What is in the place of Sparta now? Ancient Sparta is one of the most interesting states in history
Ancient Sparta was the main economic and military rival of Athens. The city-state and its surrounding territory were located on the Peloponnese peninsula, southwest of Athens. Administratively, Sparta (also called Lacedaemon) was the capital of the province of Laconia.
The adjective “Spartan” came to the modern world from energetic warriors with an iron heart and steely endurance. The inhabitants of Sparta were famous not for their arts, science or architecture, but for their brave warriors, for whom the concepts of honor, courage and strength were placed above all else. Athens at that time, with its beautiful statues and temples, was a stronghold of poetry, philosophy and politics, and thereby dominated the intellectual life of Greece. However, such dominance had to end someday.
Raising children in Sparta
One of the principles that guided the inhabitants of Sparta was that the life of every person, from birth to death, belongs entirely to the state. The elders of the city were given the right to decide the fate of newborns - healthy and strong were left in the city, and weak or sick children were thrown into the nearest abyss. This is how the Spartans tried to secure physical superiority over their enemies. Children who went through “natural selection” were brought up under conditions of severe discipline. At the age of 7, boys were taken from their parents and raised separately, in small groups. The strongest and bravest young men eventually became captains. The boys slept in common rooms on hard and uncomfortable beds made of reeds. The young Spartans ate simple food - soup made from pork blood, meat and vinegar, lentils and other roughage.
One day, a rich guest who came to Sparta from Sybaris decided to try the “black soup”, after which he said that now he understands why Spartan warriors give up their lives so easily. Boys were often left hungry for several days, thereby inciting them to petty theft in the market. This was not done with the intention of making the young man a skilled thief, but only to develop ingenuity and dexterity - if he was caught stealing, he was severely punished. There are legends about one young Spartan who stole a young fox from the market, and when it was time for lunch, he hid it under his clothes. To prevent the boy from being caught stealing, he endured the pain of the fox gnawing his stomach and died without making a single sound. Over time, discipline only became stricter. All adult men, between the ages of 20 and 60, were required to serve in the Spartan army. They were allowed to marry, but even after that, the Spartans continued to sleep in barracks and eat in common canteens. Warriors were not allowed to own any property, especially gold and silver. Their money looked like iron rods of different sizes. Restraint extended not only to everyday life, food and clothing, but also to the speech of the Spartans. In conversation they were very laconic, limiting themselves to extremely concise and specific answers. This manner of communication in Ancient Greece was called “laconicism” after the area in which Sparta was located.
Life of the Spartans
In general, as in any other culture, issues of everyday life and nutrition shed light on interesting little things in people’s lives. The Spartans, unlike residents of other Greek cities, did not attach much importance to food. In their opinion, food should not be used to satisfy, but only to saturate a warrior before battle. The Spartans dined at a common table, and everyone handed over food for lunch in the same quantity - this is how the equality of all citizens was maintained. The neighbors at the table kept a watchful eye on each other, and if someone did not like the food, he was ridiculed and compared to the spoiled inhabitants of Athens. But when the time came for battle, the Spartans changed radically: they put on their best outfits, and marched towards death with songs and music. From birth, they were taught to perceive each day as their last, not to be afraid and not to retreat. Death in battle was desired and equated to the ideal end to the life of a real man. There were 3 classes of inhabitants in Laconia. The first, most revered, included residents of Sparta who had military training and participated in the political life of the city. Second class - perieki, or residents of surrounding small towns and villages. They were free, although they did not have any political rights. Engaged in trade and handicrafts, the perieki were a kind of “service personnel” for the Spartan army. Lower class - helots, were serfs, and not much different from slaves. Due to the fact that their marriages were not controlled by the state, the helots were the most numerous category of inhabitants, and were restrained from revolt only by the iron grip of their masters.
Political life of Sparta
One of the peculiarities of Sparta was that the state was headed by two kings at the same time. They ruled together, serving as high priests and military leaders. Each of the kings controlled the activities of the other, which ensured the openness and fairness of government decisions. Subordinate to the kings was a "cabinet of ministers", consisting of five ethers or observers, who exercised general custody of laws and customs. The legislative branch consisted of a council of elders, which was headed by two kings. The most respected people were elected to the council people of Sparta who have overcome the 60-year age barrier. Army of Sparta, despite its relatively modest numbers, was well trained and disciplined. Each warrior was filled with determination to win or die - returning with a loss was unacceptable, and was an indelible shame for the rest of his life. Wives and mothers, sending their husbands and sons to war, solemnly presented them with a shield with the words: “Come back with a shield or on it.” Over time, the militant Spartans captured most of the Peloponnese, significantly expanding the boundaries of their possessions. A clash with Athens was inevitable. The rivalry reached its climax during the Peloponnesian War, and led to the fall of Athens. But the tyranny of the Spartans caused hatred among the inhabitants and mass uprisings, which led to the gradual liberalization of power. The number of specially trained warriors decreased, which allowed the inhabitants of Thebes, after about 30 years of Spartan oppression, to overthrow the power of the invaders.
History of Sparta interesting not only from the point of view of military achievements, but also factors of political and life structure. The courage, dedication and desire for victory of the Spartan warriors were the qualities that made it possible not only to restrain the constant attacks of enemies, but also to expand the boundaries of influence. The warriors of this small state easily defeated armies of thousands and were a clear threat to their enemies. Sparta and its inhabitants, brought up on the principles of restraint and the rule of force, were the antipode of the educated and pampered Athens, which in the end led to a clash between these two civilizations.
Climate of Greece
The climate of Greece is characterized by particularly mild, warm, humid winters and hot, slightly dry summers. The swimming season in Greece lasts more than five months - from mid-May, until the velvet season at the end of October. When is the best time to travel to Greece? Experienced travelers strongly recommend not to miss April and the beginning of May - at this time nature acquires a special, charming and delicate beauty, the sun has not yet entered into full force, and gives pleasant warmth rather than summer heat.
Ballet in Greece: how it was then and how it is today
Fur coats in Greece, buy a fur coat in Greece
Typically, winter is considered the longest season of the year because it is the coldest. On cold winter days, time drags on especially long. Therefore, in order not to freeze even in the most severe frosts, women have worn fur products since ancient times. But then it was more of a means of warming up. Now, a fur coat will not only warm you, but also emphasize your femininity, elegance and status.
Zografov Monastery. Zograf
The Zograf Monastery, located in the northwestern part of the Athos Peninsula, in a wooded area on the mountain, occupies ninth place in the hierarchy of the leading monasteries of the Holy Mountain. Its foundation dates back to the 10th century and is associated with three brothers originally from the city of Ohrid, the Athonite monks John, Moses and Aaron. According to Tradition, there was a disagreement between them regarding who should dedicate the monastery cathedral church.
In the next, classical period of Hellenic history, the regions of Balkan Greece became the main leading centers of the Greek world. -Sparta And Athens. Sparta and Athens represent two unique types of Greek states, in many ways opposite to each other and at the same time different from colonial-island Greece. The history of classical Greece mainly focuses on the history of Sparta and Athens, especially since this history is most fully represented in the tradition that has reached us. For this reason, in general courses the history of these societies is given more attention than other countries of the Hellenic world. Their socio-political and cultural characteristics will become clear from the further presentation. Let's start with Sparta.
