Before the Dorian invasion, Sparta was a modest village of peasants and shepherds. The Dorians defeated them, despite stubborn resistance, subjugated them and divided the entire population into classes, as a result of which the local tribes were at the lowest level - they made up the class of helots, real slaves, deprived of any rights and brutally oppressed. At the top of the social ladder were the Spartans, a class made up of the victorious Dorians and their descendants. They alone were granted all rights, so that only the Spartans were true citizens of Sparta, that is, only they could choose and be elected to various positions in the state. Only the Spartans had the right to bear arms; thus, a conquered people could never arm themselves and threaten their dominance. The middle class were the perieks; it was made up of the inhabitants of the environs of Sparta, who submitted to the Dorians without a fight, receiving in return some freedom, but they were also deprived of the right to take part in the formation of the government. Perieki were a class of producers: artisans, merchants, farmers, civilians.

Head of a Spartan warrior

Each member of Spartan society was forever associated with any of the three classes, and he could not change his position; therefore marriages between people belonging to different social groups: those who violated this law were punished extremely severely.

The abilities of Greek artisans were manifested in all areas, including the art of fashion, which was then very developed.

However, the whole life of Sparta was cruel and harsh. It was cruel for the helots, who were at the very bottom of the social ladder; cruel for the perieks, who were heavily taxed, and often simply extortionate, especially in the event of a war, which required a lot of money to wage. Finally, life was cruel for the Spartans themselves, who obeyed a harsh regime, preparing to become warriors capable of enduring the most difficult trials. Sad and harsh, therefore, was the whole life of this city, constantly striving to prove its superiority over other policies, which, however, it never succeeded in; a city closed to the rest of the world for fear of losing and wasting its ideal of strength, which in the end turned out to be a fatal weakness.

Teachers were highly respected in Athens: they taught children the Greek language, poetry, and gymnastics.

In order to get an idea of ​​the pressure of the ruling circles of society on representatives of the lower classes, only a few figures can be given: for 10 thousand Spartans there were about 100 thousand perieks and 200 thousand helots. And in order to understand how severe the Spartans were even in relation to their children, it is enough to remember that they killed babies born with some kind of physical defect that would prevent them from becoming strong and brave warriors. In addition, from the age of six, the child was taken away from the family in order to raise a future defender-warrior from him. It has rightly been observed that Sparta was nothing more than one large barracks. Young people were subjected to all kinds of trials: they were forced to endure hunger and thirst, cold and heat, they performed physical exercises with weapons until they were completely exhausted; for the slightest offense they were severely beaten with sticks. Only in this way, the Spartans believed, the body would become invulnerable, and the soul would prepare for the harsh military everyday life.

From twenty to sixty, a Spartan citizen was a warrior at every moment of his life: food was common, clothes were the same, the same hours of rise, military exercises and rest were the same for everyone. Young Spartan warriors got acquainted only with the very basics of education: a little reading, a little writing, a few war songs; some lucky ones were allowed to play the simplest musical instruments. Above all, for the Spartans it was good hometown, but not culture, art or science, but the only desire is to fight and die for the motherland.

The great Athenian commander and politician Themistocles (left). Pericles (right), the age of Pericles is the golden age in Greek history

The Spartans never missed an opportunity to deliver military glory to their city: they subjugated Messenia, part of Argolis, for a long time did not cede Arcadia its own territory; the Spartans were known as the most powerful force among all members of the union that united the cities of the Peloponnese, the so-called Peloponnesian Union.

Tradition ascribes the political structure of Sparta to the Spartan Lycurgus, who lived around the 9th century BC. Power in the state was in the hands of two kings at the same time, who could thus rule in turn. The kings were chiefly in charge of military matters; For driving civil affairs A special council was established to which even the kings were accountable. It was the so-called gerousia, an assembly of 28 members - geronts, each of which had to be, firstly, over 61 years old (geros means old man, old man), and secondly, the head of the family. Gerousia submitted laws for consideration to the people's assembly - the appeal, in which, of course, only the Spartans were allowed to participate. The popular assembly could approve or reject the law, but not discuss it; only the apella could elect five experts every year - ephors who observed the activities of the government and were in charge of the improvement of the city.

In the next, classical, period of Hellenic history, the regions of Balkan Greece become the main leading centers of the Greek world. -Sparta And Athens. Sparta and Athens represent two peculiar types of Greek states, in many respects opposite to each other and at the same time different from colonial-island Greece. The history of classical Greece mainly focuses on the history of Sparta and Athens, especially since this history is most fully represented in the tradition that has come down to us. For this reason, in general courses on the history of these societies, more attention is paid than to other countries of the Hellenic world. Their socio-political and cultural characteristics will become clear from the further presentation. Let's start with Sparta.

