- time and place, forever concentrating the essence in one event, which future generations will turn to again and again as turning point in history.

What happened at Thermopylae is a flaming torch in the history of Western civilization. Thermopylae was a myth made real. I couldn't have come up with a more classic story on my own.

The seven thousandth phalanx of Greek soldiers opposed out of several hundred thousand. Greeks are monstrous outnumbered, but they advanced, confident that 300 men on the front line would lead them to victory. Simply because they are from Sparta.

A Spartan warrior is like any other warrior, but when you put them together, you have an army better than any army in the world.

Often, the mere sight of the Spartan sign on a shield wall was enough to ensure victory. The world did not know anything like it, it was the highest military culture in a civilized society.

For two days, a negligible number of Greeks compared to the advancing Persians rebuffed them. Finally, the Spartan king realized that defeat is inevitable. He ordered the surviving Greek soldiers to flee. But all 300 Spartans remained in place and fought to the end, because they were Spartans.

It began when a sharp increase in population forced Sparta to look for new lands and sources of food. They solved this problem annexing an entire country, in population and territory exceeding Sparta. This twist of fate will change the course of Spartan history for the next 300 years.

The land they took over was . That was the name of one of the . Before the capture of Messenia, there was nothing in Sparta that made it something unusual and exceptional.

Messenia had fertile fields, their agriculture prospered. Today the famous olive trees grow there. There were rich people around Messinia iron deposits- what was required primarily for military equipment.

Sparta needed Messenia, but the Messenians resisted. The war was long and hard, the Spartans did not manage to cope with the Messenians easily and quickly. The main difficulty was purely topographic in nature: it was necessary to overcome a mountain 3,000 meters high. Of course, it was possible to go around the top, but this meant a detour, a very long way.

The people of Messenia were on their way to creating their own policy, they tried to remain independent, but the Spartans defeated them. It took Sparta almost 100 years to finally conquer Messenia.

But by the 7th century BC. Sparta owned 8 thousand square kilometers, and she was largest city-state Greek Empire.

The Messenians were forced to cultivate the land as the so-called. Helots are a kind farmers. A helot has a plot, a certain part of the production from which he must give to his owner, a Spartan who looks after him and his household, but at the same time he is not the owner of this helot, i.e. he cannot buy and sell him as a slave. In fact, helots were a cross between and.

Not a single Greek polis tried to turn the Greek people into slaves. The population of Messenia was approximately 250 thousand people, and in Spartan society there were only about 10 thousand soldiers.

It can be said that Sparta was under siege. An analogy with the modern one suggests itself. Of course, there are many differences, but the Spartans and Israelites have in common that they are forced to constantly think about their safety.

The situation forced the Spartans to take reorganization of society. They have developed a new code that covers all aspects of the life of citizens.

Only they among the Greeks wholly devote themselves to the art of war. As the Greek historian writes, the Spartan legislator by name became the creator of the new military city-state.

Lycurgus traveled around, collecting all the best in the field of military knowledge in, in and Egypt. He also received divine guidance from oracles in . He was said to have heard the advice himself. It is not surprising that in the end, Sparta turned into great militarized society.

The army at that time had, in essence, a militia character: they were farmers who simply took a spear and went to fight. Lycurgus, founder of Sparta as such, probably said something along the lines of "We need professionals." And then the whole society was transformed according to this principle.

His laws prevailed because the oracle of Delphi was behind them, and he said that these laws should be obeyed because they are divine.

Perhaps all this was nothing more than a legend. But be that as it may, the Spartans believed that the future structure of Sparta must comply with the precepts of Apollo.

Pyramid of power and control from the cradle to the grave

Their society was based on a pyramid of power. Upstairs was spartan elite- about 10 thousand people, they were called in Greek gomes, which means "equal". Theoretically, none of them was richer than the other and all were equal in government.

The goal was to make society of equals- an army that would fight, I don’t know internal strife. It was about a single state: something homogeneous, similar - this is one of the components of the Spartan system - stability, order, humility.

Below equals, there were approximately 50-60 thousand free people throughout Laconia, mainly on the outskirts of the capital of Sparta. They were called - "living around." They were personally free, but had no political rights. They were obliged to follow the Spartans wherever they were led.

Perieki were disenfranchised middle class, which provided combat readiness. Trade relations, production, crafts, everything that Spartan society needed, someone else had to make weapons - all this lay on the shoulders of the perieks. They were the engine that set everything in motion. Thanks to them, the Spartan nobility had time for athletics and other things necessary for the war.

All activities incompatible with the new Spartan mechanism were consigned to oblivion. It is quite obvious that the Spartans' payment for solving their problem was partly loss of culture, because creative activity requires a degree of freedom that probably made them nervous.

At the very bottom, in numbers that exceeded all other strata of society, there were.

The wives and daughters of the Spartan elite ran the household.