Sparta owes the uniqueness of its social system and way of life to a large extent to natural conditions. Sparta was located in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, in the Peloponnese. The south of the Peloponnese, where ancient Sparta was located, is occupied by two plains - Laconian and Messenian, separated by a high mountain range Taygetus. Eastern, Lakonian, valley irrigated by the river Eurotom, in fact, it was the main territory of Sparta. From the north, the Laconian Valley was closed by high mountains, and in the south it was lost in the space of malarial swamps that stretched all the way to the sea. In the center there was a valley 30 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide - this is the territory of ancient Sparta - the area is fertile, rich in pastures and convenient for crops. The slopes of Taygetus are covered with forests, wild fruit trees and vineyards. However, the Laconian Valley is small in size and does not have convenient harbors. Isolation from the sea predisposed the Spartans to isolation, on the one hand, and aggressive impulses towards their neighbors, especially the fertile western Messenpi valley, on the other.
The ancient history of Sparta, or Lacedaemon, is little known. Excavations carried out at the site of Sparta by English archaeologists indicate a closer connection between Sparta and Mycenae than previously thought. Pre-Dorian Sparta is a city of the Mycenaean era. In Sparta, according to legend, lived the basil Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen. It is impossible to say how the settlement of the Dorians proceeded in Laconia, which they conquered, and what their initial relations were with the native population, given the current state of the issue. Only a vague story has been preserved about the campaign of the Heraclides (descendants of the hero Hercules) in the Peloponnese and their conquest of Argos, Messenia and Laconia, as the inheritance of their great ancestor Hercules. This is how, according to legend, the Dorians established themselves in the Peloponnese.
As in other communities of Greece, so in Sparta, the growth of productive forces, frequent clashes with neighbors and internal struggle led to the disintegration of clan relations and the formation of a slave state. The state in Sparta arose very
Eurotas Valley. In the distance are the snowy peaks of Taygetos.
early, it was formed as a result of conquest and it retained much more ancestral remnants than in any other polis. The combination of strong statehood with tribal institutions is the main feature of the Spartan, and partly the Dorian system in general.
Many Spartan institutions and customs are associated with the name of the semi-legendary Spartan legislator-sage Lycurgus, in whose image the features of man and the god of light Lycurgus, whose cult was celebrated in Sparta and in historical times, merged. Only in the 5th century. Lycurgus, whose activities date back approximately to the 8th century, began to be considered the creator of the Spartan political system and was therefore placed in one of the Spartan royal families. From the thick fog that shrouds the activities of Lycurgus, some real features of the legislator nevertheless shine through. With the weakening of clan alliances and the liberation of the individual from blood, local, tribal and other constraints, the appearance on the historical arena of such personalities as Lycurgus is quite plausible. This is proven throughout Greek history. The legend represents Lycurgus as the uncle and educator of the young Spartan king, who actually ruled the entire state. On the advice of the Delphic oracle, Lycurgus, as the executor of the divine will, promulgated retro Retras were short sayings in the form of formulas that contained any important regulations and laws.
Expressed in archaic lapidary language Lycurgova retra laid the foundation of the Spartan state.
In addition, Lycurgus was credited with a major land reform that ended hitherto existing land inequality and the predominance of the aristocracy. According to legend, Lycurgus divided the entire territory occupied by Sparta into nine or ten thousand equal sections (kleri) according to the number of male Spartiates who made up the militia.
After this, the legend says, Lycurgus, considering his reform completed and the goal of his life fulfilled, left Sparta, having previously obligated the citizens with an oath not to violate the constitution they had adopted.
After the death of Lycurgus, a temple was built for him in Sparta, and he himself was declared a hero and god. Subsequently, the name of Lycurgus for the Spartans became a symbol of justice and an ideal leader who loved his people and his homeland.
Throughout its history, Sparta remained an agricultural, agrarian country. The seizure of neighboring lands was the driving force of Spartan policy. In the half of the 8th century. this led to a long war with neighboring Messenia ( First Messenian War) ending with the conquest of Messinia and the enslavement of its population. In the 7th century followed by a new one, second Messenian war, caused by the plight of the conquered helot population, also ending in the victory of Sparta. The Spartans owed their victory to the new political system that emerged during the Messenian wars.
The order that developed in Sparta during the Messenian wars lasted for three hundred years (VII-IV centuries). The Spartan constitution, as noted above, represented a combination of tribal remnants with a strong statehood. All Spartans capable of bearing arms and arming themselves at their own expense, members of the fighting phalanx, constituted " equal community In relation to the Spartiate citizens, the Spartan constitution was a democracy, and in relation to the mass of the dependent population, it was an oligarchy. i.e. e. domination of a few. The number of equal Spartiates was estimated at nine or ten thousand people. The community of equals represented a military community with collective property and a collective workforce. All community members were considered equal. The material basis of the community of equals was the land cultivated by the conquered helot population.
The structure of ancient Sparta is mainly presented in this form. Since ancient times, the Spartans were divided into three Dorian (tribal) phyla. Each Spartiate belonged to a particular phylum. But the further, the more and more the clan system was supplanted by the state system and clan divisions were replaced by territorial ones. Sparta was divided into five about. Each both was a village, and the whole of Sparta, according to ancient authors, was not a city in the proper sense, but was a combination of five villages.
It also retained many archaic features. royal power in Sparta. The Spartan kings came from two influential families - the Agiads and the Eurypontids. The kings (archagetes) commanded the militia (and one of the kings went on a campaign), tried cases related mainly to family law and performed some priestly functions. The highest political body in Sparta was Council of Elders, or gerusia. Gerusia consisted of 30 people - 2 kings and 28 geronts, elected by a popular assembly from influential Spartan families. The People's Assembly itself ( appella) met once a month, made decisions on all matters relating to war and peace, and elected members of the gerousia and ephors. The institution of ephors (observers) is very ancient, dating back to the “Dolpkurgov Sparta”. Initially ephorate was a democratic institution. The ephors, numbering five people, were elected by the people's assembly and were representatives of the entire Spartan people. Subsequently (V-IV centuries) they degenerated into an oligarchic body that protected the interests of the upper layer of Spartan citizenship.
The functions of the Spartan ephors were extremely extensive and varied. The recruitment of the militia depended on them. They accompanied the kings on the campaign and controlled their actions. The entire highest politics of Sparta was in their hands. In addition, the ephors had judicial power and could bring to justice even kings who sought to expand their powers and escape the control of the community. Every step of the kings was under the control of the ephors, who performed a unique role as royal guardians.
The Spartan organization has many similarities with men's houses modern backward peoples. The whole system and all life in Sparta had a peculiar military character. The peacetime life of the Spartans was not much different from the wartime life. The Spartan warriors spent most of their time together in a fortified camp on the mountain.
The marching organization was maintained in peacetime. Both during the campaign and during the peace, the Spartans were divided into enomotives- camps, engaged in military exercises, gymnastics, fencing, wrestling, running exercises, etc., and only at night) returned home to their families.
Each Spartan brought from his home a certain amount of food for common friendly dinners, called sissity, or fidity. Only wives and children dined at home. The rest of the life of the Spartans was also entirely subordinated to the interests of the entire community. In order to complicate the possibility of enriching some and ruining other free citizens, exchange was difficult in Sparta. Only bulky and inconvenient iron money was in use. From birth to the end
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Gymnastic exercises. Image on a vase from Noli. In the center are two fist fighters. Gives them instructions, holding a long rod in his hands, supervisor. On the left is a young man holding a rope, serving to measure
jump.
In life, the Spartan did not belong to himself. The father of a newborn child could not raise him without the prior permission of the geronts. The father brought his child to the geronts, who, after examining the child, either left him alive or sent him to the “apophetes”, to the cemetery in the Taygetus crevice. Only the strong and strong were left alive, from whom good soldiers could emerge.
The military imprint lay on the entire education of the Spartan. This education was based on the principle: win in battle and obey. Young Spartans went without shoes all year round and wore rough clothing. They spent most of their time in schools (gymnasiums), where they engaged in physical exercises, sports and learned to read and write. The Spartan had to speak simply, briefly, in Lakonian (laconic).