The originality of its social system and way of life Sparta owes to a large extent natural conditions. Sparta was located in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, in the Peloponnese. The south of the Peloponnese, where ancient Sparta was located, is occupied by two plains, Laconian and Messenian, separated by a high mountain range. Tayget. Eastern, Laconian, valley irrigated by the river Eurotome, actually was the main territory of Sparta. From the north, the Laconian Valley closed high mountains, and in the south it was lost in the expanse of malarial swamps that stretched to the sea. In the center was a valley 30 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide - this is the territory of ancient Sparta - the area is fertile, rich in pastures and convenient for crops. The Taygetos slopes are covered with forests, wild fruit trees and vineyards. However, the Laconian Valley is small in size and does not have convenient harbors. Being cut off from the sea predisposed the Spartans to isolation, on the one hand, and aggressive impulses towards their neighbors, especially the fertile western valley of the Messenpi, on the other.

The earliest history of Sparta, or Lacedaemon, is little known. Excavations carried out at the site of Sparta by English archaeologists indicate a closer connection between Sparta and Mycenae than previously thought. Dodorian Sparta is a city of the Mycenaean era. In Sparta, according to legend, lived Basil Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen. How did the settlement of the Doryans proceed in Laconica, which they conquered, and what were their initial relations with the native population, under state of the art question, it's impossible to say. Only a vague story has survived about the campaign of the Heraclides (descendants of the hero Hercules) in the Peloponnese and their conquest of Argos, Messenia and Laconica, as the legacy of their great ancestor Hercules. So, according to legend, the Dorians established themselves in the Peloponnese.

Both in other communities of Greece and in Sparta, the growth of productive forces, frequent clashes with neighbors and internal struggle led to the disintegration of tribal relations and the formation of a slave state. The state in Sparta arose very

Eurotas valley. In the distance are the snowy peaks of Taygetus.

early, it was formed as a result of the conquest and much more tribal remnants were retained in it than in any other policy. The combination of strong statehood with tribal institutions is what constitutes main feature Spartan, and partly Dorian in general.

Many Spartan institutions and customs are associated with the name of the semi-legendary Spartan legislator-sage. Lycurgus, in the image of which the features of a man and the god of light Lycurgus merged, whose cult was celebrated in Sparta and in historical times. Only in the 5th century Lycurgus, whose activity dates back approximately to the 8th century, began to be considered the creator of the Spartan political system and therefore was placed in one of the Spartan royal families. From the thick fog that shrouds the activities of Lycurgus, however, some real features of the legislator shine through. With the weakening of tribal unions and the liberation of the individual from blood, local, tribal and other constraints, the appearance on the historical arena of such personalities as Lycurgus is quite plausible. This is proved by all Greek history. The legend presents Lycurgus as the uncle and tutor of the young Spartan king, who actually ruled the entire state. On the advice of the Delphic oracle, Lycurgus, as the executor of the divine will, promulgated retro. Retras were called short sayings in the form of formulas, containing any important decrees and laws.

Expressed in archaic lapidary language Lycurgus retro laid the foundation for the Spartan state.

In addition, Lycurgus was credited with a major land reform, which put an end to hitherto existing land inequality and the predominance of the aristocracy. According to legend, Lycurgus divided the entire territory occupied by Sparta into nine or ten thousand equal sections (cleres) according to the number of male Spartans who made up the militia.

After that, the legend tells, Lycurgus, considering his reform completed and the goal of his life fulfilled, left Sparta, having previously obligated the citizens with an oath not to violate the constitution they had adopted.

After the death of Lycurgus, a temple was built for him in Sparta, and he himself was declared a hero and a god. Subsequently, the name of Lycurgus for the Spartans became a symbol of justice and an ideal leader who loves his people and his homeland.

Throughout its history, Sparta has remained an agricultural, agrarian country. The capture of neighboring lands was the driving force behind Spartan politics. In the middle of the 8th century this led to a long war with neighboring Messenia ( first messenian war) ended with the conquest of Messenia and the enslavement of its population. In the 7th century followed by a new second messenian war, caused by the plight of the conquered population of the helots, which also ended in the victory of Sparta. The Spartans owed their victory to the new state system that had developed during the Messenian wars.

The orders that developed in Sparta during the Messenian wars persisted for three hundred years (VII-IV centuries). The Spartan constitution, as noted above, represented a combination of tribal remnants with a strong statehood. All the Spartans, members of the fighting phalanx, capable of carrying weapons and arming themselves at their own expense, made up " equal community. In relation to the Spartan citizens, the Spartan constitution was a democracy, and in relation to the mass of the dependent population, it was an oligarchy. e. domination by a few. The number of equal Spartans was estimated at nine or ten thousand people. The community of equals represented a military community with collective property and a collective labor force. All members of the community were considered equal. material basis the communities of equals were the land cultivated by the conquered population, the helots.

