Ms. Basacco
LVV4U
7 June 2013
The Dominance of Spartan Warriors in Ancient Greece In 5th century B.C., there was a clear ruler of Greece, because of their military force and their dedication to the army the Spartan nation was the number one force in ancient Greece at the time. The powerful military force was not gained by mere luck, but by the government policies they had there at the time. This power went untouched for many years and is still a great example today of how a country with a large and strong army will be the one of the, if not the top country in the world. The government policies that were in place at this time are what kept these Spartans in top war performance. Once Spartans were born they were considered either fit or not fit to live in Sparta. This was of life may seem cruel and inhumane, but this is what it takes to be on top in ancient Greece. Neither the Persians, Athenians or any other country or city-states could wipe out the powerful Spartans for many years. From the moment of a Spartan girl or a boy came into the world, the military and the city state were the center of every Spartan citizen’s life. Both male and female babies were determined by city state if they were strong enough to be Spartan citizens. If the infants were too week or sick, they were abandoned in the country side to die. This was a very common thing in the Greek world because Sparta made it an official government policy. The life of a male in Sparta was purely for military uses. Males at the age of seven would be sent away to train for twenty-seven years. Spartan boys ate, slept, and bonded together in these times and by the age of 20 were finally considered Spartan soldiers. At age thirty, they were finally “equals”, which means that they were out of training and now allowed to live with their wives and children. Being an equal does not mean that they are relieved of their duties. Military services were required until the age of sixty.