Spartan gymnasiasts drank, ate and slept together. They slept on hard reed beds, prepared with their own hands without a knife. To test the physical endurance of teenagers, real flagellations were organized in the Temple of Artemis under a religious pretext. *3 and the execution was observed by a priestess holding a figurine of the god in her hands, now tilting it, now raising it, thereby indicating the need to strengthen or weaken the blows.
Special attention was paid to the education of youth in Sparta. They were looked upon as the main force of the Spartan system both in the present and in the future. In order to accustom youth to endurance, teenagers and young men were assigned difficult work, which they had to do without any objection or grumbling. Not only the authorities, but also private individuals were required to monitor the behavior of the young men under the threat of fines and dishonor for negligence.
“As for youth, the legislator paid special attention to it, considering that it is very important for the state’s well-being if youth are educated properly.”
Such attention to military training was undoubtedly facilitated by the fact that Sparta was, as it were, a military camp among the enslaved and always ready to rebel population of the surrounding regions, mainly Messenia.
At the same time, the physically strong and well-disciplined Spartans were well armed. The military technology of Sparta was considered exemplary throughout Hellas. The large reserves of iron available in Taygetos made it possible to widely expand the production of iron weapons. The Spartan army was divided into detachments (suckers, later moras) of five hundred people. The small fighting unit was the enomotia, consisting of approximately forty men. Heavily armed infantrymen (hoplites) constituted the main military force of Sparta.
The Spartan army set out on a campaign in an orderly march accompanied by the sounds of flutes and choral songs. Spartan choral singing enjoyed great fame throughout Hellas. “There was something in these songs that ignited courage, aroused enthusiasm and called for exploits. Their words were simple and artless, but their content was serious and instructive.”
The songs glorified the Spartans who fell in battle and condemned “pathetic and dishonest cowards.” Spartan songs in poetic treatment enjoyed great popularity throughout Greece. An example of Spartan war songs can be the elegies and marches (embateria) of the poet Tyrtea(VII century), who arrived in Sparta from Attica and enthusiastically praised the Spartan system.
“Don’t be afraid of huge enemy hordes, don’t be afraid!
Let everyone hold his shield directly between the first fighters.
Life is hateful, considering the gloomy harbingers of death as sweet as the rays of the sun are dear to us...”
“It’s glorious to lose your life, among the valiant warriors who fell, - to a brave man in battle for the sake of his fatherland...”
“Young men, fight, standing in rows, do not be an example of shameful flight or pathetic cowardice to others!
Do not leave the elders, whose knees are already weak,
And do not run away, betraying the elders to your enemies.
It’s a terrible shame for you when among the warriors the first fallen Elder lies ahead of the young fighters..."
“Let him, taking a wide step and placing his feet on the ground,
Everyone stands in place, lips pressed with teeth,
Hips and legs from below and your chest along with your shoulders Covered with a convex circle of a shield, strong with copper;
With his right hand let him shake the mighty lance,
Putting your foot together and leaning your shield on the shield,
Terrible sultan - oh sultan, helmet - oh comrade helmet,
Having tightly closed chest to chest, let everyone fight with enemies, clasping the hilt of a spear or sword with his hand. " 1 .
Until the very end of the Greco-Persian wars, the Spartan phalanx of hoplites was considered an exemplary and invincible army.
The armament of all Spartans was the same, which further emphasized the equality of all Spartans before the community. The Spartiates wore crimson cloaks; their weapons consisted of a spear, shield and helmet.
Considerable attention in Sparta was also paid to the education of women, who occupied a very unique position in the Spartan system. Before marriage, young Spartan women engaged in the same physical exercises as men - running, wrestling, throwing a discus, fighting in fist fights, etc. The education of women was considered as the most important state function, because their responsibility was to give birth to healthy children, future defenders of the homeland. “The Spartan girls had to run, fight, throw discus, throw spears to strengthen their bodies, so that their future children would be strong in body in the very womb of their healthy mother, so that their development would be correct and so that the mothers themselves could be delivered from pregnancy successfully and easily, “thanks to the strength of my body.”
After getting married, the Spartan woman devoted herself entirely to family responsibilities - giving birth and raising children. The form of marriage in Sparta was the monogamous family. But at the same time, as Engels notes, many remnants of ancient group marriage remained in Sparta. “In Sparta there is pair marriage, modified by the state in accordance with local views and in many respects still reminiscent of group marriage. Childless marriages are dissolved: King Anaxandrid (650 BC), who had a childless wife, took a second one and kept two households; around the same time the king
Ariston, who had two barren wives, took the third, but released one of the first. On the other hand, several brothers could have a common wife; a man who liked his friend’s wife could share her with him... A real violation of marital fidelity, the infidelity of wives behind the husband’s back, was therefore unheard of. On the other hand, Sparta, at least
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Young woman, running race. Rome. Vatican.
At least in its best era, it did not know domestic slaves, serf helots lived separately on estates, so the Spartiates were less tempted to use their women. It is natural, therefore, that due to all these conditions, women in Sparta occupied a much more honorable position than among the rest of the Greeks.”
The Spartan community was created not only as a result of a long and persistent struggle with its neighbors, but also as a result of the peculiar position of Sparta among a large enslaved and allied population. The mass of the enslaved population was helots, farmers, painted according to the clerks of the Spartiates in groups of ten to fifteen people. Helots paid rent in kind (apophora) and bore various duties in relation to their masters. The quitrent included barley, spelt, pork, wine and butter. Each Spartan received 70 medimni (measures), barley, Spartan 12 medimni with the corresponding amount of fruits and wine. Helots were not exempt from military service either. Battles usually began with the appearance of helots, who were supposed to disrupt the ranks and rear of the enemy.
The origin of the term "helot" is unclear. According to some scholars, “helot” means conquered, captured, and according to others, “helot” comes from the city of Gelos, whose inhabitants were in unequal, but allied relations with Sparta, obliging them to pay tribute. But whatever the origin of the helots and no matter what formal category - slaves or serfs - they are classified into, the sources leave no doubt that the actual position of the helots was no different from the position of slaves.
Both land and helots were considered communal property; individual property was not developed in Sparta. Each full-fledged Spartiate, a member of a community of equals and a member of the fighting phalanx of hoplites received from the community by lot a certain allotment (kler) with the helots sitting on it. Neither the clairs nor the rafts could be alienated. The Spartiate, of his own free will, could neither sell nor release the helot, nor change his contributions. The helots were for the use of the Spartan and his family as long as he remained in the community. The total number of clerks according to the number of full-fledged Spartiates was equal to ten thousand.
The second group of the dependent population consisted of perieki,(or perioikoi) - “living around” - residents of the regions allied with Sparta. Among the perieks were farmers, artisans and merchants. Compared to the absolutely powerless helots, the perieci were in a better position, but they did not have political rights and were not part of a community of equals, but served in the militia and could have land ownership.
The “Community of Equals” lived on a real volcano, the crater of which constantly threatened to open up and swallow everyone living on it. In no other Greek state did the antagonism between the dependent and the dominant population manifest itself in such a sharp form as in Sparta. “Everyone,” notes Plutarch, “who believes that in Sparta the free enjoys the highest freedom, and the slaves are slaves in the full sense of the word, define the situation absolutely correctly.”
