Life of a Spartan in Greece | History of the Greek Empire

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"The Spartans" chronicles the rise and fall of one of the most extreme civilizations the world has ever seen. A civilization based on discipline, sacrifice and frugality, where responsibility lay with the collective, and the goal was to create an ideal state and an ideal warrior. Classical historian Bettany Hughes reveals the secrets and complexities of everyday Spartan life: homosexuality was compulsory, money was outlawed, equality was observed, weak boys were executed, and women enjoyed a level of social and sexual freedom unheard of in the ancient world. . This was a nation of formidable fighters, where a glorious death was prized. This can be well demonstrated by the final kamikaze battle at Thermopylae, where King Leonidas and his warriors fought with swords, hands and teeth to repel the Persian invaders and show the rest of the world what it meant to be a Spartan. Sparta was ruthlessly militaristic and founded on the belief that good order and justice protected against chaos and lawlessness. The society, guarded by secret spies, was maintained by a nation of slaves, so all the Spartans could do was fight. Boys were indoctrinated into the Spartan code of death and glory, separated from their mothers at age seven, and left to fend for themselves. This prompted Aristotle to comment that Sparta "turned her children into animals." The training continued throughout adolescence, with the brightest boys being released and turned into death squads that hunted slaves to silence them. It cannot lay claim to the philosophers or artists of Athens, but Sparta contributed as much to Western civilization as Athens. Indeed, it was Sparta, not Athens, that was the first city to offer citizenship to its residents. For many, the ideals formed 2,500 years ago in Sparta can be seen as the harbingers of modern totalitarianism. With the goal of creating an ideal society protected by ideal warriors, Sparta became the enemy of change. A falling birth rate, too few warriors, rebellious slaves, and outdated attitudes toward weapons and war combined to sow the seeds of Sparta's destruction. Eventually, the once great warrior state became a stopover for Roman tourists who came to witness bizarre sadomasochistic rituals.