The structure of ancient Sparta is basically presented in this form. Since ancient times, the Spartans were divided into three Dorian (tribal) phyla. Each Spartiate belonged to a phylum. But the further, the more the tribal system was supplanted by the state and tribal divisions were replaced by territorial ones. Sparta was divided into five about. Each both was a village, and the whole of Sparta, according to ancient authors, was not a city in the proper sense, but was a combination of five villages.

Many archaic features were also retained by royal power in Sparta. The Spartan kings came from two influential families, the Agiads and the Eurypontides. The kings (archagetes) commanded the militia (moreover, one of the kings went on a campaign), sorted out cases that concerned mainly family law and performed some priestly functions. Supreme political body was in Sparta Council of Elders, or gerusia. Gerusia consisted of 30 people - 2 kings and 28 geronts, elected by the popular assembly from influential Spartan families. The National Assembly itself apella) met once a month, ruled on all matters relating to war and peace, and elected the members of the gerousia and ephors. The institute of ephors (observers) is very ancient, dating back to the “Dolpkurgov Sparta”. Initially ephorate was a democratic institution. Ephors in the amount of five people were elected by the people's assembly and were representatives of the entire Spar "tiat people. Subsequently (V-IV centuries), they degenerated into an oligarchic body that protected the interests of the upper layer of Spartan citizenship.

The functions of the Spartan ephors were extremely extensive and varied. A set of militia depended on them. They accompanied the kings on a campaign and controlled their actions. In their hands was the entire supreme policy of Sparta. In addition, the ephors had judicial power and could bring to justice even kings who sought to expand their powers and get out of the control of the community. Every step of the kings was under the control of the ephors, who performed a peculiar role of royal guardians.

The Spartan organization has many similarities with men's houses modern backward peoples. The whole system and all life in Sparta had a peculiar military character. The peacetime life of the Spartans was not much different from the wartime life. The Spartan warriors spent most of their time together in a fortified camp on the mountain.

The marching organization was preserved in Peaceful time. As i hike, and during the world, the Spartans were divided into enomotii- camps, engaged in military exercises, gymnastics, fencing, wrestling, running exercises, etc. and only at night) returned home to their families.

Each Spartan brought from his house a certain amount of food for common friendly dinners, which were called sissy, or fidity. At home, only wives and children dined. The rest of the life of the Spartans was also entirely subordinated to the interests of the entire community. In order to hinder the possibility of enriching some and ruining other free citizens, exchange was difficult in Sparta. In the course were only bulky and uncomfortable iron money. From birth to the end


Gymnastic exercises. Image on a vase from Noli. In the center are two fist fighters. They are instructed, holding a long rod, supervisor. On the left, a young man is holding a rope, serving to measure

jump.

the life of a Spartan did not belong to himself. The father of a newborn child could not raise him without the prior permission of the elders. The father brought his child to the elders, who, after examining the child, either left him "alive" or sent him to the "apophets", to the cemetery in the Taygetus crevice. Only strong and strong were left alive, from which good soldiers could come out.

The military imprint lay on the entire upbringing of the Spartan. The basis of this education was the principle: to win the battle and obey. Young Spartans went barefoot all year round and wore coarse clothing. Most of the time they spent in schools (gymnasiums), where they were engaged in physical exercises, sports and learned to read and write. The Spartan had to speak simply, briefly, in laconian (succinctly).

The Spartan gymnasts drank, ate and slept together. They slept on hard bedding made of reed, prepared with their own hands without a knife. To test the physical endurance of teenagers, real scourgings were held in the temple of Artemis under a religious pretext. *3a the execution was observed by a priestess holding a figurine of a god in her hands, now tilting it, now raising it, indicating by this the need to strengthen or weaken the blows.

On the education of youth in Sparta addressed Special attention. They were looked at as the main force of the Spartan system, both in the present and in the future. In order to accustom youth to endurance, adolescents and young men were assigned difficult jobs that they had to / perform without any objection and grumbling. The behavior of young men was imputed to be monitored not only by the authorities, but also by private individuals under the threat of a fine and dishonor for negligence.

“As for the youth, the legislator paid special attention to it, believing that it is very important for the state welfare if the youth is brought up properly” .

Such attention to military training was undoubtedly facilitated by the fact that Sparta was, as it were, a military camp among the enslaved and always ready to rise in revolt population of the surrounding regions, mainly Messenia.

