The Rise and Organization of Sparta

MEDITERRANEAN PEOPLES HIST 1301 | History The Rise and Organization of Sparta Eighth-century BCE Sparta consisted of five settlements in Laconia, a mountain valley in southern Greece's Peloponnese. Owing to a lack of arable land, the adult male residents of these communities, known as Spartiates, all enlisted in the military and waged war on other cities, compelling them to render tribute. Along with stealing farmland for themselves, the Spartiates also enslaved the people who lived there, most notably the Messenians, who later came to be known as the helots. At this time, Spartiates divided the acquired territory evenly among themselves, much as Greek colonists had done. They also allocated a specific number of helot families to cultivate each landowner's portion of the land. Helots were forced labourers who lived on the land from generation to generation and could not be purchased or sold, in contrast to other enslaved people in Greece. To the west, Sparta subjugated Messene and distributed its agricultural land evenly among the Spartiates in the seventh century BCE. Sparta was the most powerful state in the Peloponnese by the late sixth century BCE thanks to its wealth from the fertile agricultural territory it controlled at the time. The city-states in this area and those beyond were also arranged by Sparta into a network of coalitions known to historians as the Peloponnesian League. Although its members continued to exercise selfgovernment and did not pay tribute to Sparta, they were all expected to share the same allies and adversaries, allowing Sparta to continue to rule the league. Additionally, Sparta utilised its military might to remove despots from Peloponnesian city-states and give the aristoi back control of politics. The Spartans took great pride in their distinct form of governance, or constitution, which was not a single text but rather a collection of laws and customary political procedures. Though some historians believe it was the product of an individual's effort during the Archaic era, others see it as the result of an evolutionary process started by the great lawgiver Lycurgus circa 800 BCE. Two hereditary rulers from competing royal houses ruled Sparta. Despite holding permanent positions in the Council of Elders and serving as priests in the state religion, their authority was severely restricted. The Spartan rulers occasionally commanded troops into combat. On the Council of Elders' recommendation, the Assembly of Spartiates ratified all treaties and passed all laws. In addition, this Assembly selected the members of the Council of Elders and five judges annually to oversee state matters. The agoge, or educational system, was the distinctive feature of Spartan civilization. Boys were taken from their homes and nurtured by the state when they became seven years old. They were fed very little, forcing them to learn how to steal food in order to survive and learn to rely only on their cunning and bravery. They started an even more rigorous programme at the age of twelve. They were only permitted to wear cloaks during the winter and took one annual bath. They also endured ceremonial beatings meant to fortify and strengthen their bodies as warriors. The young men started two years of rigorous military training at the age of eighteen. A young Spartan man's schooling ended when he turned twenty. Because they were expected to be just as strong as their male cousins and spouses and even take part in protecting the country, women of the Spartiate class followed a rigorous physical routine before to getting married in their mid-teens. Due to the early deaths of their army husbands, Spartan women frequently operated their family estates alone and oversaw the fields while men were away at war or preparing for battle. As a result, they were known for their independence. At religious festivals, the state gathered single women into groups called chorai, from where the word chorus originates, and had them sing and dance. A Spartiate male could be married, cast a ballot in the Assembly, and hold judicial office after he turned thirty. Every Spartiate served in the army reserve until they were sixty years old, at which point they were free to leave the military and run for office in the Council of Elders. Since commoners and helot subjects handled the labour of cultivating the land and learning trades for them, Spartan citizens were happy to dedicate their time to serving the state in the military and governance.