Tuesday, May 19, 2015

The Truth about the Spartans

 For my research paper in Western Civilization I (which I received an 88% on) I decided to do it on the Spartans. Ever since 300 everything is Spartan this or Spartan that. But were the Spartans really all that? So I decided to find out.




   In 1998 comic book artist, writer and graphic novelist Frank Miller, known for his work with The Dark Knight, Daredevil and Wolverine published a graphic novel titled 300. In 2007, Frank Miller’s graphic novel was brought to the big screen in the major motion picture 300. It was a box office smash. Prior to the movie, I knew nothing of Sparta or the Spartans and honestly, I had no interest in them. After the movie, as a Soldier, I was captivated by the idea of a culture whose citizens were warriors to the core. And within the military community, many units quickly adopted images and the name “Spartans” for their respective unit’s nickname. A friend I know even refers to his son as “The Spartan Child.”  During the first few classes in my Western Civilization class, I was exposed to some interesting facts about the Spartans and the Persians. My curiosity was peaked and I wanted to know what was true and what was “Hollywood” when it came to the portrayal of the Spartans. How were they able to have a society purely made up of warriors? Did they really discard less desirable children like in the movie? Did they build homes, farm and hunt? And most importantly, did 300 Spartans take on the entire Persian Army? I desired to know the true history about the Spartans, as well as life within their society.


   Movies take liberties when telling stories and at times this can serve as a tool for you to question and seek the truth, and expand your knowledge on the subject. Sparta, known today as Laconia, was located on the southern tip of Greece and is roughly 100 miles south west of Athens. It is surrounded by mountains to the north, east and west. What’s generally known of the Spartans is that they were a militaristic society, amazing warriors and just hard as nails which is true. Members of the Spartan society were socialized into this militaristic way of life, which began directly after birth. Boys and girls were taken in front of the elders, known as the Gerousia and their the child was viewed and thoroughly inspected. If the Gerousia felt the child did not meet their criteria, they were discarded. In short, they were killed. Children that passed the inspection were given a bath in wine and returned to their parents where they could grow up strong and taught to fear nothing (McCutchen, 2000).  At the age of 7, boys were indoctrinated into a program which focused on survival, fighting, self-reliance and physical fitness to name a few. This program was called the Agoge. In the movie they briefly mention the Agoge through dialogue and visual references but nothing in great detail. The Agoge was a state run and sponsored program which all boys entered; as part of the training, young boys would be thrust out into society where they had to fend for themselves which included stealing food since the boys were not fed. It was believed that by starving a Spartan boy spiritually, you would make him tall and strong because eating too much would make him short and fat. When fighting for food, resources, or mere sport, these fights could turn brutally violent. The Agoge conditioned the boys physically and mentally sending them down the path to becoming a Spartan warrior.


   During the Agoge they were constantly watched and evaluated. For example, if a boy was caught stealing, he was beaten and punished. What’s interesting is that he wasn’t punished for the crime of stealing, he was punished because he was caught or seen stealing. At the age of 12, their official military training began at the hands of older Spartan warriors. These men were seasoned, in their early 20’s and held the title of Iren. The boys were under the direct supervision and tutelage of their Iren until they reached the age of 18 at which time they were considered men.


 What isn’t generally known is the two groups that supported the Spartan’s way of life; those two groups being the Helots and the Perioeci. This is how were they able to have a society purely made up of warriors. This is why they didn’t farm, hunt or even build homes. “Because Spartan men were professional soldiers, all manual labor was done by a slave class, the Helots (Staff, 2015).” Well in most societies when folks aren’t doing the manual labor they typically have slaves doing it. Like other societies, they fought and conquered other areas which led to their massive slave contingent called the Helots. Calling them “slaves” depended on who you asked as some referred to the Helots as slaves and other considered them a class in-between slave and free men. The Helots, which means “captives,” originated from two major areas: Messenia, which is west of Sparta and Laconia, which was to the south of Sparta. Helots did all the farming and were required to give up portions of their harvest to Sparta. They also supported the Spartan society in roles such as military aids, servants and nurses, just to name a few of the unskilled jobs they maintained. Since they greatly outnumbered the Spartans, the ratio was 7 to 1, there needed to be a way of keeping all of these Helots in check.