At the same time, physically strong and well-disciplined Spartans were well armed. The military equipment of Sparta was considered exemplary throughout Hellas. The large reserves of iron in Taygetos made it possible to widely expand the production of iron weapons. The Spartan army was divided into detachments (suckers, later pestilence) of five hundred people. The small combat unit was the enomotia, which consisted of about forty people. Heavily armed infantrymen (hoplites) were the main military force Sparta.

The Spartan army set out on a campaign in a harmonious march with the sounds of flutes and choral songs. Spartan choral singing enjoyed great fame throughout Hellas. “There was something in these songs that ignited courage, aroused enthusiasm and called for feats. Their words were simple, artless, but their content was serious and instructive.

The songs glorified the Spartans who fell in battle and censured the "pathetic and dishonest cowards." Spartan songs in poetic processing were very famous throughout Greece. The elegies and marching marches (embateries) of the poet can serve as an example of Spartan military songs. Tirtea(VII century), who arrived in Sparta from Attica and enthusiastically sang the Spartan system.

“Do not be afraid of huge enemy hordes, do not know fear!

Let each one keep his shield right between the first fighters.

Considering life hateful and gloomy harbingers of death As sweet as the rays of the sun are sweet to us ... "

“It’s glorious, after all, to lose life, among the valiant fallen warriors, - To a brave husband in battle for the sake of his fatherland ...”

“Young men, fight, standing in rows, do not be an example of shameful flight or miserable cowardice to others!

Do not leave the elders, # whose knees are already weak,

And do not run, betraying the elders to enemies.

A terrible shame on you when among the warriors the first fallen Elder lies in front young years fighters..."

“Let, stepping wide and resting your feet on the ground,

Everyone stands still, pressing his lips with his teeth,

Thighs and lower legs from below and his chest, together with his shoulders, Covering with a convex circle of a shield, strong with copper;

With his right hand, let him shake the mighty lance,

Putting his foot with his foot and leaning his shield against the shield,

Grozny sultan o sultan, helmet-oh comrade helmet,

Tightly closing chest to chest, let everyone fight with enemies, Grasping a spear or sword handle with a hand " 1 .

Until the very end of the Greco-Persian wars, the Spartan phalanx of hoplites was considered an exemplary and invincible army.

The armament of all Spartans was the same, which further emphasized the equality of all Spartans before the community. Crimson cloaks served as the attire of the Spartans, the weapons consisted of a spear, a shield and a helmet.

Considerable attention in Sparta was also paid to the education of women, who occupied a very peculiar position in the Spartan system. Before marriage, young Spartan women were engaged in the same physical exercises as men - they ran, wrestled, threw a disc, fought in a fistfight, etc. The education of women was considered as the most important state function for it was their duty to give birth healthy children, future defenders of the motherland. “Spartan girls had to run, wrestle, throw a discus, throw spears to strengthen the body, so that their future children would be strong in body in the very womb of their healthy mother, so that their development would be correct and so that the mothers themselves could be relieved from the burden successfully and easily, .due to the strength of his body.

Upon marriage, the Spartan woman devoted herself entirely to family responsibilities - the birth and upbringing of children. The form of marriage in Sparta was the monogamous family. But at the same time, as Engels notes, in Sparta there were many remnants of the old group marriage. “In Sparta there is a pair marriage, modified by the state in accordance with local views, and in many respects still reminiscent of a group marriage. Childless marriages are terminated: Tsar Anaxandrides (650 years BC), who had a childless wife, took a second and kept two households; about the same time the king

Ariston, who had two barren wives, took a third, but let go of one of the first. On the other hand, several brothers could have a common wife; a man who liked his friend's wife could share her with him... Actual adultery, the infidelity of wives behind her husband's back, was therefore unheard of. On the other hand, Sparta, at least

Young woman, running race. Rome. Vatican.

at least in its best era, did not know domestic slaves, serf helots lived separately on estates, so the Spartans were less tempted to use their women. It is natural, therefore, that due to all these conditions, women in Sparta occupied a much more honorable position than among the rest of the Greeks.

The Spartan community was created not only as a result of a long and stubborn struggle with its neighbors, but also as a result of the peculiar position of Sparta among the large enslaved and allied population. The mass of the enslaved population was helots, farmers, painted according to the cleres of the Spartans in groups of ten to fifteen people. The helots paid dues in kind (apophora) and carried out various duties in relation to their masters. The quitrent included barley, spelt, pork, wine and butter. Each Spartan received 70 medimns (mers), barley, Spartan 12 medimns with the corresponding amount of fruits and wine. Helots were not exempted from carrying military service. Battles usually began with the performance of the helots, who were supposed to upset the ranks and rear of the enemy.

