Post by Bozur on Jul 20, 2017 22:48:30 GMT -5
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Serbian translation / Српски превод
48 Hardcore Facts About Spartans
Written by Kevin Revie
The Spartan army was composed of highly disciplined citizens who trained rigorously from early manhood. Between the 6th and 4th centuries BC, at the height of Sparta’s power, they were one of the most feared military forces in the Greek world. Here are 48 facts about Spartans you might not have known.
1. The Spartan Army was developed by the legendary lawgiver of Sparta, Lycurgus, who inaugurated the military-oriented reformation of Spartan society. The reforms worked in accordance with the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi and were directed towards “proper virtues,” which included equality among citizens, austerity, strength, and fitness. Lycurgus created harmony, simplicity, and strength in Sparta by using the discipline and honor of the warrior society to tame the state’s youth and develop leadership. Lycurgus famously responded to the proposal of building a defensive wall enclosing the city by saying, “A city is well-fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.” It’s unclear whether or not Lycurgus was an actual historical figure, but he has been referred to by many ancient historians and philosophers and is credited with establishing the Spartan Constitution. Lycurgus is believed to have slowly grown Sparta and invent Gerousia, the Spartan council of elders. Nowadays, the term “spartan” has become synonymous with fearlessness and endurance.
2. The Spartans became known for their understated wit, which can be seen in their response to a letter from Philip II of Macedon. Before invading Laconia, Philip wrote a letter saying, “If I invade Laconia, I will drive you out.” The Spartan ephors responded to the letter with a single word, only writing, “If.”
3. Due to the people of Sparta having a reputation for their blunt and sometimes pithy remarks, the word “laconic” came to, which was named after the region of Greece including Sparta, Laconia. Some believe blunt Laconian speech was a result of a lack of education, arts, and literature, but Socrates rejects this idea and stated Spartans are best educated in philosophy and speaking.
4. In Spartan Constitution, the issuance of coinage was forbidden to discourage pursuit of material wealth. Instead of gold or silver, Spartans used iron obols (bars or spits), which were meant to encourage self-sufficiency and maintain focus on preparation for war. First-century historian, Plutarch, said Lycurgus commanded, “Money made of iron should be current, a great weight and quantity of which was but very little worth.”
5. Spartan warriors were expected to be strong and fit enough to play the part. To ensure this, Aelian (Miscellaneous History: 14.7) recorded that Spartan law required training warriors to stand naked in public so their bodies could be inspected every ten days. If a warrior didn’t adhere to the standards, they were beaten and censured.
6. The diet in ancient Sparta was limited by local resources of the Greek landscape, but warriors consumed their food with the intention of becoming as strong and healthy as possible. One meal Spartans famously ate was black soup, which was composed of pork boiled in pig’s blood, flavored with nothing but salt and vinegar.
7. The Battle of Thermopylae, which was depicted in the Zack Snyder film 300, saw many warriors’ weapons destroyed. However, this didn’t stop the Spartans from fighting tooth and nail. According to Herodotus (Histories, 7.223), “They resisted to the last, with their swords, if they had them, and, if not, with their hands and teeth.”
8. Considering Sparta was adamant on having warriors who were fearless, cowards were not treated kindly. If a Spartan ran away from battle, they were considered a coward and were publically shunned. These citizens were forced to dress in rags and shave half their beard so that everyone could see their disgrace.
9. Spartan warrior, Aristodemus, was one of the only two Spartan survivors as he was not present at the last stand against the Persians in Thermopylae. He was deemed ‘Aristodemus the Coward’ because he became afflicted by a disease of the eyes and was too ill to fight. However, he managed to redeem himself a year later at the Battle of Plataea when he died horrifically after charging to kill several Persians.
10. The Spartan army was infantry-based and they fought using the phalanx formation, which was a dense grouping of warriors who were armed with long spears and interlocking shields. The Spartans didn’t advance the fighting method, however, they had times of success with it due to their rigorous training and discipline.
11. Shields held great importance amongst the Spartan army and military families would pass down their shields to each generation as family heirlooms. Losing a sword or spear in battle would go without consequence, but to lose a shield was a sign of disgrace. The reason shields were seen as being so important was because they didn’t just protect the individual warrior, but the army as well.