This system made equals responsible only for the policy - the city-state.

They were ready to take any, sometimes extreme, measures to create a state that no one had seen before, and no one had seen since.

In the following decades, Sparta would introduce a new system of government that would control every citizen from cradle to grave.

In the 7th century BC. Sparta occupied a special place among several hundred city-states around. In any Greek polis, the state played a greater role in people's lives than in our society today. But in no other city-state did the government interfere in the lives of the people as it did in Sparta. It was a contract from the cradle to the grave.

The first test awaited the future Spartan equal already in the cradle. Government officials examined each elite newborn to decide will he live. The child, imperfect in some way, according to the laws of Sparta, was doomed to death in the mountains.

It seems unheard of cruelty, but Sparta needed warriors. It was the warrior who was looked for in newborns. They needed strong people, they sort of bred the best, the strongest breed.

The officials also studied the girls and also decided whether they should live or be thrown off the cliff.

Of the surviving girls, they raised mothers, and of the boys - Spartan equals - warriors who control the government.

In Sparta the government was of the people and for the people, if you were one of the equals. All the rest, perieks and helots, were considered non-citizens.

The Spartans managed to come up with a unique system that lasted for many years. and others took it as a model.

Over the Spartan government was hereditary monarchy unusual character. The most important point, and by all accounts the most ancient part of their constitution, is what they had. Most of the Greek cities remembered the times when they had a king, and in many Greek cities some sort of religious person was retained, sometimes called the king. And the Spartans had two of them, and both had real power. They could lead the army, they had religious authority. They were like balance each other, preventing each of them from becoming too powerful.

Dual Monarchy and 28 Spartans over 60 years old were members of the council of elders, known as. Gerousia was the highest state body, as well as the supreme court. Sparta was in a sense gerontocratic society: old people ruled and some posts were occupied only by old people. The reason was this: if you lived to old age in Sparta, then you are a very strong person.

Below the gerousia was Assembly(), which was Spartan equals for over 30 years. It was the least significant part of the Spartan government, also called the people's assembly. The Spartan Assembly did not decide anything. Rather, it followed the orders of those who had already decided which way society should go. The Assembly simply approved the decisions taken by the higher bodies.

Above all was collegium out of 5 people called . They ran the military, they were in charge of the education system. They had the right to veto any decision, even the kings. But their power was limited: they were elected only for a year, and at the end of their term they reported to the assembly.

Those who have the honor of being ephors, at the end of their term, automatically passed the test. It is as if every president, at the end of his 4-year or 8-year term, responded to the accusations leveled against him.

The purpose of the constitution was obvious: to prevent an individual or any organ of the state from becoming omnipotent. And apparently, the Spartans succeeded in this: how can you do anything if you have so many people on your way? The whole system was aimed at preventing something from being done, not allow any change. Sparta was great at this.

For nearly 400 years, Sparta had most stable government throughout the history of Greece. And yet it was anything but not a democracy. Freedom of citizens, the basic element of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of speech were not inherent in Spartan society. The Spartans didn't think freedom was a good idea. Liberty was not at all included in the list of virtues that the Spartans were taught to respect.

The main concern of the Spartan government was the management of the helots. They knew the helots hated them. And as one Athenian who knew the Spartans well said, the helots would willingly eat the Spartans alive.

Therefore, every year the first item on the agenda of the government was declaration of war on the helots. It was a formal way of saying that any noble Spartan had the right to kill a helot if they wished.

Ancient Sparta

Sparta is the main city of the region of Laconia (the southeastern part of the Peloponnese), the most Doric of all the states of Ancient Greece. Ancient Sparta was located on the western bank of the Eurotas River and extended north from the modern city of Sparta. Laconia is the abbreviated name of the area, which was fully called Lacedaemon, therefore the inhabitants of this area were often called “Lacedaemonians”, which is almost equivalent to the words “Spartan” or “Spartiate”.

Sparta, whose name may mean "scattered" (other interpretations are also suggested), consisted of estates and estates scattered over the area, the center of which was a low hill, which later became the acropolis. Initially, the city did not have walls and remained true to this principle until the 2nd century BC. BC. During the excavations of the British School of Athens (carried out in 1906-1910 and 1924-1929), the remains of several buildings were discovered, including the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, the temple of Athena Mednodomnaya and the theater. The theater was built of white marble and, according to Pausanias, who described the buildings of Sparta c. 160 AD, was a “landmark”, but this stone building dates back to the era of Roman rule. From the low acropolis, a magnificent view of the Evrota Valley and the majestic Mount Taygetus, rising steeply to a height of 2406 m and forming the western border of Sparta, opened.