The origin of the term "helot" is unclear. According to some scholars, “helot” means conquered, captured, and according to others, “helot” comes from the city of Gelos, whose inhabitants were with Sparta in unequal, but allied relations, obliging them to pay tribute. But whatever the origin of the helots and no matter what formal category - slaves or serfs - they are classified, the sources leave no doubt that the actual position of the helots was no different from the position of the slaves.

Both the land and the helots were considered communal property; individual property was not developed in Sparta. Each full-fledged Spartiate, a member of the community of equals and a member of the combat phalanx of hoplites received from the community by lot a certain allotment (clair) with helots sitting on it. Neither clairs nor rafts could be alienated. The Spartiate, of his own free will, could neither sell nor release the helot, nor change his contributions. The helots were in the use of the Spartan and his family as long as he remained in the community. The total number of Claires in terms of the number of full-fledged Spartans was ten thousand.

The second group of the dependent population consisted of perieki,(or peryoiki) - "living around" - residents of areas allied with Sparta. Among the perieks were farmers, artisans and merchants. Compared to the absolutely disenfranchised helots, the perieks were in best position, but they did not have political rights and were not part of the community of equals, but served in the militia and could have landed property.

The "Community of Equals" lived on a real volcano, the crater of which threatened to constantly open up and swallow all those living on it. In no other Greek state did the antagonism between the dependent and the ruling population manifest itself in such a sharp form as in Sparta. “Everyone,” Plutarch notes, “who believes that in Sparta the free enjoys the highest freedom, and slaves are slaves in the full sense of the word, correctly define the situation.”

This is the reason for the proverbial conservativeness of the Spartan order and the exceptionally cruel attitude of the ruling class towards the disenfranchised population. The treatment of the helots by the Spartans was always severe and cruel. By the way, the Helots were forced to get drunk, and after that the Spartans showed the youth to what disgust drunkenness can bring. In no Greek polis did the antagonism between the dependent population and the masters manifest itself so sharply as in Sparta. The very nature of their settlements contributed in no small measure to the unity of the helots and their organization. The helots lived in continuous settlements on the plain, along the banks of the Eurotas, heavily overgrown with reeds, where they could take refuge if necessary.

In order to prevent carnal uprisings, the Spartans from time to time arranged cryptia, i.e., punitive expeditions to the helots, destroying the strongest and strongest of them. The essence of cryptia was as follows. The ephors declared a "holy war" against the helots, during which detachments of Spartan youth, armed with short swords, went out of town. During the day, these detachments hid in remote places, but at night they left the ambush and suddenly attacked the settlements of the helots, created a panic, killed the strongest and most dangerous of them, and again hid. Other methods of reprisal against helots are also known. Thucydides tells that during the Peloponnesian War the Spartans gathered helots who wanted to receive liberation for their merits, put wreaths on their heads as a sign of imminent liberation, brought them to the temple, and after that these helots disappeared to no one knows where. Thus, two thousand helots immediately disappeared.

The cruelty of the Spartans, however, did not protect them from helot uprisings. The history of Sparta is full of large and small uprisings of helots. Most often, the uprisings occurred during the war, when the Spartans were distracted by military operations and could not follow the helots with their usual vigilance. The uprising of the helots was especially strong during the second Messenian war, as mentioned above. The uprising threatened to sweep away the very "community of equals." Since the time of the Messenian wars, cryptia have arisen.

“It seems to me that the Spartans have become so inhuman since then. since a terrible earthquake occurred in Sparta, during which the helots revolted.

The Spartans invented all sorts of measures and means to keep the historically established social order in balance. From this came their fear of everything new, unknown and beyond the framework of the usual, the way of life, a suspicious attitude towards foreigners, etc. And yet life still took its toll. The Spartan order, for all its invincibility, was being destroyed both from the outside and from the inside.

After the Messenian wars, Sparta tried to subdue other areas of the Peloponnese, especially Arcadia, but the resistance of the mountainous Arcadian tribes forced Sparta to abandon this plan. After that, Sparta seeks to ensure its power through alliances. In the VI century. through wars and peace treaties the Spartans managed to achieve organization Peloponnesian Union, which covered all areas of the Peloponnese, except for Argos, Achaia and the northern districts of Arcadia. Subsequently, the trading city of Corinth, a rival of Athens, also entered this alliance.

Prior to the Greco-Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian League was the largest and strongest of all Greek alliances. “Lacedaemon himself, after being settled by the Dorians now living in this region, suffered for a very long time, as far as we know, from internal unrest. However, for a long time it has been governed by good laws and has never been under the rule of tyrants. IN for four hundred s small years until the end of this [Peloponnesian] war, the Lacedaemonians have the same state structure. Thanks to this, "they became powerful and organized affairs in other states."

