Sparta: Uncultured Discipline Essay, Research Paper

Sparta: Uncultured Discipline

The Spartans were the most formidable warriors in all of history. They

dedicated their entire lives to warfare. They were taught to endure cold, hunger,

pain, their courage on the battlefield was second to none. The Spartan code was

to fight hard, follow orders without question and to die rather then retreat or

surrender. To achieve all this, Sparta sacrificed everything; the arts, culture,

and other things that make life worth while. I believe the price was to high

they went to far and shut off all that was creative and human in Sparta. A

culture that can’t change or adapt doesn’t survive. This is exactly what

happened , after a single major defeat in 360 B.C Sparta was no longer a

significant factor in the region (Isaac Asimov, 1965, p. 178).

The original founders of “modern” Sparta were the Dorians. At around

1100 B.C these savages came from the north into what is today Greece. They

attacked the Mycenean civilization thriving there and quickly defeated them. The

secret behind the remarkable victories against the Myceneans was iron, the

Dorians knew how to forge iron weapons which completely outclassed the bronze

weaponry of the Myceneans (Carl Roebuck, 1966, p. 119).

In Mycenean times Sparta had been a important city, but after Dorian

conquest it sank to insignificance. Over the next three hundred years it

recovered and began to prosper. By 800 B.C it ruled over the region called

Lacedonia.

Up to about 650 B.C Sparta was pretty much like every other Greek state.

They had music, art and poetry. During the seventh century, a musician named

Terpander came to Sparta and established himself their. He is called the “father

of Greek music,” he’s also supposed to off improved the lyre (a harp like

instrument). The most widely known Spartan musician was Tyrtaeus. He lived

during the Second Messenian War and his music inspired many Spartan soldiers to

new heights of bravery (Isaac Asimov, 1965, p. 53).

But then something happened, a war with the Messinians. The First

Messenian War broke out in 730 B.C, when the Spartans marched into Messenia

eager for more land. After 20 long years of war the Messenians were forced to

surrender. They were made into helots (slave/workers with no rights) and

ruthlessly oppressed. In 685 B.C they rose in revolt, it took 17 years of brutal

fighting they were finally put down (Isaac Asimov, 1965, p. 50).

These wars were the turning point of Spartan history, nearly half a

century of conflict had made the Spartans very warlike. It seemed to them if

they ever relaxed their guard even a bit, the helots would rise again.

The Spartans went to excessively great extremes in order to make sure

this wouldn’t happen. At age seven a boy would be taken from his family and

given military training., his true home was his barracks, his family, his unit.

They hardened their bodies with countless drills and savage games, they were

taught to steal and live of off the land. A young soldier was whipped as

punishment or to make him more resistant to pain. At age 20 he was finally

allowed to marry but was still in military service. Only when he was 60 was he

allowed to retire from the army (National Geographic Society, 1968, p. 178).

To a Spartan warrior surrender was unthinkable, even death was

preferable. To flee a soldier had to throw down his heavy shield (which would

slow him down), if he died he would be carried home, with honor, on his shield.

For this reason Spartan mothers instructed their sons to return form a battle

“with their shield or on them” (V.M Hillyer, E.G Huey, 1966, p. 27)

One of the functions of the Spartan system was to rid the state of

weaklings. At birth each child was inspected by a board of inspectors. If the

child was feeble or deformed it was left on a hill side to die. Spartan women

were told to exercise and keep in shape so that they could have healthy

offspring.

A true Spartan’s purpose in life was war, their entire lives were

centered around it. They left agriculture, manufacturing to their slave/workers,

the helots. As a result their culture suffered, it was almost non-existent. For

example after 600 B.C the import of luxury goods such as ivory or spices ceased.

Obviously the taste for such indulgences was denied when the Spartans became

warriors. They disliked trade so much that instead of coins they used heavy iron

rods for money. These rods were difficult to carry and discouraged commerce and

idle shopping (National Geographic Society, 1968, p. 177).

The food at a typical Spartan barracks was designed to fill a person and

keep him alive, but nothing more. An ancient story tells the tale of two

outsiders who were invited to eat in a Spartan barracks. One of the two took sip

of the black broth from a bowl and putting down his spoon, whispered “now I know

why the Spartans do not fear death” (Isaac Asimov, 1965, p. 52)

Even normal conversation stopped (most Greeks like to talk, from ancient

times to today). Spartans spoke very briefly and to the point. They were all

business. In fact the word “laconic” (form Laconia, another word for Sparta)

means to speak in a concise manner (Isaac Asimov, 1965, p. 53).

