Go to Battle With This Quiz on Ancient Sparta

Prior to the rule of Lycurgus, Sparta experienced a period of internal strife due to the lack of a strong leader. Lycurgus changed the structure of society to focus on military prowess above all else, creating conscription laws and mandatory military training for all capable male adults. By 500 BCE, Sparta was one of Greece’s most powerful city-states.

Like other Greek city-states, Sparta displayed a surprisingly modern approach to democracy. The political structure included two kings and three different councils to keep power evenly dispersed. There was a council of elders over age 60, one that included every Spartan male over age 30, and a council of five Ephors elected annually. Likewise, one king was meant to lead Sparta in political decisions, while the other was meant to lead in war.

The Spartans made significant contributions to ancient warfare. They perfected the phalanx, a sophisticated formation of troops with raised shields that acted like a moving fortress in battle. And in addition to the traditional long spear used by soldiers of the time, Spartan soldiers also kept a sword for backup. This sword was shorter than those used by other Greeks, making it easier to use in close-combat, a Spartan specialty.

Even babies in Spartan society didn’t escape harsh treatment designed to increase toughness. Newborns were bathed in wine — which was highly acidic — as a way to test their courage and physical endurance. Spartan infants were often left alone when they cried, and were trained to accept being in the dark and by themselves. These tough child-rearing methods made Spartan women in high demand as caretakers in other Greek states.

The Agoge was a rough education program for Spartan males that helped to instill the civilization’s famous warrior ethos. Boys were given meager rations and equipment and expected to fend for themselves in the wilderness and engage in competitions. Stealing was encouraged, but getting caught was punished and considered shameful. The brutal and unforgiving Agoge program helped Sparta groom war-ready soldiers.

As famously told in Homer’s epic poem “The Iliad,” the Trojan War began when the beautiful Helen left her husband, the Spartan king Menelaus, for the Trojan prince Paris. Agamemnon, the king of the powerful Greek city-state Mycenae and the brother of Menelaus, vowed to help win back his sister-in-law, thus beginning a 10-year conflict between Troy and the Greeks.

A series of battles fought between 431 BCE and 405 BCE, the Peloponnesian War shifted the balance of power in ancient Greece from Athens to Sparta. Yet the many years of fighting weakened Greece, and just decades after the war, both city-states were absorbed into the Macedonian Empire.

What we now know as ancient Greece (around 800-146 BCE) was comprised of more than 1,000 city-states, the most influential being Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, and Delphi. While each city-state (or “polis”) was different, they all shared a few common characteristics, such as public areas surrounded by government buildings, often built on hills overlooking the countryside. Though they formed alliances for wars and trade, the city-states largely governed themselves.

In 480 BCE, the Persian king Xerxes I built a massive force of troops — possibly as many as 300,000 — and set out to conquer Greece. The Persians had to march through a mountain pass called Thermopylae, where a much smaller band of just 300 Spartans and other Greek fighters were waiting. Though the Spartans were defeated, their bravery inspired the Greek people and elevated Sparta’s status as one of Greece’s leading states.

Spartan society was set up to be a finely tuned war machine. All capable men were required to serve as full-time soldiers between the ages of 20 and 60. People were encouraged to get married and have sons, in part to replenish the Spartan military. Women played an important role in Sparta too — unlike in other parts of ancient Greece, they received a full education and were allowed to own property.