Spartan hegemony continued until the Battle of Salamis, that is, until the first major naval battle, which brought Athens to the fore and moved economic center Greece from the mainland to the sea. From this time begins internal crisis Sparta, which eventually led to the decomposition of all the above-described institutions of the ancient Spartan system.

Orders similar to those observed in Sparta existed in some other Greek states. This concerned primarily the areas conquered by the Dorians, especially the cities of Fr. Crete. According to ancient authors, Lycurgus borrowed a lot from the Cretans. And indeed, in the Cretan system, which developed after the Dorian conquest, known to us from the inscription from Gortyna, there are many common features with Sparta. Three Dorian phyla are preserved, there are public dinners, which, unlike Sparta, are arranged at the expense of the state. Free citizens use the labor of unfree farmers ( Clarotes), which in many ways resemble the Spartan helots, but have more rights than the latter. They have their own property; the estate, for example, was considered their property. They even had the right to the property of the master, if he did not have a relative. Along with the Clarotes, there were also “purchased slaves” in Crete who served in city houses and did not differ from the slaves in the developed Greek policies.

In Thessaly, a position similar to the Spartan helots and Cretan Clarotes was occupied penestes, who paid tribute to the Thessalians. One source says that "the Penesti handed themselves over to the power of the Thessalians on the basis of a mutual oath, according to which they would not tolerate anything bad in their work and would not leave the country." About the position of the penests - and the same can be attributed to the helots and clarots - Engels wrote the following: “Undoubtedly, serfdom is not a specific medieval feudal form, we meet it everywhere where the conquerors force the old inhabitants to cultivate the land - this was the case, for example, in Thessaly in a very early time. This fact obscured for me and many others the view of medieval serfdom. It was very tempting to justify it with a simple conquest, so everything went extraordinarily smoothly.

Thucydides, I, 18. ! Marx and Engels, Letters, Sotsekgiz, 1931, p. 346.

The phrase "Spartan education" is world famous. A well-thought-out and well-established system, not so much of raising children, as of building a whole society, glorified a small ancient Greek state for centuries.

But few people know that strict principles, the purpose of which was to create a people capable of fighting and ready for any hardships, led to the impoverishment of the culture and spirituality of Sparta.

According to many scientists, it was the "Spartan education" that caused the decline and disappearance of this state.

Spartan children

The system of raising boys in ancient Sparta (VIII - IV centuries BC) was called "agogge", which meant "carrying away".

The cultivation of boys in a military-heroic spirit was considered a privilege, therefore, it extended only to the children of full-fledged citizens of Sparta - the Dorians.

For all other "non-Spartan" children, passing through this system opened up prospects for obtaining citizenship, so, whenever possible, parents gave their son "for upbringing". However, “education” is not quite the right term.

It was Government program, designed to form a strong army capable of enduring the burdens and hardships of long conquests. The life of a Spartan man from birth to old age was subordinated to these goals.

Plutarch in his work "Biography of Lycurgus" wrote that fathers brought newborn boys to the council of elders. They examined the child, and if he turned out to be healthy, they gave him back to his father to feed him. Together with the child, the father was entitled to a land plot.

Weak, sick and ugly children, according to Plutarch, were thrown into the abyss of Apothetes. Nowadays, scientists have proven that the ancient Greek thinker exaggerated.

During research at the bottom of the gorge in the Taygetus mountains, no children's remains were found. The Spartans sometimes threw captives or criminals off the cliff, but never children.

Babies in Sparta grew up in hard wooden cradles. The boys did not wear warm clothes. From an early age, they were forced to do physical exercises - running, jumping.

At the age of 7, boys were taken from home to foster homes. Here their childhood ended.

In the heat and on the coldest winter days, they exercised in the open air: they mastered military skills, learned to handle weapons, and throw a spear.

They were shaved bald, they never covered their heads, warm clothes were also not supposed to.

The young Spartans slept on hay or reeds, which they themselves had to bring. Often the pupils also had to get food on their own - robbing neighboring areas. At the same time, getting caught stealing was a disgrace.

For any offense, prank, oversight, the boys were severely punished - beaten with whips.

So the Spartans were brought up fortitude and stamina. It was believed that the stricter the upbringing, the better for young men and the state as a whole.

Education in Sparta was not valued. A warrior should not be smart, but cunning. Must be quirky, adapted to life and hardships.

The Spartans were taught to speak little and briefly - "succinctly." Education of feelings, imagination, teaching the arts - all this was considered a waste of time and a distraction of a warrior from his destiny.