Many historians believe that Sparta arose relatively late, after the “Dorian invasion”, which supposedly took place between 1150 and 1100 BC. Initially, the invaders settled in or near the cities they conquered, and often destroyed, but a century later they created their own "capital" near the river Evrota. Since Sparta had not yet emerged during the period to which most historians attribute the Trojan War (c. 1200 BC), the myth of the abduction of Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, by Paris, was probably attributed to Sparta. In neighboring Therapnae, where there was a large city of the Mycenaean era, there was a sanctuary of Menelaion, and the cult of Menelaus and Helen went up to the classical period.

Population growth and the associated economic and social problems inspired the Spartans to expand outwardly. Excluding the one founded in Italy in the 8th century. BC. the colony of Tarentum Sparta expanded only at the expense of Greece itself. During the 1st and 2nd Messenian Wars (between 725 and 600 BC), Messenia was conquered to the west of Sparta, and the Messenians were turned into helots, i.e. state slaves. Evidence of Spartan activity is the legend of how the inhabitants of Elis, with the support of Sparta, managed to win control of the Olympic Games from their rivals, the inhabitants of Pisa. The first recorded victory of the Spartans in Olympia is the victory of Akanthos in running at the 15th Olympiad (720 BC). For more than a century, Spartan athletes have dominated the Olympic Games, achieving 46 victories out of 81 recorded in the annals.

Having won another part of the territory from Argos and Arcadia, Sparta moved from a policy of conquest to building up its power through the conclusion of agreements with various states. As the head of the Peloponnesian Union (began to emerge c. 550 BC, took shape c. 510–500 BC), Sparta actually dominated the entire Peloponnese, with the exception of Argos and Achaia on the northern coast, and .e. became the most powerful military power in Greece. Thus, a force was created that became a counterweight to the impending invasion of the Persians, the combined efforts of the Peloponnesian League and Athens with their allies led to a decisive victory over the Persians at Salamis and Plataea in 480 and 479 BC.

The conflict between the two greatest states of Greece, Doric Sparta and Ionian Athens, land and sea power, was inevitable, and in 431 BC. The Peloponnesian War broke out. Ultimately, in 404 BC. Sparta prevailed, and the Athenian power perished. Dissatisfaction with Spartan dominance in Greece led to a new war. The Thebans and their allies, led by Epaminondas, inflicted a heavy defeat on the Spartans at Leuctra (371 BC) and at Mantinea (362 BC), after which, if we forget about short bursts of activity and random periods of takeoff, Sparta became lose its former power.

Under the tyrant Nabid c. 200 BC or soon after Sparta was surrounded by a wall, at the same time a stone theater appeared. During the period of Roman rule, which began in 146 BC, Sparta turned into a large and prosperous provincial city, defensive and other structures were erected here. Sparta flourished until 350 AD. In 396 the city was destroyed by Alaric.

Of particular importance in world history is the influence exerted on later state systems by the political and social structure of Sparta. At the head of the Spartan state were two kings, one from the Agids clan, the other from the Eurypontides clan, which was probably originally associated with the union of the two tribes. The two kings held meetings together with the gerousia, i.e. Council of Elders, to which 28 people over 60 were elected for life. All Spartans who had reached the age of 30 and had enough funds to perform what was considered necessary for a citizen (in particular, contribute their share to participate in joint meals, fiditiya) participated in the national assembly (apella). Later, the institution of ephors arose, five officials who were elected by the assembly, one from each region of Sparta. The five ephors acquired power that surpassed that of the kings (perhaps after the exercise of this office by Chilo c. 555 BC). In order to prevent uprisings of the helots who had a numerical superiority and to maintain the combat readiness of their own citizens, secret sorties (they were called cryptia) were constantly arranged to kill the helots.

Surprisingly, the type of civilization that is now called Spartan is not typical of early Sparta. The excavations carried out by the British confirmed the theory put forward by historians on the basis of written monuments that before 600 BC. Spartan culture generally coincided with the way of life of the then Athens and other Greek states. Sculpture fragments, fine ceramics, ivory, bronze, lead and terracotta figurines found in this area testify to the high level of Spartan culture, just like the poetry of Tyrtaeus and Alcman (7th century BC). However, shortly after 600 BC. there was a sudden change. Art and poetry disappear, the names of Spartan athletes no longer appear on the lists of Olympic winners. Before these changes made themselves felt, the Spartan Gitiades built the “copper house of Athena” (the temple of Athena Poliuhos); 50 years later, on the contrary, foreign craftsmen Theodore of Samos and Batikl from Magnesia had to be invited to build, respectively, the Skiada (probably a meeting room) in Sparta and the temple of Apollo Hyacinthius in Amikla. Sparta suddenly became a military camp, and from then on, the militarized state produced only soldiers. The introduction of this way of life is usually attributed to Lycurgus, although it is not clear whether Lycurgus was a god, a mythical hero, or a historical figure.

