Spartan Military essays

Spartan Military essays I chose to do my final project on the military tactics, techniques, requirements, and lifestyle of the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. When we discussed this topic in class, I was very interested in how much emphasis the Spartans put on the military. I wanted to learn more about this subject and also answer some of my own questions I had that we may not have covered in class. The word Sparta actually has two separate meanings, which contradict each other. The first meaning of the word is bravery, and the second is barren. I interpret the second meaning in the way that, the Spartan lifestyle was barren in that they focused solely on their military and not on all the other pleasures of life. The city-state of Sparta was located on the Peloponnesus, a peninsula just southwest of its rival state, Athens. Spartans looked at themselves as military powerhouses and all their discipline, from birth to adulthood, was directed toward war. Any child that was born with a deformity, mental illness, or that was physically handicapped was killed. Children first began military training at the age of seven. These boys were organized into small groups and those who were the most courageous were made captains. The boys slept in dormitories on hard beds, and ate black broth and porridge. They wore the simplest clothing and spent very little time learning music or literature. Each day they were drilled in gymnastics and military exercises. These boys were taught that retreat or surrender in battle was disgraceful and dishonorable. They learned to endure pain and hardship without complaint and to obey all orders without question. The boys were allowed to steal food to satisfy th eir hunger, but if they were caught they would be whipped. This was not done to promote dishonesty, but rather to develop slyness among the boys. It is said that a Spartan boy, who had stolen a fox for his dinner, would rather allow the fox to knaw on his f...