At the age of 18, the young man left the orphanage. From that moment on, he did not have to cut his hair or shave his beard, but continued to engage in military exercises. At the age of 20, a Spartan was transferred to a detachment of hierens (youths).

And although he was already an adult, until the age of 30 he was still under the supervision of educators and improved his skills in military skills.

Interestingly, at this age, the Spartans could marry, create their own families, but still did not completely belong to themselves.

One of the principles of the Spartan education of young men was mentoring. It was believed that an experienced husband and warrior is able to teach a young citizen more than official science. Therefore, every Spartan middle age kept a boy or young man with him, helping him develop his civil and military prowess.

Spartan girls

The upbringing of Spartan girls, as Plutarch wrote, was similar to the upbringing of boys, with the only difference being that they were engaged in physical exercises without leaving their parental home.

The development of the body and fortitude of the spirit was important for girls. But at the same time, the girls were the personification of purity in Sparta, the attitude of boys and men towards them was respectful, respectful, almost chivalrous.

For the attention of beauties, young men fought at gymnastic competitions. From their youth, the girls felt like full-fledged members of society, citizens, took an active part in the affairs of society. Women were respected by men because they shared their enthusiasm for military affairs, their patriotism and political views.

But for all social activity Spartan women at all times were famous throughout Greece for their homeliness, ability to manage the household and maintain a home.

Sparta and its model of educating young people left a big mark on world military affairs. It is believed that Alexander the Great used the principles of discipline of the Spartan army when creating his army. Yes, and modern infantry originates precisely from Sparta.

At a time when cities grew in mighty Greece, philosophers pondered the nature of things, warlike Sparta lived its daily life. The main occupation of the inhabitants of the city has always been preparation for attacks. The specter of war hovered tirelessly over Sparta. The inhabitants were not going to make new trips, they wanted peace, but at the same time, in case of danger from other cities and countries, they wanted to be prepared. All the forces of the Spartans went to protect the conquered lands: the plains of Messenia and the valley of Evrota. Moreover, they guarded these areas not from their neighbors, from whom they were taken away, but from the slaves living in these territories and always ready for an uprising.

Ancient Sparta numbering 9,000 had 200,000 helot slaves who bowed their heads to the ground, but never lost hope of liberation. So, for example, in 464, when the city was destroyed by an earthquake, the helots rushed there, but not in order to save the lives of their masters, but in order to kill them. But, thanks to the foresight of King Archidamus, who built a phalanx of the surviving soldiers, the slaves retreated. After that, it took more than 10 years of bloody war in order to bring the helots back into submission.

After the subjugation of the slaves, Ancient Sparta, which had Dorian kindred communities, Megara and Corinth, was involved in a war with Athens. After long battles, long battles, the militant state defeated the state of thinkers and philosophers. However, this brought not only great fame, but also great trouble. The fact is that immediately after the victory, hoplites came to power in Sparta, who despised the "rabble" and recognized only their own kind. Big merchants and representatives of the lower classes did not like this very much, they constantly made attempts to change the government. Therefore, the government of Sparta was forced to defend itself from the people.

Ancient Sparta, whose history keeps many military victories, was first defeated in 371 by the Thebans. In this battle, a new system of building phalanxes ("oblique formation") was applied. During the battle, the king of the Spartans, Cleombrot, died, and the once fearless army succumbed to panic and fled from the battlefield. But the Thebans did not stop there. They moved to Sparta and showed the Spartans their combat power. As a result, the Thebans retook the Messenian Plain.

We can say that after this battle, Ancient Sparta began to lose its power. Among the once "equal" Spartans, "smaller" began to appear. Many citizens began to sell their lands, because. were in need. While men tried to maintain the military power of Sparta, women began to engage in usury. They bought land for debts. Thus, the stratification of society began, a prosperous aristocracy appeared. Less and less importance was given to the military training of the younger generation.

Only a hundred years later, the leaders of Sparta realized that there was no one to defend the city, and they made attempts to return the orders of bygone times. The land was redistributed, debts canceled, the ranks of the warriors were replenished with strong helots and parieks. But the aristocracy of the city was afraid of the new order, a revolution began, which called for the Macedonians. So in 221, the Spartans suffered another defeat, but not at the hands of the Thebans.

Spartan education system

In a warlike state, much attention was paid to protecting the city from internal and external enemies. For this, a system of education was developed, which consisted of 3 stages:

Teaching boys from 7 to 12 years old. At this stage, the children were divided into groups. They played and learned. But constantly the mentors made the children fight among themselves. So they revealed the strengths and weaknesses of their wards.

From 12 to 20 years old, the boys were united in detachments, where they were led by older boys. At this stage, there were no games, all attention was paid to military training.

