How tall were ancient spartans

Xenophon , a philosopher and historian who lived from the late s to mids B. But to make sure they learned cunning, boys who were caught stealing were whipped.

Such harsh punishment was a prominent part of the Spartan training system. The Spartans even turned it into an annual ritual, in which boys tried to steal cheeses from a temple altar, which required them to evade guards armed with whips.

But it was a vital step toward being selected for one of the messes, the communal dining groups, and becoming a full-fledged Spartan citizen and soldier. Its real focus was to prepare Spartan males to be compliant members of society, who were ready to sacrifice their all for Sparta. Spartan troops drilled relentlessly, until they could execute tactics with perfection.

Lazenby writes in his book The Spartan Army. According to Plutarch, Spartans continued regular military training throughout their adult lives. Epaminondas' Echelon formation in the Battle of Leuctra. All Spartan men trained to become warriors from the day they were born.

The Spartan Army fought in a Phalanx formation. They would line up side by side and several men deep. Eventually, they wore almost no armour apart from a shield, leg greaves, bracelets, helmet and a robe. Spartans did start to readopt armour in later periods, but on a much lesser scale than during the Archaic period. Modern day Sparta, the capital of the prefecture of Lakonia, lies on the eastern foothills of Mount Taygetos in the Evrotas River valley.

The city has been built upon the site of ancient Sparta, whose Acropolis lies north of the modern city. Sparta entered its long-term decline after a severe military defeat to Epaminondas of Thebes at the Battle of Leuctra. As Spartan citizenship was inherited by blood, Sparta increasingly faced a helot population that vastly outnumbered its citizens.

A lifelong dedication to military discipline, service, and precision gave this kingdom a strong advantage over other Greek civilizations, allowing Sparta to dominate Greece in the fifth century B. War against Nabis. Athens did not crumble as expected, winning a string of naval victories against Sparta, which sought monetary and weapons support from the Persian Empire.

By in B. Lysander decimated the Athenian fleet in battle and then held Athens under siege, forcing it to surrender to Sparta in B.

People have the wrong idea when they talk about Sparta and the Spartans. Spartan women had a reputation for being independent-minded, and enjoyed more freedoms and power than their counterparts throughout ancient Greece.

While they played no role in the military, female Spartans often received a formal education, although separate from boys and not at boarding schools.

They did, however, have the best PR. Even in their own time, Spartans were revered for their fighting ability. Their performance at Thermopylae became a contemporary myth, and some historians do believe that it rallied all of Greece to successfully resist the Persian encroachments.

Spartans were rich, literally every Spartan was so they likely grew up nourished and not malnourished. Spartan warriors known for their professionalism were the best and most feared soldiers of Greece in the fifth century B. Their formidable military strength and commitment to guard their land helped Sparta dominate Greece in the fifth century.

It lies at the site of ancient Sparta. The municipality was merged with six nearby municipalities in , for a total population as of of 35,, of whom 17, lived in the city…. Sparta, Laconia.

The biggest shame a soldier could have was to lose his shield in battle.