This is the reason for the proverbial conservatism of the Spartan order and the exceptionally cruel attitude of the ruling class towards the disenfranchised population. The Spartans' treatment of the helots was always harsh and cruel. By the way, the helots were forced to get drunk, and after that the Spartans showed the youth how disgusting drunkenness can lead to. In no other Greek city did the antagonism between the dependent population and the masters manifest itself as sharply as in Sparta. The unity of the helots and their organization was greatly facilitated by the very nature of their settlements. The helots lived in continuous settlements on the plain, along the banks of the Eurotas, heavily overgrown with reeds, where they could take refuge if necessary.
In order to prevent carnal uprisings, the Spartans from time to time organized crypts, i.e. punitive expeditions against the helots, destroying the strongest and strongest of them. The essence of the cryptia was as follows. The ephors declared a “holy war” against the helots, during which detachments of Spartan youth, armed with short swords, were sent out of the city. During the day, these detachments hid in remote places, but at night they emerged from ambush and suddenly attacked the helot settlements, created panic, killed the strongest and most dangerous of them, and disappeared again. Other methods of dealing with helots are also known. Thucydides says that during the Peloponnesian War, the Spartiates gathered helots who wanted to receive liberation for their merits, put wreaths on their heads as a sign of imminent liberation, led them to the temple, and after that these helots disappeared to God knows where. Thus, two thousand helots immediately disappeared.
The cruelty of the Spartans, however, did not protect them from helot uprisings. The history of Sparta is full of large and small uprisings of helots. Most often, uprisings occurred during the war, when the Spartans were distracted by military operations and could not monitor the helots with their usual vigilance. The uprising of the helots was especially strong during the second Meseen war, as discussed above. The uprising threatened to sweep away the very “community of equals.” Since the time of the Messenian wars, cryptia arose.
“It seems to me that the Spartans have become so inhuman since then. since a terrible earthquake occurred in Sparta, during which the helots rebelled.”
The Spartans invented all sorts of measures and means to keep the historically established social order in balance. This is where their fear of everything new, unknown and outside the framework of the usual, the structure of life, a suspicious attitude towards foreigners, etc. came from. And yet, life still took its toll. The Spartan order, for all its indestructibility, was destroyed both from the outside and from the inside.
After the Messenian wars, Sparta tried to subjugate other regions of the Peloponnese, primarily Arcadia, but the resistance of the Arcadian mountain tribes forced Sparta to abandon this plan. After this, Sparta seeks to ensure its power through alliances. In the VI century. through wars and peace treaties the Spartans managed to achieve organization Peloponnesian League, which covered all the regions of the Peloponnese, except Argos, Achaia and the northern districts of Arcadia. Subsequently, the trading city of Corinth, a rival of Athens, also joined this union.
Before the Greco-Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian League was the largest and most powerful of all Greek alliances. “Lacedaemon itself, after it was settled by the Dorians, who now live in this area, for a very long time, as far as we know, suffered from internal unrest. However, for a long time it was governed by good laws and was never under the rule of tyrants. IN During the little over four hundred years that elapsed before the end of this [Peloponnesian] war, the Lacedaemonians had the same state structure. Thanks to this, “they became powerful and organized affairs in other states.”
Spartan hegemony continued until the Battle of Salamis, that is, until the first major naval battle, which brought Athens to the fore and moved the economic center of Greece from the mainland to the sea. From this time on, the internal crisis of Sparta began, which ultimately led to the disintegration of all the above-described institutions of the ancient Spartan system.
Orders similar to those observed in Sparta also existed in some other Greek states. This concerned primarily the areas conquered by the Dorians, especially the cities of. Krita. According to ancient authors, Lycurgus borrowed a lot from the Cretans. And indeed, in the Cretan system, which developed after the Dorian conquest, known to us from the inscription from Gortyna, there are many common features with Sparta. Three Dorian phyla are preserved, and there are public dinners, which, unlike Sparta, are organized at the expense of the state. Free citizens use the labor of unfree farmers ( Clarots), who in many ways resemble the Spartan helots, but have more rights than the latter. They have their own property; the estate, for example, was considered their property. They even had the right to the master's property if he did not have a relative. Along with the clarota, there were also “purchased slaves” in Crete, who served in city houses and did not differ from the slaves in developed Greek policies.
In Thessaly, a position similar to the Spartan helots and Cretan clarotes was occupied penestae, who paid rent to the Thessalians. One source says that “the Penestes handed themselves over to the power of the Thessalians on the basis of a mutual oath, according to which they would not tolerate anything bad while working and would not leave the country.” About the position of the penests - and the same can be attributed to the helots and clarots - Engels wrote the following: “Undoubtedly, serfdom is not a specific medieval-feudal form, we meet it everywhere where the conquerors force the old inhabitants to cultivate the land - this was the case, for example, in Thessaly at a very early time. This fact has clouded my and many others' view of medieval serfdom. It was very tempting to justify it with a simple conquest, so everything turned out unusually smoothly” 2.
Thucydides, I, 18. ! Marx and Engels, Letters, Sotsekgiz, 1931, p. 346.
In the photo, the theater of Ancient Sparta is located on the southwestern slope of the Acropolis, below the Temple of Athena.
Sparta is one of the most famous cities in Greece. These days it is a fairly small settlement on the peninsula. But during the times of Ancient Greece, there was a city-state here that went down in history for the courage of its warriors. Ancient authors sometimes called it Lacedaemon, and its inhabitants - Lacedaemonians. Laconia is the abbreviated name for the region.
Story
Ancient Sparta reached the peak of its prosperity and power in 404 BC. e. after the victory over Athens in the Second Peloponnesian War.
Laconia played a vital role in the history of Ancient Greece. From the south and east it is washed by the sea, and was protected from enemies on land by mountain ranges. The fertile valley of Laconia's largest river, Evrotas, has turned Laconia into a thriving area of crop production and livestock breeding. The general picture of prosperity was spoiled only by periodic earthquakes. Sparta was the largest city in Laconia, the rest were far from it in all respects.
In 2 thousand BC. BC, during the period of the Mycenaean civilization, Laconia was inhabited by the Greek tribal group of the Achaeans. At the end of 2 thousand BC. e. Another ancient Greek tribe, the Dorians, invaded Laconia from the north and subjugated it. They were the ones who founded Sparta. The Dorians became the main population of Laconia, forming a class group of Spartiates who had all civil rights, turning everyone else into state slaves-helots or free, but not citizens - perieci from other cities of Laconia.
In fact, the entire country was a military camp, turning into an unusually militarized state. The introduction of this way of life is usually attributed to Lycurgus, although whether he was a god, a mythical hero, or a historical figure is never clear.
Many historians believe that Sparta arose relatively late, after the Dorian invasion, which supposedly occurred between 1150 and 1100. BC e. The invaders initially settled in or near the cities they had conquered and often destroyed, but a century later they established their own capital at the Eurotas River.
Starting from this period, the history of Laconia completely coincides with the history of its capital - the city-state of Sparta - founded around the 10th century. BC e. Sparta, whose name may mean "scattered" (other interpretations have been suggested), consisted of estates scattered over an area centered on a low hill that later became the Acropolis.
Sparta was a city unique in the ancient world. It is enough to mention at least the fact that the Spartans did not build walls to protect their city, relying more on the strength of their warriors and the talent of their commanders. The walls appeared only in the 2nd century. BC e. under the tyrant Nabid.
Ancient Sparta was built up most intensively in the 6th century. BC e. At that time, the temple of Athena Polyouchos, or Copperhouse, mentioned by the ancient Greek geographer Pausanias, the sanctuary of King Leonidas I, the hero of the Greco-Persian wars, the throne of Apollo and many other architectural monuments were erected on the Spartan Acropolis.
However, Sparta was still far behind other Greek city-states in architectural terms: it was more of a typical provincial city than a luxurious capital. The reason for such deliberate modesty should be sought in the “laws of Lycurgus,” created by the Spartan legislator himself or attributed to him and primarily directed against luxury.
