements were learned over and over again to respond from unexpected attacks from
the rear or to quickly allow a phalanx to tighten into a narrow formation and advance in unison,
all with iron discipline. It was common for severe injuries and death to occur during these
mass drills. All of this ability came together to mold the Spartan Host with a level of increased
coordination and response, achieving a much higher precision that was beyond many of their opponents.
This information on the Spartan War Machine was common knowledge at the time and fed into
rumors leading into the Myth we know today. Knowing this, picture yourself as a Persian
slave conscript or Athenian farmer levied to war for the short campaigning months of the year
only to find yourself facing Spartans across the field of battle.
Sparta would go on to reach the height of their power after defeating its rival city state Athens
in the Peloponnesian war 431- 404. Spartan might was continually challenged by foreign aggression
and persistent conflict, notably from the Persians and Thebes. After a serious of costly defeats
they had lost more Citizens than they could replace, the rigid militaristic society that
gave them such dominance on the battlefield, also restricted their ability to recover quickly.
Finally, the Helot slaves, a critical and long abused part of their society, saw their
opportunity and revolted. The Spartans would not recover from this upheaval of their societal order
and although they continued to exist for some time after Sparta itself would only remain as a second
rate power and a shadow of its former glory. Its ideology remained and many European
Nations now trace their concept of Service to the State back to Sparta and its Mythical Warriors.