   “The teenage boys who demonstrated the most leadership potential were selected for participation in the Crypteia, which acted as a secret police force whose primary goal was 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 (Staff, 2009).” Typically around the age of 16, they were selected for admission into the Crypteia. As Crypteia, the young men were given free rein to do as they pleased in order to keep the Helots in line. This included beatings, intimidation tactics and even humiliation. For example, the members of the Crypteia would often get the Helots intoxicated and make a mockery of them in the streets. This also served as a lesson to members of the Spartan society as how not to act, especially in public. Helots who were smart, rebelled or was showed the potential to be an upstart, were dealt with quickly. The Crypteia were ruthless and to grasp the extent and the power they were granted, typically once a year in the fall, they were allowed to kill a Helot and suffer no consequences (Staff, 2009). The Spartans did appreciate that a live slave was much better than a dead one. And though they were treated brutality, they ensured that the Helots were able to continue to support their way of life.


   With the Helots doing the day to day tasks within the society, the Spartans needed someone to create and furnish their weapons. This task was performed by another group, the Perioeci. Their stance within the Spartan society was strange yet unique. Unlike the Helots, the Perioeci, which means “dwellers-around,” were free men who lived primarily in the highlands and beach areas. They did have the ability to move freely to other areas and countries where the Helots and average citizens of Sparta were not. They also served as a buffer between the Helots, Spartans and other Greeks.


   There is a scene in the movie where King Leonidas’s wife, Gorgo, interrupts during his conversation with the Emissary from the Persian Army at which the Emissary protests and asks her what gives her the right to speak during a man’s conversation. Her reply was short and quick, “Because only Spartan women give birth to real men!” Now hearing that in a movie, it can be dismissed as good writing or a great movie quote. But it seems that the comment was spot on for its depiction of a Spartan woman’s attitude and demeanor. “The Spartan women were good judges of manhood. A foreign lady once remarked to the wife of a Spartan commander that the women of Sparta were the only women in the world who could rule men. "We are the only women who raise men," the Spartan lady replied (McCutchen).” We know the men who were conditioned at an early age and it appears that the women were too. It was believed that to bare a future Spartan warrior, women needed to be strong and fit. Not only were the women expected to be mentally strong but they also exercised and presented a very fit appearance. Unlike women in other areas of Greece, Spartan women were well read and educated in music, philosophy and the arts. A strong and healthy mother resulted in a strong and healthy child was their philosophy. Girls were also paraded in front of boys nude. That way they could be shamed into staying fit if they indeed were not as fit as their peers or if they appeared fat (Legends & Chronicles, 2007). Girls were also taught to fight and wrestle as these skills were passed on from mother to daughter. I can only imagine this mentality in today’s society.


   At the age of 18, females were given physical tests and once they passed, like their male counterparts, they were considered citizens and could look forward to marriage. But the most important thing was they could now bare Spartan children. If and when a woman decided to marry she was whisked away by her friends (bridesmaids) to a secret location (Staff, 2009). Once there they would shave her head, dress her in men’s clothing and she would await her husband. Once married, the two would meet in secret for years with him sneaking out from his military barracks so that he could be with his wife. At the age of 30, he would leave the barracks and they could live together. Sneaking out of the barracks wasn’t allowed and getting caught resulted in severe punishment like when he was young. Again, punishment wasn’t instituted because he snuck out, but because he was caught sneaking out or back in. “Marriage was important to Spartans, as the state put pressure on people to have male children who would grow up to become citizen-warriors, and replace those who died in battle. Men who delayed marriage were publically shamed, while those who fathered multiple sons could be rewarded. (Staff, 2009)