The development of the city, obviously, was carried out without any specific plan; for particularly significant structures, places were selected higher up, on the hills.
The remains of Ancient Sparta are located north of modern Sparta, in the area of the local stadium. The area itself is a huge olive grove: trees have grown right through the ruins.
In the Greco-Persian wars 499-449. BC e. Sparta played one of the key roles. She further strengthened her position after her victory over Athens in the Peloponnesian War of 431-404. BC, becoming the most influential polis in Greece.
However, by the V-IV centuries. BC e. Sparta began to decline: in order to maintain its leading position, it had to fight many wars, the nobility was corrupted by luxury, the birth rate fell catastrophically due to late marriages and the isolation of the Spartan class. The decline of Sparta began with defeat at the Battle of Thebes at Leuctra in 371 BC. The Lacedaemonians lost their reputation as invincible, and the authority of Sparta fell.
Sparta was never able to recover and regain its former influence, and in 146 BC. e., like all of Greece, the legendary city became part of the Roman Empire. In 396 the city was destroyed by the Visigoths of Alaric. Since the 13th century. Neighboring Mystras became the political and cultural center of Laconia.
Due to the peculiarities of the development of its history, Laconia is not one of the regions of Greece rich in historical monuments. The ruins of ancient Sparta alone are best known.
The British School's excavations at Athens, carried out from 1906-1910 and 1924-1929, uncovered the remains of several buildings, including the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, the temple of Athena of Copper and a theater.
The central structure is, of course, the Acropolis, which was the center of both military and cultural life of the local residents. Without it, it was considered impossible to erect other buildings. The Spartan Acropolis consists of an agora (a combination of a market square, an exchange, a place for negotiations and the announcement of the decisions of the authorities, invented by the ancients), built already in the era of Ancient Rome.
The Temple of Artemis Orthia, Orthosia the Lady, as she was called in Sparta - Lygodesma, or Bound with Willows - was built in the 10th century. BC. shortly after the rise of Sparta. This is one of the few buildings from the original Spartan period. The image of Artemis Orthia has been preserved in the temple, and in a vertical, not overthrown position. The temple was apparently destroyed by flood. Today it has been restored.
Sparta also had its own theater, built on the highest of the Spartan hills, and it was very large: it was designed for 16 thousand spectators. The original structure was built of wood, later the walls were built of limestone and the stage was made of white marble. To this day, only the choirs, stage and a few other fragments have survived from the theater.
A long arched gallery, where artisans' shops were located, has also been preserved.
The pride of the Archaeological Museum of Sparta is the collection of Roman mosaics. There are also finds made during archaeological work on the ruins of Sparta: a marble head of a warrior from the Acropolis, bas-reliefs with images of snakes from the sanctuary of Apollo, ceramic masks - an attribute of ritual dances in the sanctuary of Artemis.
Not far from the city there was a sanctuary of Menelaus and Helen, whose ruins have survived to this day.
The city of Sparta, which stands next to the ruins of the ancient city, has practically no traces of its former greatness. Completely rebuilt in the first half of the 19th century, today it is the administrative center of the nome of Laconia, the center of the agricultural region of the Evrotas River valley and the residence of the Orthodox bishop.
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general information
Location : southern Greece.Administrative location : nome Laconia, periphery of the Peloponnese, decentralized administration of the Peloponnese, Western Greece and Ionia.
Based: XI-X centuries. BC e.
Language: Greek.
Ethnic composition : Greeks.
Religion: Orthodoxy.
Numbers
Square: 84.5 km 2 .Population: 16,239 people (2011).
Population density : 192.2 people/km 2 .
Height above sea level : 210 m.
Remoteness: 213 km southwest of Athens.
Climate and weather
Mediterranean.
Winters are mild and cool, summers are hot and dry.
Average January temperature : +9.6°C.
Average temperature in July : +28.5°C.
Average annual precipitation : 700 mm.
Average annual relative humidity : 65%.
Attractions
Archaeological complex of the ruins of Ancient Sparta
Statue of King Leonidas
Temple of Artemis Orthia (X century BC)
Leonidaion - burial of King Leonidas I (5th century BC)
Acropolis with the temple of Athena Polyouchos, or Copperhouse (VI century BC)
Theater (I-II centuries)
Altar of Lycurgus
North and South gates
Modern Sparta
Museums Archaeological (1876)
Museum of Olives and Olive Oil
John Koumantarios Art Gallery
Outside of Sparta
Byzantine church with the monastery of St. Nicholas (X century)
Churches of St. Sophia Evangelistria, St. Chrysostom and St. Athanasius (XI-XIV centuries)
Castle of Baron de Nivelet (XIII century)
Perivleptou Monastery (XIV century)
Sanctuaries of Apollo, Menelaus and Helen
Diros Caves
Curious facts
Already in ancient times, Sparta was a tourist attraction: people from Rome came here to study Spartan customs and government structure, unusual for the era of the Roman conquest of Greece.
The laws of Lycurgus turned Sparta into an exemplary example of an oppressive totalitarian militaristic state that controlled the lives of citizens from birth to death. At the birth of a child, the state determined whether the child would grow up to be a healthy citizen or whether he should be thrown off the mountain. The boy spent the first years of his life at home. From the age of seven, the state took over the upbringing, and children devoted almost all their time to physical exercise and military drill. At the age of 20, the young Spartiate joined the fidity, a society of fifteen people, continuing his military training with them. He had the right to marry, but could only visit his wife in secret. At the age of 30, a Spartiate became a full citizen and could participate in the national assembly, but spent almost all his time in the gymnasium (gymnasium), leskha (club) and fiditiya (dining room). On the Spartan's tombstone only his name was carved; if he died in battle, the words “in war” were added.
Many modern historians believe that the state structure of Sparta, attributed to Lycurgus alone, was actually formed through a gradual modification of the patriarchal system. Lycurgus the legislator, most likely, was not a real historical person, but a fictional organizer of Spartan life.
Ancient Greek writer and geographer of the 2nd century. Pausanias was the author of probably the first guidebook in history. His work “Description of Hellas” is divided into 10 chapters based on the names of Greek regions, including Laconia. It is a directory of the sights of Ancient Greece, equipped with accompanying legends. Geographically, “Description of Hellas” can still serve as a guidebook today.
One of the attractions of Sparta is supposedly the same rock from which children were thrown, “rejected” by a commission that decided which children were strong and could live, and which were weak and should be disposed of immediately. However, archaeologists have not found reliable evidence that the Sparta gorge is filled with the bones of infants. It is now believed that this is most likely a myth.
Since Sparta had not yet emerged during the period in which most historians place the Trojan War (about 1200 BC), the myth of Paris' abduction of Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, was probably attributed to Sparta. In neighboring Terapna, where there was a large city of the Mycenaean era, there was a sanctuary of Menelaion, where the cult of Menelaus and Helen was celebrated for quite a long time.
The first recorded victory of the Spartans at Olympia was the first place of a certain Acanthus in running at the 15th Olympiad in 720 BC. e. For more than a century, Spartan athletes dominated the Olympic Games, achieving 46 out of 81 victories during this time.
On the last Saturday-Sunday of September, the traditional sports competition Spartaflon is held in Sparta, which usually attracts a lot of spectators.
SPARTA, the main city of the region of Laconia (southeastern part of the Peloponnese), the most Doric of all states of Ancient Greece. Ancient Sparta was located on the west bank of the Eurotas River and extended north from the modern city of Sparta. Laconia is an abbreviated name for the region that was fully called Lacedaemon, so the inhabitants of this area were often called “Lacedaemonians,” which is almost equivalent to the words “Spartan” or “Spartiate.”