The Spartan state consisted of three classes: the Spartans, or Spartans; perieki (lit. “living nearby”), inhabitants of the allied cities surrounding Lacedaemon; helots. Only Spartans could vote and enter the governing bodies. They were forbidden to engage in trade and, in order to discourage them from making a profit, use gold and silver coins. The land plots of the Spartans, cultivated by the helots, were supposed to give their owners sufficient income to purchase military equipment and meet daily needs. Trade and production were carried out by the perieks. They did not participate in the political life of Sparta, but they had certain rights, as well as the privilege of serving in the army. Thanks to the labor of numerous helots, the Spartans could devote all their time to physical exercises and military affairs.

It is estimated that by 600 BC. there were approx. 25 thousand citizens, 100 thousand perieks and 250 thousand helots. Later, the number of helots exceeded the number of citizens by 15 times. Wars and economic hardships reduced the number of Spartans. During the Greco-Persian Wars (480 BC), Sparta fielded ca. 5000 Spartans, but a century later at the Battle of Leuctra (371 BC) only 2000 fought. It is mentioned that in the 3rd century. Sparta had only 700 citizens.

To maintain their position in the state, the Spartans felt the need for a large regular army. The state controlled the life of citizens from birth to death. At the birth of a child, the state determined whether a healthy citizen would grow out of him or whether he should be taken to Mount Taygetos. The boy spent the first years of his life at home. From the age of 7, education was taken over by the state, and almost all the time the children devoted to physical exercises and military drill. At the age of 20, a young Spartiate joined phiditia, i.e. company of companions of fifteen people, continuing his military training with them. He had the right to marry, but he could only visit his wife in secret. At the age of 30, a Spartiate became a full citizen and could participate in the people's assembly, but he spent the lion's share of his time in the gymnasium, forestry (something like a club) and fidity. On the gravestone of a Spartan, only his name was carved; if he died in battle, the words “in war” were added.

Spartan girls also received athletic training that included running, jumping, wrestling, discus and javelin throwing. It is reported that Lycurgus introduced such training for girls in order that they would grow up strong and courageous, capable of producing strong and healthy children.

The Spartans deliberately introduced a despotism that deprived the individual of freedom and initiative and destroyed the influence of the family. However, the Spartan way of life was very appealing to Plato, who included in his ideal state many of its militaristic, totalitarian and communist features.

Ancient Sparta is an ancient state, a city-polis located in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, in the Peloponnese.

The name of the province of Laconica gave the second name to the Spartan state in the ancient period of history - Lacedaemon.

History of occurrence

In world history, Sparta is known as an example of a militarized state in which the activities of each member of society are subordinated to a single goal - to grow a strong and healthy warrior.

In the ancient period of history in the south of the Peloponnese there were two fertile valleys - Messenia and Laconia. They were separated from each other by a rugged mountain range.

Initially, the state-city of Sparta arose in the Lakonika valley and represented a very small territory - 30 X 10 km. The swampy terrain prevented access to the sea and nothing promised this tiny state of world glory.

Everything changed after the violent conquest and annexation of the Messenian valley and during the reign of the ancient Greek philosopher and great reformer Lycurgus.

His reforms were aimed at the formation of a state with a certain doctrine - to create an ideal state and eradicate such instincts as greed, greed, the thirst for personal enrichment. He formulated the basic laws that concerned not only the administration of the state, but also strictly regulated the private life of each member of society.

Gradually, Sparta turns into a militarized state whose main goal was its own national security. The main task is to produce soldiers. After the conquest of Messenia, Sparta won back some lands from Argos and Arcadia, her neighbors in the northern part of the Peloponnese, and switched to a policy of diplomacy backed up by military superiority.

Such a strategy allowed Sparta to become the head of the Peloponnesian Union and play the most important political role among the Greek states.

Government of Sparta

The Spartan state consisted of three social classes - the Spartans or Spartans, the perieks inhabiting the conquered cities and the slaves of the Spartans, the helots. The complex, but logically coherent structure of the political administration of the Spartan state was a slave-owning system with remnants of tribal relations that have survived from primitive communal times.

At the head were two rulers - hereditary kings. Initially, they were completely independent and did not report to anyone else and did not report to anyone. Later, their role in government was limited to the council of elders - gerousia, which consisted of 28 elected members for life over 60 years old.

The ancient state of Sparta photo

Further - the national assembly, in which all the Spartans who have reached the age of 30 and have the means necessary for a citizen took part. A little later, another government body appeared - the ephorate. It consisted of five officials elected by the general meeting. Their powers were practically unlimited, although they did not have clearly defined boundaries. Even the ruling kings had to coordinate their actions with the ephors.

The structure of society

The ruling class in Ancient Sparta was the Spartans. Each had his own land allotment and a certain number of helot slaves. Using material goods, the Spartiate could not sell, donate or bequeath land or slaves. It was the property of the state. Only the Spartans could enter the governing bodies and vote.

