The Spartans are considered one of the most revered examples of a warrior culture in history. All Spartan born men were required by law to be warriors no matter the situation. Their military power instilled fear in their enemies and they managed to develop a culture which required unrelenting loyalty. In order to develop an elite military force in the ancient world, the Spartans developed a certain culture that started once the child was born.
Surrounded by natural defenses, the geography of Sparta was perfect for a military culture. Sparta was located in the south eastern part of the Peloponnesian on the right bank of the Eurotas River, specifically in the Laconia region. Flanked by Mt Parnon to east, Mt. Taygetus to the west, and the hilly …show more content…
Immediately after birth, Spartan children were thoroughly examined to ensure they had the potential to be a Spartan and represented the image of a Spartan warrior. Newborns were dipped in a bath of wine to test strength and fortitude, and the examiners believed that weak children would die in the process. If the child passed this trail they would be taken to the group of elders who would look for any deformities or weaknesses. If the baby was weak or deformed, the child was left on Mount Taygetos to die. Only in Sparta was this process institutionalized by the state …show more content…
To create the perfect soldier, the soldier must be desensitized to killing and must be able to survive in the wild. This training was called the Krypteia which directly translates to “secret thing”. The Krypteia was the process of secretly killing helots which were the slaves and laborers of Sparta. Boys would be sent to the woods and hide during the day and would come out during the night to kill any helots they saw in the area. This not only taught the boys how to adapt, survive, and be stealthy but it kept the slave population in check which was a major problem in Sparta. Also during this time. a young child was encouraged to find an older Spartan male to begin a “licenced relationship.” The relationship was formed to help educate the boy growing up and encourage the boy’s masculinity. The man was both both the boy’s tutor and a model for him to imitate
Surrounded by natural defenses, the geography of Sparta was perfect for a military culture. Sparta was located in the south eastern part of the Peloponnesian on the right bank of the Eurotas River, specifically in the Laconia region. Flanked by Mt Parnon to east, Mt. Taygetus to the west, and the hilly …show more content…
Immediately after birth, Spartan children were thoroughly examined to ensure they had the potential to be a Spartan and represented the image of a Spartan warrior. Newborns were dipped in a bath of wine to test strength and fortitude, and the examiners believed that weak children would die in the process. If the child passed this trail they would be taken to the group of elders who would look for any deformities or weaknesses. If the baby was weak or deformed, the child was left on Mount Taygetos to die. Only in Sparta was this process institutionalized by the state …show more content…
To create the perfect soldier, the soldier must be desensitized to killing and must be able to survive in the wild. This training was called the Krypteia which directly translates to “secret thing”. The Krypteia was the process of secretly killing helots which were the slaves and laborers of Sparta. Boys would be sent to the woods and hide during the day and would come out during the night to kill any helots they saw in the area. This not only taught the boys how to adapt, survive, and be stealthy but it kept the slave population in check which was a major problem in Sparta. Also during this time. a young child was encouraged to find an older Spartan male to begin a “licenced relationship.” The relationship was formed to help educate the boy growing up and encourage the boy’s masculinity. The man was both both the boy’s tutor and a model for him to imitate