Sparta, whose name may mean "scattered" (other interpretations have been suggested), consisted of manors and estates scattered over an area centered on a low hill that later became an acropolis. Initially, the city did not have walls and remained true to this principle until the 2nd century. BC. The British School's excavations at Athens (carried out 1906–1910 and 1924–1929) uncovered the remains of several buildings, including the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, the temple of Athena the Copperfurnace, and a theater. The theater was built of white marble and, according to Pausanias, who described the buildings of Sparta ca. 160 AD, was a “landmark”, but this stone structure dates back to the era of Roman rule. From the low acropolis there was a magnificent view of the Eurotas valley and the majestic Mount Taygetos, which rose steeply to a height of 2406 m and formed the western border of Sparta.
Many historians believe that Sparta arose relatively late, after the “Dorian invasion”, which supposedly occurred between 1150 and 1100 BC. The invaders initially settled in or near the cities they had conquered and often destroyed, but a century later they established their own “capital” at the Eurotas River. Since Sparta had not yet emerged during the period in which most historians place the Trojan War (c. 1200 BC), the myth of Paris' abduction of Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, was probably attributed to Sparta. In neighboring Terapna, where there was a large city of the Mycenaean era, there was a sanctuary of Menelaion and the cult of Menelaus and Helen was celebrated until the classical period.
Population growth and associated economic and social problems inspired the Spartans to expand abroad. Minus the one founded in Italy in the 8th century. BC. The colony of Tarentum Sparta expanded only at the expense of Greece proper. During the 1st and 2nd Messenian Wars (between 725 and 600 BC), Messenia, west of Sparta, was conquered, and the Messenians were turned into helots, i.e. state slaves. Evidence of Spartan activity is the legend of how the inhabitants of Elis, with the support of Sparta, managed to wrest control of the Olympic Games from their rivals, the inhabitants of Pisa. The first recorded victory of the Spartans at Olympia was the victory of Acanthos in the race at the 15th Olympiad (720 BC). For more than a century, Spartan athletes dominated the Olympic Games, achieving 46 victories out of 81 recorded in the annals.
Having conquered another part of the territory from Argos and Arcadia, Sparta moved from a policy of conquest to increasing its power through concluding treaties with various states. As the head of the Peloponnesian League (began to emerge c. 550 BC, took shape c. 510–500 BC), Sparta virtually dominated the entire Peloponnese, with the exception of Argos and Achaia on the northern coast, and by 500 BC .e. became the most powerful military power in Greece. This created a counterweight to the impending Persian invasion, which the combined efforts of the Peloponnesian League and Athens and its allies led to decisive victories over the Persians at Salamis and Plataea in 480 and 479 BC.
Conflict between the two greatest states of Greece, Doric Sparta and Ionian Athens, a land and sea power, was inevitable, and in 431 BC. The Peloponnesian War broke out. Ultimately in 404 BC. Sparta gained the upper hand, and the Athenian power perished. Dissatisfaction with Spartan dominance in Greece led to a new war. The Thebans and their allies, led by Epaminondas, inflicted heavy defeats on the Spartans at Leuktra (371 BC) and at Mantinea (362 BC), after which, short-term bursts of activity and occasional periods of takeoff aside, Sparta became lose former power.
Under the tyrant Nabid, ca. 200 BC or soon after, Sparta was surrounded by a wall, and at the same time the stone theater appeared. During the period of Roman rule, which began in 146 BC, Sparta turned into a large and prosperous provincial city, and defensive and other structures were erected here. Sparta flourished until 350 AD. In 396 the city was destroyed by Alaric.
Of particular importance in world history is the influence exerted on later state systems by the political and social structure of Sparta. The Spartan state was headed by two kings, one from the Agid clan, the other from the Eurypontid clan, which was probably initially associated with the union of the two tribes. The two kings held meetings together with the gerusia, i.e. council of elders, to which 28 people over 60 years of age were elected for life. All Spartans who had reached the age of 30 and had sufficient funds to do what was considered necessary for a citizen (in particular, to contribute their share to participate in joint meals, fiditias) participated in the national assembly (apella). Later, the institution of ephors arose, five officials who were elected by the assembly, one from each region of Sparta. The five ephors acquired power superior to that of the kings (possibly after Chilo assumed this office around 555 BC). To prevent uprisings of the helots who had a numerical superiority and to maintain the combat readiness of their own citizens, secret sorties (they were called cryptia) were constantly organized to kill the helots.
Surprisingly, the type of civilization that is now called Spartan is not characteristic of early Sparta. Excavations carried out by the British confirmed the theory put forward by historians on the basis of written monuments that before 600 BC. Spartan culture generally coincided with the way of life of the then Athens and other Greek states. Fragments of sculptures, fine ceramics, figurines made of ivory, bronze, lead and terracotta discovered in this area testify to the high level of Spartan culture, just like the poetry of Tyrtaeus and Alcman (7th century BC). However, shortly after 600 BC. there was a sudden change. Art and poetry disappear, the names of Spartan athletes no longer appear on the lists of Olympic winners. Before these changes made themselves felt, the Spartan Githiades built the “brazen house of Athena” (temple of Athena Polyouchos); 50 years later, on the contrary, it was necessary to invite foreign masters Theodore of Samos and Baticles from Magnesia to build, respectively, Skiada (probably a meeting hall) in Sparta and the temple of Apollo Hyacinthius in Amyclae. Sparta suddenly turned into a military camp, and from then on the militarized state produced only soldiers. The introduction of this way of life is usually attributed to Lycurgus, although it is unclear whether Lycurgus was a god, a mythical hero, or a historical figure.
The Spartan state consisted of three classes: the Spartiates, or Spartans; perieki (lit. “living nearby”), inhabitants of the allied cities surrounding Lacedaemon; helots. Only Spartiates could vote and enter governing bodies. They were forbidden to engage in trade and, in order to discourage them from making profit, to use gold and silver coins. The land plots of the Spartiates, cultivated by helots, were supposed to provide their owners with sufficient income to purchase military equipment and meet everyday needs. Trade and production were carried out by the Perieki. They did not participate in the political life of Sparta, but had some rights, as well as the privilege of serving in the army. Thanks to the work of numerous helots, the Spartiates could devote all their time to physical exercise and military affairs.
It is estimated that by 600 BC. there were approx. 25 thousand citizens, 100 thousand perieks and 250 thousand helots. Later, the number of helots outnumbered the number of citizens by 15 times. Wars and economic hardships reduced the number of Spartiates. During the Greco-Persian Wars (480 BC), Sparta fielded c. 5000 Spartiates, but a century later in the Battle of Leuctra (371 BC) only 2000 of them fought. It is mentioned that in the 3rd century. There were only 700 citizens in Sparta.
To maintain their position in the state, the Spartiates felt the need for a large regular army. The state controlled the lives of citizens from birth to death. At the birth of a child, the state determined whether it would grow into a healthy citizen or whether it should be taken to Mount Taygetos. The boy spent the first years of his life at home. From the age of 7, education was taken over by the state, and children devoted almost all their time to physical exercise and military drill. At the age of 20, the young Spartiate joined the fidity, i.e. company of fifteen people, continuing his military training with them. He had the right to marry, but could only visit his wife in secret. At the age of 30, a Spartiate became a full citizen and could participate in the national assembly, but he spent the lion's share of his time in the gymnasium, lesha (something like a club) and fiditia. On the Spartan's tombstone only his name was carved; if he died in battle, the words “in war” were added.
Spartan girls also underwent athletic training, which included running, jumping, wrestling, discus and javelin throwing. It is reported that Lycurgus allegedly introduced such training for girls so that they would grow up strong and courageous, capable of giving birth to strong and healthy children.
