SERIES EDITOR: LEE JOHNSON THE SPARTANS TEXT BY NICHOLAS SEKUNDA COLOUR PLATES BY RICHARD HOOK MILITARY)Fst pubiahed in Great Bian 1998 by Osprey Publishing Ems Court. Chapel Way Bote, Oxford OX2 9, United Kingdom, Ema osprey @ osprey publishing co.uk {© 1906 Osprey Publshing Limited Aeptes 1989, ‘A rgits esorved, Apart fom any fair dealing for ie purpose of priate sc. ‘esnarh, ein or vem. a perited unde he Copyrg. Desig art Patera Act. 1988 90 pat of this pcan may be reproduced stored na fetal system, oF transmited nan form or by any means econ. ‘social. chanical mechanical, opieal. photocopying. ecortng or emanate, Without the pce wntten parm of he conrinh awa. Engutie shout be adds tothe Pbishers 1S 0N 1 65692 680 0 dior: an McGregor ‘esi: Alt Hap # Design fr Books Fst in Singapore by ica Ltd. Printed tough Wor Pont Le, Heng Kang Automotive no AMON PEASE WE 10 ‘Te Maneting Manager, Opry Dect USA, PO Box 130, Storing Heights, Mi 48911-0190, USA mat nto OxpreyDnectUSA.com ‘The Makating Manager, Osprey Doc UK, PO Hor 140, Wetlngborcugh, ‘Northards, NN AZA, Untod Kingdom Ema: ntot OxproyDwect co uk ear Onrmers wassre a napin nprey publating co.uk Acknowledgements | would tke to thank my fiends Richard Catling and Richard Brzezinski for ther help in writing this book, It would not have been possible to carry out the research upon which this book is based without the resources of the Ashmolean Library, and I would also like to express my thanks to that institution and its stat Editor’s note Readers wishing to pursue the references to the ancient sources in the text, can find the abbreviations used in the Oxford Classical Dictionary. Excopt where itis clearly stated tothe contrary, all dates referred fo inthe text are BC. Publisher’s note Reaciers may wish to study this tite in conjunction with the folowing Osprey pubkcations: MAA 69 Greek and Persian Armies 500-323 BC MAA 148 The Army of Alexander the Great ite 7 The Ancient Greeks Ete 42 The Persian Army 560-330 BC ‘CAM 7 Alexander the Groat 334-323 BC Artist’s note Readers may care 10 note the original paintings from which the colour Bates in this book were prepared are avaiable for private sale. All tepreduction copyright whatsoever is retained by the Publishers. Enquiries should be addressed to: Scorpio Gallery, PO. Box 475, Halsham, E. Sussex BN27 25 ‘The Publishers regret that they can enter into no correspondence Upon this matter. ‘This ‘heroic’ statue, found in ‘Sparta and once thought to portray Leonidas, is too early for Grook portraiture, which only really became popular from (¢.475-450. Any surviving por- ‘traits of persons living earlier than this date are likely to be supposed likenesses, made at a later date. Busts once imagined to portray Leonidas or Pausanias have now been demonstrated to portray the poet Pindar. (Sparta Museum)THE SPARTANS INTRODUCTION pitty, uring a protracted series of c the allies of Sparta di mpaigns against ‘Thebes in the 370s ed that they were no longer willing to “ew serve under Sparta’s leadership when the allies had so many soldiers and the Lakedaimonians had so few. Phe Spartan king Agesilaos, com the allies and the Lakedaimonians to sit apart. ‘The army herald then commanded the potters to stand up, then the smiths, the the carpenters, the builders and so on through all the cralts. Practically all the allies had stood up, but not one of the Lakedaimonians, because they were forbidden to learn or prac ade. Then Age sikwos said with a laugh "You sce men, how many more soldiers than yor we are send (Phut., Vit. Ages. 26) Tn fact the Lakedaimor he only full time army in recee and were thus uly an elite force. The institutions of the state and the system of education were organised wi to creating superbly trained sole Lakedaimonian political comm Wg out ancient aview Isocrates (6. 81) compared the nity to a military camp and Aristotle (Pol. 2. 6. 22) criticised the Lakedaimonian constitution ause it was organised entirely (0 pro ed, the Lakeds live at peace when they had won joe military virtne. Jonsequently, he st not know how to ne city of Sparta lies ¥ of the River Eurotas, ntains of ‘Taygetos to the west and Parnon to the cast. IL was just one of the Greek state called Lakedaimon, Although Sparta’s early history is not cle other ¢ Josed by the av dof the 8th century most of the 2», by the ¢ ies of Lakedaimon had beet status, Their inhabi dwelling about’. Though governing, they had no power over fore were decided by citizens of Sparta — the Spartiates = and although people of the state were officially called ‘the Laked: "only the § decisions word Laken wes the eos Laked: and the adjectival form Lakonian is used to, describe the local dialect, dress and so on of the inhabita Other com clependence and heeame helots, or slaves, of the Spartiates. ‘The Spartans beea reduced to subject nis were Called perioikoi, or ‘those ped sell for these 1 alfa partiates held political of a deser phic