The next social class is the perieki. These were the inhabitants of the occupied territories. They were allowed to trade, engage in crafts. They had the privilege of enlisting in the military. The lowest class of helots, who were in the position of slaves, were state property and came from the enslaved inhabitants of Messenia.

sparta warriors photo

The state provided helots for rent to the Spartans to cultivate their land plots. During the period of the highest prosperity of Ancient Sparta, the number of helots exceeded the ruling class by 15 times.

Spartan upbringing

The education of citizens was considered a state task in Sparta. From birth to 6 years, the child was in the family, and after that he was transferred to the care of the state. From 7 to 20 years old, young men underwent very serious physical training. Simplicity and moderation in an environment full of hardships from childhood accustomed a warrior to a strict and harsh life.

The 20-year-old boys who passed all the tests completed their training and became warriors. Upon reaching the age of 30, they became full members of society.

Economy

Sparta owned the two most fertile regions - Laconia and Messenia. Arable agriculture, olives, vineyards, and horticultural crops prevailed here. This was the advantage of Lacedaemonia over the Greek policies. The most basic food product, bread, was grown, not imported.

Among grain crops, barley prevailed, the processed product of which was used as the main one in the diet of the inhabitants of Sparta. Wealthy Lacedaemonians used wheat flour as a supplement to their main diet at public meals. Among the main population, wild wheat, spelt, was more common.

Warriors needed good nutrition, so cattle breeding was developed in Sparta at a high level. Goats and pigs were raised for food, and bulls, mules, and donkeys were used as draft animals. Horses were preferred for the formation of mounted military detachments.

Sparta is a warrior state. He needs, first of all, not decorations, but weapons. Luxurious excesses were replaced by practicality. For example, instead of painted, elegant ceramics, the main task of which is to delight, the craft of making vessels that can be used on long trips reaches perfection. Using the rich iron mines, the strongest "Laconian steel" was made in Sparta.

A copper shield was an obligatory element of the Spartan's military weapons. History knows many examples when politicking, power ambitions destroyed the most stable economy and destroyed statehood, despite all its military power. The ancient ancient state of Sparta is a clear example of this.

• In ancient Sparta, healthy and viable offspring were taken care of very cruelly. Newborn children were examined by the elders and the sick or weak were thrown into the abyss from the Taygetskaya rock. Healthy returned to the family.
• Girls in Sparta were involved in athletics on a par with boys. They also ran, jumped, threw the spear and discus to grow strong, hardy and produce healthy offspring. Regular exercise made Spartan girls very attractive. They stood out for their beauty and stateliness among the rest of the Hellenes.
• We owe the ancient Spartan upbringing to such a concept as “conciseness.” This expression is due to the fact that in Sparta young men were taught modest behavior, and their speech had to be short and strong, that is, “laconic”. This is what distinguished the inhabitants of Laconia among the inhabitants of Athens who love to orate.

Sparta (Laconia, Lacedaemon) is one of the most famous and powerful states of Ancient Greece, famous for its army, which never retreated before the enemy. An ideal policy, Sparta was a state that did not know unrest and civil strife. In this amazing country there were neither rich nor poor, so the Spartans called themselves a "community of equals." Although the formidable Sparta was known literally in all corners of Ancient Greece, few could boast that they had been to the land of Lacedaemon and knew the life and customs of this country well.

The Spartans (Spartiates) shrouded their state in a veil of secrecy, not allowing either strangers to come to them or their citizens to leave the boundaries of the community. Even merchants did not bring goods to Sparta - the Spartans did not buy or sell anything. Although the Spartans themselves did not leave a description of their laws and political system, many ancient Greek thinkers tried to unravel the reason for the strength of civil harmony and the military power of Sparta.

Their attention to this state especially increased after the victory of Sparta over Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431-405 BC). But since ancient writers observed the life of Sparta from the sidelines or lived many centuries after the “community of equals” arose, many modern scholars are distrustful of their reports.

Therefore, some problems in the history of Sparta still cause controversy among historians.. For example, what was the reason for the Spartan way of life when this state arose, so unlike other Greek policies? The ancient Greeks considered the legislator Lycurgus to be the creator of the Spartan state. The writer and historian Plutarch, the author of biographies of prominent Greeks and Romans, starting a story about the life and reforms of Lycurgus, warns readers that nothing strictly reliable can be reported about them.

Nevertheless, he has no doubt that this politician was a historical figure. Most modern scientists consider Lycurgus to be a legendary (never existed) person, and the amazing state system of Sparta is a consequence of the preservation of primitive pre-state forms of human society in it. Other historians, agreeing that Lycurgus is a fictitious figure, do not completely deny the legends about the emergence of the Spartan state as a result of a coup after long troubles in the first half of the 6th century. BC e. There is also a third group of scientists who believe that historians have no serious grounds for complete distrust of the reports of ancient writers. In the biography of Lycurgus, they believe, there is nothing fantastic, and the implementation of reforms in Sparta two centuries earlier than in other parts of Balkan Greece is explained by the difficult situation that has developed in Laconia.