The Spartiates deliberately introduced despotism, which deprived the individual of freedom and initiative and destroyed the influence of the family. However, the Spartan way of life greatly appealed to Plato, who incorporated many of its militaristic, totalitarian and communist features into his ideal state.
In the southeast of the largest Greek peninsula - the Peloponnese - the powerful Sparta was once located. This state was located in the region of Laconia, in the picturesque valley of the Eurotas River. Its official name, which was most often mentioned in international treaties, is Lacedaemon. It was from this state that such concepts as “Spartan” and “Spartan” came. Everyone has also heard about the cruel custom that has developed in this ancient polis: killing weak newborns in order to maintain the gene pool of their nation.
History of origin
Officially, Sparta, which was called Lacedaemon (from this word also came the name of the nome - Laconia), arose in the eleventh century BC. After some time, the entire area on which this city-state was located was captured by the Dorian tribes. Those, having assimilated with the local Achaeans, became Spartakiates in the sense known today, and the former inhabitants were turned into slaves called helots.
The most Doric of all the states that Ancient Greece once knew, Sparta, was located on the western bank of Eurotas, on the site of the modern city of the same name. Its name can be translated as “scattered.” It consisted of estates and estates that were scattered throughout Laconia. And the center was a low hill, which later became known as the acropolis. Sparta originally had no walls and remained true to this principle until the second century BC.
State system of Sparta
It was based on the principle of the unity of all full-fledged citizens of the polis. For this purpose, the state and law of Sparta strictly regulated the life and life of its subjects, restraining their property stratification. The foundations of such a social system were laid by the treaty of the legendary Lycurgus. According to him, the duties of the Spartans were only sports or the art of war, and crafts, agriculture and trade were the work of the helots and perioecs.
As a result, the system established by Lycurgus transformed the Spartiate military democracy into an oligarchic-slave-owning republic, which still retained some signs of a tribal system. Here, land was not allowed, which was divided into equal plots, considered the property of the community and not subject to sale. Helot slaves also, historians suggest, belonged to the state rather than to wealthy citizens.
Sparta is one of the few states that was simultaneously headed by two kings, who were called archagets. Their power was inherited. The powers that each king of Sparta had were limited not only to military power, but also to the organization of sacrifices, as well as to participation in the council of elders.
The latter was called gerusia and consisted of two archagets and twenty-eight geronts. The elders were elected by the people's assembly for life only from the Spartan nobility who had reached the age of sixty. Gerusia in Sparta performed the functions of a certain government body. She prepared issues that needed to be discussed at public assemblies, and also directed foreign policy. In addition, the Council of Elders considered criminal cases, as well as state crimes, including those directed against the archaget.
Court
The legal proceedings and law of ancient Sparta were regulated by the college of ephors. This organ first appeared in the eighth century BC. It consisted of the five most worthy citizens of the state, who were elected by the people's assembly for only one year. At first, the powers of the ephors were limited only to the legal proceedings of property disputes. But already in the sixth century BC their power and powers were growing. Gradually they begin to displace gerusia. The ephors were given the right to convene a national assembly and gerousia, regulate foreign policy, and carry out internal governance of Sparta and its legal proceedings. This body was so important in the social structure of the state that its powers included the control of officials, including the archaget.
People's Assembly
Sparta is an example of an aristocratic state. In order to suppress the forced population, whose representatives were called helots, the development of private property was artificially restrained in order to maintain equality among the Spartiates themselves.
The Apella, or popular assembly, in Sparta was characterized by passivity. Only full-fledged male citizens who had reached the age of thirty had the right to participate in this body. At first, the people's assembly was convened by the archaget, but subsequently its leadership also passed to the college of ephors. Apella could not discuss the issues put forward, she only rejected or accepted the solution she proposed. Members of the national assembly voted in a very primitive way: by shouting or dividing participants into different sides, after which the majority was determined by eye.
Population
The inhabitants of the Lacedaemonian state have always been class-unequal. This situation was created by the social system of Sparta, which included three classes: the elite, the perieki - free residents from nearby cities who did not have the right to vote, as well as state slaves - helots.
The Spartans, who were in privileged conditions, were exclusively engaged in war. They were far from trade, crafts and agriculture; all this was given over to the Perieks as a right. At the same time, the estates of the elite Spartans were cultivated by helots, whom the latter rented from the state. During the heyday of the state, there were five times fewer nobility than perieks, and ten times fewer helots.
All periods of the existence of this one of the most ancient states can be divided into prehistoric, ancient, classical, Roman and Each of them left its mark not only in the formation of the ancient state of Sparta. Greece borrowed a lot from this history in the process of its formation.
Prehistoric era
The Leleges initially lived on the Laconian lands, but after the capture of the Peloponnese by the Dorians, this region, which was always considered the most infertile and generally insignificant, as a result of deception, went to two minor sons of the legendary king Aristodemus - Eurysthenes and Proclus.
Soon Sparta became the main city of Lacedaemon, whose system for a long time did not stand out among the other Doric states. She waged constant external wars with neighboring Argive or Arcadian cities. The most significant rise occurred during the reign of Lycurgus, the ancient Spartan legislator, to whom ancient historians unanimously attribute the political structure that subsequently dominated Sparta for several centuries.
Antique era
After victory in the wars lasting from 743 to 723 and from 685 to 668. BC, Sparta was able to finally defeat and capture Messenia. As a result, its ancient inhabitants were deprived of their lands and turned into helots. Six years later, Sparta, at the cost of incredible efforts, defeated the Arcadians, and in 660 BC. e. forced Tegea to recognize her hegemony. According to the agreement stored on the column placed near Althea, she forced her to enter into a military alliance. It was from this time that Sparta in the eyes of the people began to be considered the first state of Greece.
The history of Sparta at this stage is that its inhabitants began to make attempts to overthrow the tyrants that had been appearing since the seventh millennium BC. e. in almost all Greek states. It was the Spartans who helped expel the Cypselids from Corinth, the Pisistrati from Athens, they contributed to the liberation of Sikyon and Phocis, as well as several islands in the Aegean Sea, thereby acquiring grateful supporters in different states.
History of Sparta in the classical era
Having concluded an alliance with Tegea and Elis, the Spartans began to attract the rest of the cities of Laconia and neighboring regions to their side. As a result, the Peloponnesian League was formed, in which Sparta assumed hegemony. These were wonderful times for her: she provided leadership in wars, was the center of meetings and all meetings of the Union, without encroaching on the independence of individual states that maintained autonomy.
Sparta never tried to extend its own power to the Peloponnese, but the threat of danger prompted all other states, with the exception of Argos, to come under its protection during the Greco-Persian wars. Having eliminated the immediate danger, the Spartans, realizing that they were unable to wage war with the Persians far from their own borders, did not object when Athens took further leadership in the war, limiting itself only to the peninsula.
From that time on, signs of rivalry between these two states began to appear, which subsequently resulted in the First, which ended with the Thirty Years' Peace. The fighting not only broke the power of Athens and established the hegemony of Sparta, but also led to a gradual violation of its foundations - the legislation of Lycurgus.
As a result, in 397 before our chronology, the uprising of Kinadon took place, which, however, was not crowned with success. However, after certain setbacks, especially the defeat at the Battle of Cnidus in 394 BC. e, Sparta ceded Asia Minor, but became a judge and mediator in Greek affairs, thus motivating its policy with the freedom of all states, and was able to secure primacy in an alliance with Persia. And only Thebes did not submit to the conditions set, thereby depriving Sparta of the benefits of such a shameful peace for her.