From 20 to 30 years old, the Spartans united in sissitia - groups that usually included about 15 people. They continued to work military training in their circle, but now they could start a family, do some household chores.

As you can see, Ancient Sparta paid great attention to the training of real warriors to protect their state.


Around the ancient Greek Sparta to this day there are many disputes and myths born of popular culture. Were the Spartans really unsurpassed warriors and did not like mental work, did they really get rid of their own children, and were the customs of the Spartans really so severe that they were forbidden to eat in their own homes? Let's try to figure it out.

Starting a conversation about Sparta, it would be worth noting that the self-name of this ancient Greek state was "Lacedaemon", and its inhabitants called themselves "Lacedaemonians". The emergence of the name "Sparta" humanity owes not to the Hellenes, but to the Romans.


Sparta, like many ancient states, had a complex in structure, but logical, system of social organization. In fact, society was divided into full citizens, non-full citizens and dependents. In turn, each of the categories was divided into estates. Helots, although they were considered slaves, were not them in the sense familiar to modern man. However, "ancient" and "classical" slavery deserves separate consideration. It is also worth mentioning the special class of "hypomeyons", which included physically and mentally handicapped children of the citizens of Sparta. They were considered incomplete citizens, but they were still above a number of other social categories. The existence of such a class in Sparta significantly reduces the viability of the theory of the murder of handicapped children in Sparta.


This myth took root thanks to the description of the Spartan society created by Plutarch. So, in one of his works, he described that weak children were thrown into a gorge in the mountains of Taygetus by the decision of the elders. Today, scientists on this issue have not come to a consensus, however, most of them are inclined to the version that such an unusual tradition had no place in Sparta. Do not discount the fact that the Greek chronicles sin with exaggerations and embellishments of facts. The proof of which was discovered by historians after comparing the same facts and their descriptions in the Greek and Roman chronicles.

Of course, in Sparta, throughout its described history, there was a very rigid system for raising children, in particular, boys. The education system was called agoge, which in Greek means "withdrawal". In Spartan society, the children of citizens were considered public property. Since the agoge itself was a rather cruel system of education, it is possible that the mortality rate was indeed high. Thus, killing weak children immediately after birth is unlikely.

Another popular myth is the invincibility of the Spartan army. Of course, the Spartan army was strong enough to influence its neighbors, however, and she, as you know, knew defeat. In addition, the Spartan army was largely losing on many issues to the armies of other powers, including the armies of the neighbors of the Greeks. The warriors were distinguished by excellent training and personal combat skills. They had a wonderful physical training. Moreover, the very concept of discipline in the army was adopted by neighboring peoples precisely from the Spartans. Even the Romans admired the strength of the Spartan army, although it eventually lost to them. At the same time, the Spartans did not know engineering, which did not allow them to effectively besiege enemy cities.


According to historians, discipline, courage and valor on the battlefield were highly valued in Spartan society, honesty and devotion, modesty and moderation were revered (however, one can doubt the latter, knowing about their feasts and orgies). And although sometimes the leaders of the Spartans in matters of politics were distinguished by deceit and perfidy, this people was one of the greatest representatives of the Hellenic group.

Sparta was a democracy. In any case, all the most important issues were decided by the general meeting of citizens, at which they simply shouted over each other. Of course, not only citizens lived in Sparta, and the power, although of the people, did not belong to the entire demos.

Household Spartans differed little from the economy of most other Greek city-states. The same products were grown in the fields of Lacedaemon. The Spartans were engaged in cattle breeding, breeding mainly sheep. For the most part, labor on earth was the lot of helots - slaves, as well as deprived citizens.

In Sparta, mental work was really not held in high esteem, but this does not mean at all that Sparta did not give history a single poet or writer. Among the most famous of them are Alkman and Terpander. However, even they were distinguished by good physical training. And the Spartan priest-soothsayer Tisamen of Elea was even more famous for being an unsurpassed athlete. The stereotype about the cultural ignorance of the Spartans was born, probably because both Alkman and Terpander were not natives of this city.


Public relations and foundations played a very important role in the daily life of the Spartans. Among historians, there is even a theory that the Spartans were forbidden to eat at home, regardless of their status and position in society. Instead, the Spartans were supposed to eat exclusively in public places, a kind of canteens of that time.

The image of the Spartans, as well as the image of the Wiggs, whom many represent as, of course, did not escape romanticization. Nevertheless, there is much in the Lacedaemonians that it would not be superfluous to learn both for modern man and what has become part of our daily life. In particular, the word "laconic" has precisely Greek roots and means a restrained, moderate and not verbose person. It was with this word that the Spartans were identified in the Peloponnese and beyond.