The Dorians who founded the Spartan state came here as conquerors and, in order to keep the local Achaean population enslaved by them, needed to accelerate the creation of the institutions necessary for this. According to Plutarch and other ancient authors, the life of Lycurgus falls approximately in the first half of the 7th century BC. BC e. It was a time of unrest and lawlessness. Lycurgus came from a royal family, and after the death of his father from a stab and the death of his older brother, he became king, but he ruled for only eight months.

Having ceded power to his nephew, he left Sparta. Traveling through Crete, Egypt and the Greek policies on the coast of Asia Minor, Lycurgus studied the laws and way of life of people and dreamed, upon returning to his homeland, to completely change the structure of his community and establish laws that would forever end the enmity between the Spartans. Before returning to Sparta, Lycurgus went to Delphi, where there was a temple of the god Apollo with an oracle (soothsayer).

In those days, not a single important decision for the entire state was made without seeking advice from the priests of the god Apollo of Delphi. The priestess-soothsayer (Pythia) conveyed predictions to those seeking advice, which the deity herself allegedly informed her. The Pythia called Lycurgus "godly" and said that Apollo promised to give Sparta the best laws. According to Plutarch, after returning from Delphi, Lycurgus, together with thirty noble citizens loyal to him, set about implementing his plan. He ordered his friends to arm themselves and go to the square in order to intimidate the enemies and force everyone to obey the new laws.

The establishment of new orders, apparently, caused discontent and resistance of some of the rich and noble citizens. Once they surrounded the legislator and, shouting angrily, threw stones at him.

Lycurgus fled, but one of the pursuers knocked out his eye with a stick. According to legend, having completed the reforms, Lycurgus gathered the people and, taking an oath from him not to change anything from the orders he had established until his return, again went to Delphi. In Delphi, he received through the oracle approval of the passed laws.

Having sent this prophecy to Sparta, he himself decided not to return there again, so as not to free the people from the oath given to him, and starved himself to death.. The orders established by Lycurgus were admired by some, condemned and criticized by others. One of the first reforms of Lycurgus was the organization of the administration of the civil community. Ancient writers claim that Lycurgus created a council of elders (gerousia) of 28 people.

Elders (geronts) - not younger than 60 years old - were elected by the people's assembly of citizens (apella). The Gerousia also included two kings, one of whose main duties was to command the army in war.

Apella initially, apparently, had great power and resolved all the most important issues in the life of the community. Over time, power in the state passed into the hands of the ephors. In the 8th century BC e. in Sparta, as in other Greek policies, there was an acute shortage of land. The Spartans solved this problem by conquering the neighboring region of Messenia, and its inhabitants were enslaved. The conquered land and the enslaved population were declared the property of all citizens of Sparta.

Both the management system and the supreme ownership of all citizens on the land - all this did not distinguish Sparta from other Greek policies.. As elsewhere in the states of Ancient Greece, the principle was in effect here: we own together, we manage together, we protect together. But in Sparta it was carried out with such consistency that it turned it into something ugly, into a "historical curiosity", as some historians call it. The reason for this was a special form of slavery that arose in Ancient Sparta.

In most Greek policies, slaves were brought from distant countries. Cut off from their homes, of different nationalities, they were divided and it was difficult for them to agree with each other and revolt against their masters. The population of Laconica and Messenia converted into slaves (helots) remained to live where their ancestors lived.

They ran an independent household, had property and a family.. They paid their owners a tax (apophora), but they could dispose of the rest of the products at their discretion.

This created favorable conditions for uprisings, which the helots, many times outnumbering their masters, raised quite often. In order to achieve harmony and peace, Lycurgus decided to forever eradicate wealth and poverty in the state. He divided all the land owned by the community into approximately equal plots (clairs). 9 thousand clairs were received by the Spartans - according to the number of families, 30 thousand were given to the perieks - residents of the surrounding areas. Perieki were free people, but they were not included in the number of full citizens.

The resulting land could neither be sold nor donated. Helots processed it, and perieks were engaged in crafts.

The Spartans, on the other hand, considered any work, except for military affairs, to be shameful for themselves.. Having received the opportunity to live quite comfortably at the expense of the labor of the helots, they turned into professional warriors.

Their whole daily life has become a constant and exhausting preparation for war.. To preserve universal equality, Lycurgus forbade the use of gold and silver coins in Sparta, which were used throughout Greece, and introduced iron money, so heavy that even a small amount required a whole wagon. With this money it was possible to buy only what was produced in Sparta itself, while the perieks were strictly forbidden to produce luxury items, they were allowed to produce only simple dishes and clothes, weapons for the Spartans. All Spartans, from the king to the common citizen, had to live in exactly the same conditions. Special regulations indicated what houses could be built, what clothes to wear, and even food had to be the same for everyone.