area of lost thei a slave society, and the helots produced the titheswhich enabled the Spartans to tain for ‘The spectre of helot revolt, whieh could threaten the c o we Of the state, nian constination was founded yeurgus, Over the years all sin the constitution of the Classical period were atibuted to him, It is obvious, however, that the constitution grew inereme not merely a fictional fas responsible 11 of the constitution, ruled by two kings, one cach from two sepa n¢l the Enrypontids, These of war, After the end of the 6 npaign, while the other stayed at of who had heen selected for service ess for a citizen assembly which the assembly decided on war and ntury one of the: kings would ca The kings hor rs, the germusia. RIGHT Lakonian warrior statuette from Ayios Kosmas in Kynouria, 2 disputed area of land lying between Lakedaimon and Argos. (ational Museum Athens)Grave stele of the Athenian Stra- tokles, dating to the end of the Sth century. His opponent, woars 4 pllos-holmet and an exomis pinned up at the right shoulder and is carrying a short sword. He may be a Lakedaimonian, though he does not wear the long hair typical of a Lakedaimonian ‘warrior. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) peace and ratified trea s iLalso had the right 10 decide on the royal anders and to elect members of the gerousia anil the five ephors (magistrates). The ephors exercised control over the kin; They could sin them and could prosecute him through the germusia: they presided over both the geousia and the assembly, and they gave orders for the mobili- sation of the army. Two eph With control of Lakeda conquered dur x to appear before rs accompanied the king on campaign. non assured, neighbouring Messenia was 1g the First Messenian W 1 was captured and most of its population became helots. Argos now became the main enemy in a prolonged struggle for dominance in the Peloponnese. A heavy defeat inflicted by the Argives at Hysiai in 669 seems to have provoked a major Messenian uprising ~ known as the of 735-715, Most of its baSecond Messenian War — which was suppressed with dif. fieulty. The war songs written by the poet ‘Tyrtai heart into the Spartans fighting in this war, became bedded in Spartan military culture Expansion continued throughout the carly 6th century, this time into southern Arcadia, under the joint rule of the kings Leon and Agasikles. Wars were fought with Orchomenos and Tegea. Eventually the La deeply ei edaimonians ch ged the policy. In the middle of the century Tegea was brought into alliance, and eventually most of the states were brought into a leagn f the Peloponnese » Laked nesian League mon at 1. Leadership of the ‘Pelop kedaimon the legal and moral authority to lead the Greeks during the P The Laked monians, led by the ephor Chilon and the kings Ariston and Anaxandr in military ope sian M also engaged lover ions to topple tyrannies ck world, winning even more prestige for stitutional monarehs, ated for their cruelty and disregard of t ese pi 's inflicted a cripplin aw, Anaxandridas’ son Fragment of a 6th century stone ctices. Naxos was liberated in 517 statue of a warrior wearing a tc Corinthian helmet. (Sparta which prevented her arch-tival from giving the 04"? Cleomenes continued with and Athens in 510, Cleome in 494 at Sepei Persians military Laked, regent under Persian do on Argos Ipport. on played a key role in the Persian War, However, the ausani: , though victor at Plataea, plotted to bring Gre nation, Consequently, Lakedaimon lost much of her prestige. The Athenian leader Themistocles also worked against Takedaimon’s influence and built up Athen n imperial power However, possibly the greatest blow to Lakedaimonian supremacy was the catastrophic earthquake which stuck Sparta in 464, A third Messenian War followed (465-460) and then the First Peloponnesian War with Athens (460-446), both of which Lakedaimon survived, though with its manpower severely reduced. In 431 Lakedaimon was dragged into the Peloponnesian War with Athens when its allics threatc leave the alli Athenian exp: Victory over Athens was achieved by Lysander’s co-op Persia. Lysander set about building up a Spartan empire in the citi liberated from the Athenians, setting up ‘governments of ten’ to replace the de ing Lakes an g (harmosts) in the cities he liberated. Naval victory was achieved in the 1 ph: ¢ Peloponnesian War, thanks largely to Lysander, who inflicted a crushing defeat on the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aigospotamoi. Following Lak the Peloponnesian Wa tivities of Lysander in the Greck states of the « y war broke out with the Persian satrap nce if Lake mon could not det nsion. Lakedaimon survived this w atic pocracies and ph sons and gover 1 victory and the empire-building lesult stern Acg Tissaphernes in 400. The Spartan king Agesilaos, who was sent out 10 Asia in 3 conside achieved ble success but was recalled to defend Lakedaimon from a new