Analyse The Reasons Of Success Behind Sparta's Reign

Address the reasons of success behind Sparta’s reign.
When speaking of Ancient Greek warriors for many the ideal and mental illustration of red cloaks, long hair, longer spears and bronze helmets sparks to mind. Based through the entertainment factors of Hollywood and archaeology many individuals know the brilliance of the warrior society of no other than Sparta. (2nd SLIDE TURN) We can see here the representation of the stereotypical ideal of a Spartan. But what grants this nation this profound ideal of strength, who are they? And more importantly what truly is Sparta?
To understand the depths of time one must start from the beginning. The Greek mythology behind Sparta told that the founder of the city was Lacedaemon, a son of Zeus, who gave his name to the region and his wife’s name to the city.
Sparta, also known as Lacedaemon, was an ancient Greek city-state located primarily in the present-day region of southern Greece called Laconia. Its ancient settlement was situated in the fertile Eurotas valley of Laconia in the southeast Peloponnese. The area was first settled in the Neolithic period and an important settlement developed in the Bronze Age. Archaeological evidence, however, suggests that Sparta itself was a new settlement created from the 10th century BC. (3RD SLIDE TURN)
Its
geographic nature allowed for fertile grazing grounds for animals as well as dense quality ground for agricultural success. Therefore their diet was nutritious and effective aimed to produce strong, tall, healthy men/women. The diet would consist of Barley, staple grains, large varieties of fruits and Veg, cheese, fresh water but rarely fish and game meats.

Spartan society consisted of 3 levels of authorial order; The Spartans, or Spartiates which means self-restrained, simple, frugal and austere, these individuals were full citizens. Secondly there were the Helots, or slaves; who many today say were communally key to the success of the society who were most often captives of war. And lastly the Perioeci, who were neither slaves nor citizens. The Perioeci, whose name means “dwellers-around,” worked as craftsmen and traders, and built weapons for the Spartans.

The Spartans’ way of life would not have been possible without the Helots, who handled all these gathering tasks of food along with day-to-day tasks of unskilled labour required to keep society functioning: They were farmers, domestic servants, nurses and military attendants. For this reason Spartans, who were outnumbered by the Helots, often treated them brutally and oppressively in an effort to prevent uprisings. Spartans would humiliate the Helots in a number of ways.
Spartan women had a reputation for being independent-minded, and enjoyed more freedoms and power than their counterparts throughout ancient Greece.
(TURN 4TH SLIDE) They strictly could not play any role in the military but received a highly formal education which was separate from the boys. Additionally, they were typically unbound by domestic responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning and making clothing, tasks which were handled by the helots. Unlike many other women of Greece they could not participate in such acts of weaving either because of this it presented to be an advantage of knowledge against other factions of Greece providing what would be missing from the
males.
So what truly set the base of success for the Spartans?
I believe what really led Sparta apart from other Greek city-states as Athens, a center for the arts, learning and philosophy, Sparta was centered on a warrior culture. Male Spartan citizens were bred to live and breathe violence.
(TURN 5TH SLIDE) All male Spartan citizens participated in the compulsory education system, the Agoge, which emphasized obedience, endurance, courage and self-control. Spartan men devoted their lives to military service, and lived communally well into adulthood. A Spartan was taught that loyalty to the state came before everything else, including one’s family. For this reason homosexuality was of strong essence among the males as it was said to represent ones man hood but strictly known to be physical in nature as they were made in society that they must marry a women and imbed their individual seed to foster stronger children.
Introduction into this lifestyle began early. Spartan boys pronounced their military training at age 7, when they left home and entered the Agoge. The boys lived communally under austere conditions. They were subjected to continual physical competitions; often violence based, given smaller rations and expected to become skilled at stealing food, among other survival skills.
The teenage boys who demonstrated any standout representation in the program entered the Crypteia, which acted as a brutally fashioned enforcement set to terrorize the general Helot population and murder those who were troublemakers. At age 20, Spartan males became full-time soldiers, and remained on active duty until age 60. Being able to keep productivity flowing smoothly in areas of the helot’s jobs and the training of the Spartan warriors was of critical necessity
The constant productivity and efficiency of the society is truly what granted the ancient Greek society of Sparta success.