Spartan citizens did not know the peace of home life, could not manage their time at their own discretion.. Their whole life from birth to death passed under vigilant control. The Spartan married when the community allowed him, but young married men lived separately from their families for a long time.

Even the children didn't belong to their parents. The father brought a newborn baby to the forest, where the elders met. The child was carefully examined, and if found sick and frail, then they were sent to Apothetes (a cliff on the Tayget mountain range) and left to die there. From the age of seven, boys were taken away from their parents and brought up in detachments (agels). The harsh system of education was aimed at ensuring that they grew up strong, obedient and fearless.

For a year, the boys were given only one dress, they were allowed to wash only a few times a year. They fed the children poorly, taught them to steal, but if someone came across, they beat them mercilessly, not for theft, but for awkwardness. Mature young men after 16 years were subjected to a very severe test at the altar of the goddess Artemis.

The young men were severely scourged, while they were supposed to be silent. Some failed the test and died.

Another test for the young men was cryptia - secret wars against the helots, who from time to time declared ephors. During the day, young Spartans hid in secluded corners, and at night they went out to hunt helots, killing the strongest men, which made it possible to keep the helots in constant fear. The will of the legislator and the constant threat from the helots created an unusually close-knit civil community that did not know internal unrest for several centuries.

But the Spartans paid a heavy price for it.. Severe discipline, militarization of all aspects of life led to the spiritual impoverishment of the people, the economic backwardness of Sparta in comparison with other Greek policies. It did not give world culture a single philosopher, poet, orator, sculptor or artist. All that Sparta could create was a strong army.

The unlimited right of the ephors to control all aspects of the life of the community made their power, according to Aristotle, "close to tyranny". Gradually, Sparta became the stronghold of political reaction for all of Greece. The Spartans deliberately pursued a policy of isolating their community from the outside world. It was aimed at ensuring that foreign customs and customs could not penetrate the "community of equals", but the main reason was that the constant threat of helot uprisings required the mobilization of all forces. Sparta could not lead her army away from the Peloponnese for a long time and far, therefore, in moments of great danger for the entire Hellenic world, she was often guided by purely selfish interests.

This already had an effect during the period of the Greco-Persian wars, when Sparta was ready to cede to the Iranians (Persians) most of the Balkan Greece and the Greek cities on the coast of Asia Minor. In return, she offered everyone who wished to move to the territory of the Peloponnese, ready to defend its borders to the last breath. The thirst for dominance over all of Greece led Sparta to war with the rich and prosperous Athens.

She emerged victorious from the Peloponnesian War, but at the cost of betraying the interests of Hellas: having received help from Iran, she turned into an Iranian overseer for the Hellenes. The war brought Sparta out of a state of artificial isolation, victory brought wealth and money, and the "community of equals" entered a period of unrest, like all other Greek policies. .

Ancient Sparta was the main economic and military rival of Athens. The city-state and its surrounding territory were located on the Peloponnese peninsula, southwest of Athens. Administratively, Sparta (also called Lacedaemon) was the capital of the province of Laconia.

The adjective "Spartan" in the modern world came from energetic warriors with an iron heart and steel endurance. The inhabitants of Sparta were famous not for arts, science or architecture, but for brave warriors, for whom the concept of honor, courage and strength were put above all else. Athens of that time, with its beautiful statues and temples, was a stronghold of poetry, philosophy and politics, which dominated the intellectual life of Greece. However, such superiority was bound to end someday.

Raising children in Sparta

One of the principles that guided the inhabitants of Sparta was that the life of every person, from the moment of birth until death, belongs entirely to the state. The elders of the city were empowered to decide the fate of newborns - healthy and strong children were left in the city, and weak or sick children were thrown into the nearest abyss. So the Spartans tried to secure physical superiority over their enemies. Children who have passed the "natural selection" were brought up in conditions of severe discipline. At the age of 7, the boys were taken away from their parents and brought up separately, in small groups. The strongest and most courageous young men eventually became captains. The boys slept in the common rooms on hard and uncomfortable reed beds. Young Spartans ate simple food - a soup of pig blood, meat and vinegar, lentils and other coarse food.

One day, a wealthy guest who came to Sparta from Sybaris decided to taste the "black stew", after which he said that now he understands why the Spartan warriors lose their lives so easily. Often the boys were left hungry for several days, thereby inciting petty theft in the market. This was not done with the intent to make the young man a skilled thief, but only to develop ingenuity and dexterity - if he was caught stealing, he was severely punished. There are legends about a young Spartan who stole a young fox from the market, and when it was time for dinner, he hid it under his clothes. So that the boy would not be convicted of theft, he endured the pain from the fact that the fox gnawed his stomach, and died without issuing a single sound. Over time, the discipline only became tougher. All adult males between the ages of 20 and 60 were required to serve in the Spartan army. They were allowed to marry, but even after that, the Spartans continued to spend the night in barracks and eat in common canteens. Warriors were not allowed to own any property, especially gold and silver. Their money looked like iron bars of various sizes. Restraint extended not only to life, food and clothing, but also to the speech of the Spartans. In conversation, they were very laconic, limiting themselves to extremely concise and specific answers. This manner of communication in ancient Greece was called "conciseness" on behalf of the area in which Sparta was located.