Hellenistic and Roman era
Starting from these years, the state began to decline quite quickly. Impoverished and burdened with the debts of its citizens, Sparta, whose system was based on the legislation of Lycurgus, turned into an empty form of government. An alliance was concluded with the Phocians. And although the Spartans sent them help, they did not provide real support. In the absence of King Agis, with the help of money received from Darius, an attempt was made to get rid of the Macedonian yoke. But he, having failed in the battles of Megapolis, was killed. The spirit that Sparta was so famous for, which had become a household name, gradually began to disappear.
Rise of an Empire
Sparta is a state that for three centuries was the envy of all of Ancient Greece. Between the eighth and fifth centuries BC, it was a collection of hundreds of cities, often at war with each other. One of the key figures for the establishment of Sparta as a powerful and strong state was Lycurgus. Before his appearance, it was not much different from the rest of the ancient Greek city-states. But with the arrival of Lycurgus, the situation changed, and priorities in development were given to the art of war. From that moment on, Lacedaemon began to transform. And it was during this period that it flourished.
Since the eighth century BC. e. Sparta began to wage wars of conquest, conquering one after another its neighbors in the Peloponnese. After a series of successful military operations, Sparta moved on to establishing diplomatic ties with its most powerful opponents. Having concluded several treaties, Lacedaemon stood at the head of the union of the Peloponnesian states, which was considered one of the powerful formations of Ancient Greece. The creation of this alliance by Sparta was supposed to serve to repel the Persian invasion.
The state of Sparta has been a mystery to historians. The Greeks not only admired its citizens, but feared them. One type of bronze shields and scarlet cloaks worn by the warriors of Sparta put their opponents to flight, forcing them to capitulate.
Not only the enemies, but also the Greeks themselves did not really like it when an army, even a small one, was located next to them. Everything was explained very simply: the warriors of Sparta had a reputation of being invincible. The sight of their phalanxes brought even the most seasoned into a state of panic. And although only a small number of fighters took part in the battles in those days, they never lasted long.
The beginning of the decline of the empire
But at the beginning of the fifth century BC. e. a massive invasion from the East marked the beginning of the decline of Sparta's power. The huge Persian empire, which always dreamed of expanding its territories, sent a large army to Greece. Two hundred thousand people stood at the borders of Hellas. But the Greeks, led by the Spartans, accepted the challenge.
Tsar Leonidas
Being the son of Anaxandrides, this king belonged to the Agiad dynasty. After the death of his older brothers, Dorieus and Clemen the First, it was Leonidas who took over the reign. Sparta in 480 years before our chronology was in a state of war with Persia. And the name of Leonidas is associated with the immortal feat of the Spartans, when a battle took place in the Thermopylae Gorge, which remained in history for centuries.
This happened in 480 BC. e., when the hordes of the Persian king Xerxes tried to capture the narrow passage connecting Central Greece with Thessaly. At the head of the troops, including the allied ones, was Tsar Leonid. Sparta at that time occupied a leading position among friendly states. But Xerxes, taking advantage of the betrayal of the dissatisfied, bypassed the Thermopylae Gorge and went behind the rear of the Greeks.
Having learned about this, Leonidas, who fought along with his soldiers, disbanded the allied troops, sending them home. And he himself, with a handful of warriors, whose number was only three hundred people, stood in the way of the twenty-thousand-strong Persian army. The Thermopylae Gorge was strategic for the Greeks. In case of defeat, they would be cut off from Central Greece, and their fate would be sealed.
For four days, the Persians were unable to break the incomparably smaller enemy forces. The heroes of Sparta fought like lions. But the forces were unequal.
The fearless warriors of Sparta died every single one. Their king Leonidas fought with them to the end, who did not want to abandon his comrades.
The name Leonid will forever go down in history. Chroniclers, including Herodotus, wrote: “Many kings have died and have long been forgotten. But everyone knows and respects Leonid. His name will always be remembered in Sparta, Greece. And not because he was a king, but because he fulfilled his duty to his homeland to the end and died as a hero. Films have been made and books have been written about this episode in the life of the heroic Hellenes.
Feat of the Spartans
The Persian king Xerxes, who was haunted by the dream of capturing Hellas, invaded Greece in 480 BC. At this time, the Hellenes held the Olympic Games. The Spartans were preparing to celebrate Carnei.
Both of these holidays obliged the Greeks to observe a sacred truce. This was precisely one of the main reasons why only a small detachment resisted the Persians in the Thermopylae Gorge.
A detachment of three hundred Spartans led by King Leonidas headed towards Xerxes’ army of thousands. Warriors were selected based on whether they had children. On the way, Leonid's militia was joined by a thousand people each from Tegeans, Arcadians and Mantineans, as well as one hundred and twenty from Orkhomenes. Four hundred soldiers were sent from Corinth, three hundred from Phlius and Mycenae.
When this small army approached the Thermopylae Pass and saw the number of Persians, many soldiers became afraid and began to talk about retreat. Some of the allies proposed withdrawing to the peninsula to guard the Isthmus. However, others were outraged by this decision. Leonidas, ordering the army to remain in place, sent messengers to all cities asking for help, since they had too few soldiers to successfully repel the Persian attack.
For four whole days, King Xerxes, hoping that the Greeks would take flight, did not begin hostilities. But seeing that this was not happening, he sent the Cassians and Medes against them with the order to take Leonidas alive and bring him to him. They quickly attacked the Hellenes. Each onslaught of the Medes ended in huge losses, but others took the place of the fallen. It was then that it became clear to both the Spartans and Persians that Xerxes had many people, but few warriors among them. The battle lasted the whole day.
Having received a decisive rebuff, the Medes were forced to retreat. But they were replaced by the Persians, led by Hydarnes. Xerxes called them an “immortal” squad and hoped that they would easily finish off the Spartans. But in hand-to-hand combat, they, like the Medes, failed to achieve great success.
The Persians had to fight in close quarters, and with shorter spears, while the Hellenes had longer spears, which gave a certain advantage in this fight.
At night, the Spartans again attacked the Persian camp. They managed to kill many enemies, but their main goal was the defeat of Xerxes himself in the general turmoil. And only when it was dawn did the Persians see the small number of King Leonidas’s detachment. They pelted the Spartans with spears and finished them off with arrows.
The road to Central Greece was open for the Persians. Xerxes personally inspected the battlefield. Having found the dead Spartan king, he ordered him to cut off his head and put it on a stake.
There is a legend that King Leonidas, going to Thermopylae, clearly understood that he would die, so when his wife asked him during farewell what his orders would be, he ordered him to find a good husband and give birth to sons. This was the life position of the Spartans, who were ready to die for their Motherland on the battlefield in order to receive a crown of glory.
Beginning of the Peloponnesian War
After some time, the Greek city-states at war with each other united and were able to repel Xerxes. But, despite the joint victory over the Persians, the alliance between Sparta and Athens did not last long. In 431 BC. e. The Peloponnesian War broke out. And only several decades later was the Spartan state able to win.
But not everyone in Ancient Greece liked the supremacy of Lacedaemon. Therefore, half a century later, new hostilities broke out. This time his rivals were Thebes, who and their allies managed to inflict a serious defeat on Sparta. As a result, the power of the state was lost.
Conclusion
This is exactly what ancient Sparta was like. She was one of the main contenders for primacy and supremacy in the ancient Greek picture of the world. Some milestones of Spartan history are sung in the works of the great Homer. The outstanding “Iliad” occupies a special place among them.
And now all that remains of this glorious polis are the ruins of some of its buildings and unfading glory. Legends about the heroism of its warriors, as well as a small town of the same name in the south of the Peloponnese peninsula, reached contemporaries.
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