12. Zack Snyder’s depiction of Spartans going into battle with bare chests was one of the many stylistic choices the film made. In reality, Spartans would regularly have used chest plating that was made from bronze and would be up to 1 inch thick. There were different types of bronze chest plate protection, but most would effectively cover the chest and abdominal cavity.
www.providr.com/now/spartans-facts/11/?utm_source=fbkxd&utm_medium=spartan_d_f
Written by Kevin Revie
The Spartan army was composed of highly disciplined citizens who trained rigorously from early manhood. Between the 6th and 4th centuries BC, at the height of Sparta’s power, they were one of the most feared military forces in the Greek world. Here are 48 facts about Spartans you might not have known.
1. The Spartan Army was developed by the legendary lawgiver of Sparta, Lycurgus, who inaugurated the military-oriented reformation of Spartan society. The reforms worked in accordance with the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi and were directed towards “proper virtues,” which included equality among citizens, austerity, strength, and fitness. Lycurgus created harmony, simplicity, and strength in Sparta by using the discipline and honor of the warrior society to tame the state’s youth and develop leadership. Lycurgus famously responded to the proposal of building a defensive wall enclosing the city by saying, “A city is well-fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.” It’s unclear whether or not Lycurgus was an actual historical figure, but he has been referred to by many ancient historians and philosophers and is credited with establishing the Spartan Constitution. Lycurgus is believed to have slowly grown Sparta and invent Gerousia, the Spartan council of elders. Nowadays, the term “spartan” has become synonymous with fearlessness and endurance.
2. The Spartans became known for their understated wit, which can be seen in their response to a letter from Philip II of Macedon. Before invading Laconia, Philip wrote a letter saying, “If I invade Laconia, I will drive you out.” The Spartan ephors responded to the letter with a single word, only writing, “If.”
3. Due to the people of Sparta having a reputation for their blunt and sometimes pithy remarks, the word “laconic” came to, which was named after the region of Greece including Sparta, Laconia. Some believe blunt Laconian speech was a result of a lack of education, arts, and literature, but Socrates rejects this idea and stated Spartans are best educated in philosophy and speaking.
4. In Spartan Constitution, the issuance of coinage was forbidden to discourage pursuit of material wealth. Instead of gold or silver, Spartans used iron obols (bars or spits), which were meant to encourage self-sufficiency and maintain focus on preparation for war. First-century historian, Plutarch, said Lycurgus commanded, “Money made of iron should be current, a great weight and quantity of which was but very little worth.”
5. Spartan warriors were expected to be strong and fit enough to play the part. To ensure this, Aelian (Miscellaneous History: 14.7) recorded that Spartan law required training warriors to stand naked in public so their bodies could be inspected every ten days. If a warrior didn’t adhere to the standards, they were beaten and censured.
6. The diet in ancient Sparta was limited by local resources of the Greek landscape, but warriors consumed their food with the intention of becoming as strong and healthy as possible. One meal Spartans famously ate was black soup, which was composed of pork boiled in pig’s blood, flavored with nothing but salt and vinegar.
7. The Battle of Thermopylae, which was depicted in the Zack Snyder film 300, saw many warriors’ weapons destroyed. However, this didn’t stop the Spartans from fighting tooth and nail. According to Herodotus (Histories, 7.223), “They resisted to the last, with their swords, if they had them, and, if not, with their hands and teeth.”
8. Considering Sparta was adamant on having warriors who were fearless, cowards were not treated kindly. If a Spartan ran away from battle, they were considered a coward and were publically shunned. These citizens were forced to dress in rags and shave half their beard so that everyone could see their disgrace.
9. Spartan warrior, Aristodemus, was one of the only two Spartan survivors as he was not present at the last stand against the Persians in Thermopylae. He was deemed ‘Aristodemus the Coward’ because he became afflicted by a disease of the eyes and was too ill to fight. However, he managed to redeem himself a year later at the Battle of Plataea when he died horrifically after charging to kill several Persians.
10. The Spartan army was infantry-based and they fought using the phalanx formation, which was a dense grouping of warriors who were armed with long spears and interlocking shields. The Spartans didn’t advance the fighting method, however, they had times of success with it due to their rigorous training and discipline.
11. Shields held great importance amongst the Spartan army and military families would pass down their shields to each generation as family heirlooms. Losing a sword or spear in battle would go without consequence, but to lose a shield was a sign of disgrace. The reason shields were seen as being so important was because they didn’t just protect the individual warrior, but the army as well.
12. Zack Snyder’s depiction of Spartans going into battle with bare chests was one of the many stylistic choices the film made. In reality, Spartans would regularly have used chest plating that was made from bronze and would be up to 1 inch thick. There were different types of bronze chest plate protection, but most would effectively cover the chest and abdominal cavity.
www.providr.com/now/spartans-facts/11/?utm_source=fbkxd&utm_medium=spartan_d_f