How different was Sparta from the other Greek States - Essay Example

How different was Sparta from other Greek s? Introduction Sparta was a powerful in ancient Greece and was ruled by a small clique of warriors who had retired in a system referred to as oligarchy. It was the largest of the city-states within its area and controlled almost haft of the Peloponnesian peninsula and had a comparatively fewer population as compared to other states. The Spartans were mainly well-trained warriors and spoke Greek but thought about themselves as quite distinct from other Greek city-states. This state was also important due to its social structure whereby the military ruled over a small middle class and a larger population of labourers or slaves of the military elite. In Sparta, children as young as six year olds were enrolled in military barracks and trained on how to become warriors with the men almost away all the time fighting in different battles and conflicts. This made other city states in ancient Greece to admire their military prowess and most of them wanted Sparta to be on their side especially during times of wars. Though there were numerous similarities between Sparta and other Greek city-states, it was generally organized much different from other city-states in terms of its concept of the relationship between the individual and how it relates to the state. Our discussion about the differences between Sparta and other Greek city-states will majorly dwell on its differences with Athens which was the other significant and visible state in ancient Greece. How different was Sparta from other Greek States? The social structure of Sparta was distinct from other city-states in ancient Greece in that its society was divided into three principal classes while the state was controlled by the ‘Spartiate’ who were the native Spartans (Barber 258). The Spartiates were the families that could trace their ancestry as the original inhabitants and enjoyed full legal and political rights, and it is from these that the soldiers were drawn. The next structure under the Spartiates were the ‘Perioeci’ who were simply the dwellers who were found within Sparta and consisted of foreigners as well as the Spartiates who had who had not passed the physical and military tests to qualify for full citizenship. The next level were the helots who consisted mainly of the labouring slaves and were not citizens of the city state with no rights to own land but to provide only the necessary labour for the production of goods and services. It is important to note that the perioeci performed the essential functions that the Spartiates would have found unnecessary to entrust to the helots and enjoyed substantial freedom in conducting the commercial life of Sparta. This is contrary to the situation in other city-states like Athens which only allowed only free men to be citizens and excluded the women and slaves from citizenry and it is only these men who would take part in the city-state’s government. These men numbering about five hundred met regularly as a council and proposed laws that were taken to the Assembly which passed them into laws to govern the Athenians. Sparta had a form of government that blended both oligarchy and democracy that helped them to be a dominant city-state in ancient Greece as it had two kings, the Council of Elders majorly consisting of the elites as well as an assembly that provided checks and balances on their powers (Whitby 76). This is contrary to other city-states that were governed under a tyrannical leadership that limited democracy though at times it was liberal depending on the circumstances (Proffitt 3). These states especially Athens promoted this system by instilling it in the culture of other city-states and dominating their politics and governments as well as using the other states’ resources to establish itself at the expense of these city-states. Sparta developed a different education system distinct from other city-states within ancient Greece whose main goal was to produce splendidly habituated and well-trained soldiers within their citizenry (Cartledge 89). This is contrary to the situations in other Greek city-states which emphasized on the arts and philosophy as the cornerstones of their education systems. For instance, Athens was obsessed with the investigation of human conditions and philosophy and was home to great thinkers like Aristotle, Plato and Socrates who challenged the norms of social and political thoughts. The Spartans had a different education system for boys and girls with the boys being trained for military activities rather than educating, while the girls were simply educated through different programs. The children in Sparta especially boys were skilled to be followers of a well-drilled, strictly-disciplined army that would sustain a long war and this training commenced from the age of six years old until they reached eighteen years of age. In contrast to other city-states, Sparta trained the girls not only the domestic skills but also physical training such as athletics and wrestling among others in the sisterhood barracks that they were admitted to. The life of Spartans avoids luxury and individual embellishment and believed in disciplined life of self-denial and simplicity meaning that every citizen was required to be in perfect bodies (Garner 762). This dependent on their social status and the soldiers were organized into brotherhoods or fraternal orders whereby they lived in the barracks as the military training continued meaning that Sparta only focused on obedience and war as well as serving the military duties. Another aspect of their lives was mainly in the childhood in that in Sparta, soldiers sent by the state would chose only the healthy and strong babies for military training while those with defects or unhealthy traits would be exposed to the vagaries of the weather to die. This is quite different from other Greek city-states where the parents made the decision of whether the child would be earmarked for military training or left to die. This is quite different from other city-states such as Athens which focused on creativity and art provided through good education that taught the arts and sciences for the society which was not compulsory for the citizenry. The Spartans viewed women and their roles differently as compared to other Greek city-states like Athens. In Sparta, the women and the girls were equally educated in writing and reading and could also participate in sports and this was meant to produce healthy and physically fit women who would produce healthy babies for the military (Salisbury 330). The women citizens were also able to freely move within the state and own as well as have control over their properties or control the property of the husband in times of war until they return. In other states such as Athens, the women and the girls were kept at home and had no role in politics or sports while the wives were considered the property of the husbands. At home, the women were involved in activities such as arts and weaving as well as religious rituals while the women prostitutes were freely allowed to move around and exert their influence such as Aspasia. Sparta also differed from other city-states especially Athens in the manner they related with each other and their expressions to the neighbouring states. Sparta was content with their military might and could provide army or assistance as well as collaborate with other city states whenever the need to do so arose. For example, Athens preferred to control more land around it through conquests which led to the Peloponnesian War amongst the Greek city-states which was won by the city-state of Sparta. When Sparta conquered neighbouring city-state of Tegea and only negotiated an alliance that would allow Tegea be independent but follow the policies of Sparta which include that of war and military operations. This means that unlike other city-states like Athens who were mainly concerned with the control of land and conquests, Sparta only focused on their military superiority and nothing more. Conclusion Sparta was an important city in ancient Greece only comparable to Athens but had distinct manner and organization on how it was composed and run which was based mainly on military might. This state focused on military might prowess more than any facet of life as well as leading a simple life that prohibited the accumulation of wealth that would compromise their military acumen. It became a military aristocracy that implored all citizens to develop their military might through their strength, courage and self-sacrifice to the state. While the men who were citizens enrolled in the military, the others especially the helots were involved in the fields and other crafts as well as transport contrary to the situation in other states. The state of Sparta also had a form of government that though majorly oligarchy, allowed some form of democracy to prevail as shown by the political power vested in the two kings, the Council of Elders and the Assembly. This is contrary to other city-states in ancient Greece especially Athens which had tyrannical form of governments which stressed on exercise of power through conquests and wars. Sparta was also different as contrary from other Greek states, it did cultivate the notion or belief in sciences or arts but stresses only on military training in the whole life of a citizen as long as the citizen had attained the required age. Sparta was also different from other states in that it believed and offered almost equal opportunities and freedoms to both men and women and this made it prosper which was contrary to the situation in other Greek city states who neither allowed women to be citizens, own property nor move around. Works Cited Barber, R L. N. Greece. London: A & C Black, 1995. Print. Cartledge, Paul. Spartan Reflections. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. Print. Garner, Bryan A. Garners Modern American Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Proffitt, Brian. Plato Within Your Grasp. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub, 2004. Internet resource. Salisbury, Joyce E. Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC- CLIO, 2001. Print. Whitby, Michael. Sparta. London: Routledge 2012. Print. Read More