For a while it seemed like all these sacrifices were worthwhile. Indeed

the Spartans were impressive warriors, even when outnumbered. In 480 B.C a force

of 300 Spartans held Thermopylae, a vital pass during the war against Persia.

They held the pass for two days, until a traitor showed the Persians another way

through. The Spartans refused to retreat and fought to the bitter end, until

everyman was killed. However they held the Persians off long enough for the

remaining Greek armies to escape(V.M Hillyer, E.G Huey, 1966, p. 27).

Unfortunately military strength is never enough to keep a culture going, other

things are essential, such as music or literature.

At the same time in history the other Greek peoples were very active in

the arts, science and philosophy. In particular Athens was in it’s “Golden Age.”

Under the leadership of Pericles, Athens reached the height of it’s power and

glory.

During this age the Parthenon was built, it is perhaps the most perfect

structure ever constructed and easily the most famous. Phidias, the genius

behind the Parthenon also carved the statue of Zeus at Olympia., located at the

stadium in which the Olympic games (another Greek accomplishment) were held.

This statue was listed by later Greeks as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The people of Athens were good sculptors and created many fine statues of people,

animals and objects (Isaac Asimov, 1965, p. 133).

The Athenians produced arguably the most important literary figures

between the time of Homer and Shakespeare. These three men Aeschylus, Sophocles

and Euripides helped advance the art of drama. They were first to make use of

costumes, masks, props and other paraphernalia to make actors more visible to

the audience. Together these writers produced over 280 plays, some of which

survive today (Isaac Asimov, 1965, p. 134).

Science was another field in which the “normal” Greeks excelled at. Men

such as Anaxagoras believed that the stars were no more special or magical then

the earth was. The sun, stars and planets he said were flaming rocks. Lecippus,

who lived around 450 B.C is supposed to be the first to suggest that matter

wasn’t composed of substances that could be divided endlessly, but instead

consisted of tiny particles (atoms). Hippocrates was born in 460 B.C on a island

off the coast of Asia Minor. He was the earliest person to establish a

reasonable theory of medicine, one that didn’t depend demons or spirits. For

this reason many call him the “father of medicine.” Today the “Hippocratic Oath”

is still taken by medical students after the completion of their training (Isaac

Asimov, 1965, p. 135).

Many famous ancient philosophers were Greek, these people tried to teach

how people should lead their lives. Easily the most widely know is Socrates, who

lived during the “Golden Age” of Athens. Socrates believed we each had a

conscience that tells us what is right and wrong. He is considered by many to be

the wisest man who ever lived.

We owe a great deal to these ancient Greeks who founded the basis of so

much that we know today.

Keep in mind that while the Greeks were accomplishing all this, that

even at the height of it’s power, the city of Sparta was very drab and lacked

walls. One historian noted “the ramparts (walls) are her men.” It was basically

a collection of five villages, which looked pitiful when compared to Athens

(National Geographic Society, 1968, p. 177). Today little remains of Sparta.

Sparta finally fell after a battle against the combined forces of Athens

and Thebes in 362 BC. This defeat destroyed Sparta’s armies and left her exposed.

Epaninondas the leader of the Thebean army won a total victory and was soon at

the gates of Sparta. After this loss Sparta would never return to it’s former

self (Isaac Asimov, 1965, p. 178).

In order to achieve military glory the Spartans gave up nearly

everything. Later on Greeks from other city states admired the Spartan way of

life because it seemed so noble. They were wrong to think this way, to art,

music, literature and other such pursuits they donated nothing.

She only had a cruel, inhuman way of life to offer, dependent on a

barbaric slavery of most of her population, with only a kind of blind animal

courage as a virtue. Before long the Spartan way of life was more show then

substance, Sparta seemed strong as long she was victorious, but other states

could survive defeat and rise again. After a single major defeat (against

Thebes) Sparta lost her domination of Greece. This catastrophic loss exposed the

Spartan fraud and disposed of her.

Reference List

- Asimov, Issac. (1965). The Greeks A Great Adventure. Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Company

- Hillyer V.M, E.G Huey. (1966). Ancient World 500 BC – 500 AD. New York:

Meredith Press

- National Georgraphic Society. (1968). Greece and Rome Builders of Our World.

Washington D.C: Author

- Roebuck, Carl. (1966). The World of Ancient Times. New York: Charles

Scribner’s Sons

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