Changes

As the Spartan soldiers endured such rigorous training, and lived as full time soldiers, the Spartan army was looked up to by the neighboring city states as a military force. The will of the Spartans was to protect Sparta at any cost, including death, as “An honorable death is preferable to a dishonorable life”.  This belief was held up in all levels of society as a famous saying of the mothers to their sons when they went to war was to return ‘with your shield, or on it’.  It was impossible to flee from battle with a carrying a shield.  It meant die in battle (on it) before retreat. It was for this tenacity that the Spartans were both feared and respected. In the [[Battle of Thermopylae]], The Spartan king [[Leonidas]], led a 300 strong advance force to meet a much larger Persian force, “in order that the sight of them might encourage the other confederates to fight and prevent them from going over (to) the enemy, as they were quite capable of doing if they knew that Sparta was hanging back”.  Often the sight of a Spartan wearing his crimson cloak was enough to inspire an ally to take up arms. The influence of the Spartan army also led to their allies serving under the Spartan commander. During the battle of Thermopylae, although each of the Greek forces had their own commander, but “Leonidas the Spartan, was in command of the whole army”.

As the Spartan soldiers endured such rigorous training, and lived as full time soldiers, the Spartan army was looked up to by the neighboring city states as a military force. The will of the Spartans was to protect Sparta at any cost, including death, as “An honorable death is preferable to a dishonorable life”.  This belief was held up in all levels of society as a famous saying of the mothers to their sons when they went to war was to return ‘with your shield, or on it’.  It was impossible to flee from battle with a carrying a shield.  It meant die in battle (on it) before retreat. It was for this tenacity that the Spartans were both feared and respected. In the [[Battle of Thermopylae]], The Spartan king [[Leonidas]], led a 300 strong advance force to meet a much larger Persian force, “in order that the sight of them might encourage the other confederates to fight and prevent them from going over (to) the enemy, as they were quite capable of doing if they knew that Sparta was hanging back”.  Often the sight of a Spartan wearing his crimson cloak was enough to inspire an ally to take up arms. The influence of the Spartan army also led to their allies serving under the Spartan commander. During the battle of Thermopylae, although each of the Greek forces had their own commander, but “Leonidas the Spartan, was in command of the whole army”.

The army’s role to protect the state of Sparta was not constricted to fighting external threats. Sparta held control over the whole of the Eurotas valley, and enslaved the people they conquered during the Messenian wars around 713BC. The Slaves, or [[helot]]s, were significantly outnumbered the Spartans and as such there was a great sense of paranoia amongst the Spartans. Many Historians have speculated whether the helots were the reason for the agoge system and the need for such a well trained army. Each year “immediately after taking up office the ephors would declare war on the helots, so that they would be killed without pollution”. The control of the helots was also carried out by the Krypteia, a secret police that was made up of promising young soldiers, “by day they would disperse to obscure spots in order to hide and rest. At night they made their way to roads and murdered any helot whom they aught. Frequently, too, they made their way through fields, killing the helots who stood out for their physique and strength”. The Spartans genuinely feared helot revolt, and their strict control over the slave population ensured that no revolt was successful until after the [[Battle of Leuctra]].

The army’s role to protect the state of Sparta was not constricted to fighting external threats. Sparta held control over the whole of the Eurotas valley, and enslaved the people they conquered during the Messenian wars around 713BC. The Slaves, or [[helot]]s, were significantly outnumbered the Spartans and as such there was a great sense of paranoia amongst the Spartans. Many Historians have speculated whether the helots were the reason for the agoge system and the need for such a well trained army. Each year “immediately after taking up office the ephors would declare war on the helots, so that they would be killed without pollution”. The control of the helots was also carried out by the Krypteia, a secret police that was made up of promising young soldiers, “by day they would disperse to obscure spots in order to hide and rest. At night they made their way to roads and murdered any helot whom they aught. Frequently, too, they made their way through fields, killing the helots who stood out for their physique and strength”. The Spartans genuinely feared helot revolt, and their strict control over the slave population ensured that no revolt was successful until after the [[Battle of Leuctra]].  The Spartan military system woven into society was set up on such a fine balance that losing a single battle would crush it.  The Spartans never fully recovered.

The roles of the Spartan army, were to put it simply, to protect the state of Sparta, both from external threats as well as internal threats. The influence of the army was gained through a rigorous education system that raised the Spartans into full time warriors. Their attitude towards war ensured that the army would remain a force throughout Greece as well as feared within their own backyard through the terrorization of helots.

The roles of the Spartan army, were to put it simply, to protect the state of Sparta, both from external threats as well as internal threats. The influence of the army was gained through a rigorous education system that raised the Spartans into full time warriors. Their attitude towards war ensured that the army would remain a force throughout Greece as well as feared within their own backyard through the terrorization of helots.