Life of the Spartans

In general, as in any other culture, issues of life and nutrition shed light on interesting little things in people's lives. The Spartans, unlike the inhabitants of other Greek cities, did not attach much importance to food. In their opinion, food should not serve to satisfy, but only to saturate the warrior before the battle. The Spartans dined at a common table, while the products for lunch were handed over in the same amount - this was how the equality of all citizens was maintained. Neighbors on the table vigilantly watched each other, and if someone did not like the food, he was ridiculed and compared with the spoiled inhabitants of Athens. But when the time came for the battle, the Spartans changed dramatically: they put on the best outfits, and marched towards death with songs and music. From birth, they were taught to perceive each day as their last, not to be afraid and not to retreat. Death in battle was desirable and equated to the ideal end of a real man's life. There were 3 classes of inhabitants in Laconia. The first, most revered, were inhabitants of Sparta who had military training and participated in the political life of the city. Second class - perieki, or residents of surrounding small towns and villages. They were free, although they did not have any political rights. Engaged in trade and handicrafts, the perieks were a kind of "service personnel" for the Spartan army. lower class - helots, were serfs, and did not differ much from slaves. Due to the fact that their marriages were not controlled by the state, the helots were the most numerous category of inhabitants, and were kept from rebellion only thanks to the iron grip of their masters.

Political life of Sparta

One of the features of Sparta was that two kings were at the head of the state at the same time. They ruled jointly, serving as high priests and military leaders. Each of the kings controlled the activities of the other, which ensured the openness and fairness of the decisions of the authorities. The kings were subject to a "cabinet of ministers", consisting of five ethers or observers, who exercised general guardianship over laws and customs. The legislative branch consisted of a council of elders headed by two kings. The Council elected the most respected people of Sparta who have overcome the 60-year age barrier. Army of Sparta, despite the relatively modest number, was well trained and disciplined. Each warrior was filled with determination to win or die - returning with a loss was unacceptable, and was an indelible shame for life. Wives and mothers, sending their husbands and sons to war, solemnly handed them a shield with the words: "Come back with a shield or on it." Over time, the militant Spartans captured most of the Peloponnese, significantly expanding the boundaries of possessions. A clash with Athens was inevitable. The rivalry came to a head during the Peloponnesian War, and led to the fall of Athens. But the tyranny of the Spartans caused the hatred of the inhabitants and mass uprisings, which led to the gradual liberalization of power. The number of specially trained warriors decreased, which allowed the inhabitants of Thebes, after about 30 years of Spartan oppression, to overthrow the power of the invaders.

History of Sparta interesting not only from the point of view of military achievements, but also the factors of the political and life structure. The courage, selflessness and desire for victory of the Spartan warriors are the qualities that made it possible not only to restrain the constant attacks of enemies, but also to expand the boundaries of influence. The warriors of this small state easily defeated armies of many thousands and were a clear threat to the enemies. Sparta and its inhabitants, brought up on the principles of restraint and the rule of force, was the opposite of the educated and pampered rich life of Athens, which in the end led to a clash of these two civilizations.

Geometry in Ancient Greece.

Themistocles

One of the most gifted politicians of Ancient Greece. Themistocles was the leader of the democratic party and one of the best generals in the whole of Greece. Thanks to his talents, making the right decisions and the ability to correctly assess the situation, Themistocles managed to win a number of significant victories over the Persians, as well as make a significant contribution to the transformation of Athens into the most powerful maritime and trading state of Greece.

Panelian sanctuary in Nemea

Systematic excavations by the American School of Classical Philology have uncovered a sanctuary of Zeus, which was founded in Nemea, at a crossroads in the northeastern Peloponnese, and became the site of the Panhellenic Games - the Nemean, or Nemian.

Sithonia. Travel romance for two

Hospitable Greece, covered with divine legends, is rightfully known as an oasis of serenity, tranquility and virgin nature. Two hearts that are looking for a romantic getaway will find it here, on the Sithonia peninsula, on the shores of the Aegean Sea. In this wonderful land, where the gentle sun gently touches the skin, and the turquoise waves refresh with coolness, it is so easy to feel like "celestials", carefree and happy. On a delightful sandy shore or in a picturesque bay, on a flowering mountainside or on a spacious terrace, lovers will not leave the feeling that the idyllic beauties of Greece were created exclusively for the two of them.

Thessaloniki.Roman Agora