   The Battle of Thermopylae, or known to the masses as 300 was a battle in which 300 Spartan warriors accompanied their king, King Leonidas, in an attempt to stop the Persian Army from advancing south to Athens. 300 Spartans fought and gained access into history. But just how much of the portrayal in the movie was accurate? As explained, there is a lot more to the story and culture of the Spartans than revealed in the movie. Leonidas didn’t leave Sparta with just 300 Spartans serving as his personal body guard, enroot to the “Hot Gates,” the scene of the epic battle. There were actually 6,000 to 7,000 Greeks who accompanied the 300 plus Spartans as they moved north east to meet the Persians and stop their advance. The Greeks and Spartans held their own until a Greek told King Xerxes of a pass that would take them around and through the mountains which would allow them to attack Leonidas’s forces from the flanks and rear. Leonidas realized that the Persian Army had begun to maneuver on them and some of the other Greek fighters; knowing what was surely to happen, retreated. Leonidas then decided he’d send the majority of his men back to Sparta and only 300 Hoplites remained at his side (Staff, 2009). Yes, all male citizens of Sparta were warriors, however not all were Hoplites. The characters seen in the movie or what is typically visualized when someone says a “Spartan” were actually the Hoplites. They were considered the cream of the crop and they fought using shields, spears and swords; famous for using a tactical formation called a Phalanx. In this formation each man uses his shield to form a wall and was linked in with the man next to him. With strength and training, the Hoplites would fight as one single unit, thrusting with their spears and protecting with their shields. However this formation was vulnerable from rear and flank attacks.


   The Hoplites that remained at Leonidas’s side were accompanied by Thespians and Thebans. They fought bravely until all had been killed. Leonidas and his fellow Spartans did receive the beautiful death that all Spartans crave however, we now know they were not alone. Like most dominate societies over time even Sparta could not maintain its supremacy on the battlefield.  The Spartans, in 371 B.C.E. suffered a crippling defeat during the Battle of Leuctra at the hands of Greeks who had fought alongside them during the Battle of Thermopylae, the Thebans. General Epaminondas, a Theban General, a year later led a force into Spartan territory and freed the Messenian Helots who we know to have been enslaved by the Spartans (Staff, 2009). As time progressed the Spartans became a second-rate power in Greece.


   Knowing why Hollywood takes liberties when retelling tales helps you to acknowledge that the movie 300 only covers the spectacular highlights of the Spartan’s. Focusing on the history of the Spartans makes for great action while omitting the hard facts, and certainly makes the story of the 300’s heroic deeds and fighting spirit at the Battle of Thermopylae that much more impressive. But truth be told, 300 Spartans didn’t fight and die alone. They were rigorously militaristic society, none which would have happened without the Helots and the Perioeci. Having thousands of slaves allowed for the focus on war fighting with no concern for the mundane tasks. When compared to today’s standards, we see that they went to great extremes to make it so. For example, they killed children that weren’t fit to live in their society and postured naked young women and girls in front of boys for the sole purpose of humiliating the flabby ones. None of this would be acceptable behavior but for a warrior culture like the Spartans it was fitting. Movies are great entertainment and sometimes they can be used to retell a historic tale. But take note that movies typically exaggerate or over emphasize charters and actions. If you want the truth, grab a history book. You’ll find it has more accurate information than a Hollywood block buster.


Works Cited


Legends & Chronicles. (2007). Retrieved 04 17, 2015, from Legends & Chronicles: http://www.legendsandchronicles.com/ancient-civilizations/ancient-sparta/spartan-women/


McCutchen, W. H. (2000). web.archives.org. Retrieved April 17, 2015, from 15 Ancient Greek Heroes from Plutarch's Lives: http://www.e-classics.com/lycurgus.htm


Staff, H. (2009, May 3). History.com/topics/ancient-history/sparta. Retrieved April 17, 2015, from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/sparta


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