Ancient Sparta. §31

Topic: Ancient Sparta

Objectives: to show that life in Sparta was subject to military laws, to reveal the reasons for such a socio-political structure; give an idea of the ancient laws of Sparta, compare them with the orders in Athens; characterize the concept of “oligarchy”; introduce students to the peculiarities of raising Spartan children.

Planned results:

Personal:

Understanding the social and moral experience of the previous generation; Be capable of self-identification with a cultural community; demonstrate independence in acquiring new knowledge and practical skills.

Subject:

Characterize life in Sparta as subordination to military laws, reveal the reasons for the socio-political structure. Talk about the ancient laws of Sparta and the personality of Lycurgus. Expand the concept of oligarchy, highlight the main essential features of this form of government. Systematize information about the upbringing of Spartan children.

Metasubject:

Cognitive: perceive, process and present information in verbal and written forms.

Regulatory: the ability to carry out actions according to a given rule; the ability to control one’s activities based on the results of completing a task.

Communicative: willingness to cooperate with peers.

Basic terms and concepts: Spartans, perieci, helots, laconic speech, appella, gerusia, ephor, oligarchy.

Main content:

Location of Sparta, history of its conquest.

The structure of Spartan society, the position of the main population groups.

Laws of Lycurgus. Government of Sparta

The way of life of the Spartans. Spartan education.

Lesson Resources: textbook, § 34, pp. 88-89; exercise book, p. 47.(No. 7), p.63 (No. 1), p.69 (No. 4); atlas; electronic supplement to the textbook.

Document No. 2.

Determine which of the documents below describes Sparta and which describes Athens.

A. This city, despite its dirty streets, would seem to us a beautiful city. The top of the acropolis and the city squares were decorated with temples and other buildings, there were many marble and bronze statues everywhere, and on the slope of the acropolis there was an open-air theater, which was crowded with people on performance days. On the streets there are many artisans and merchants, sailors returning from voyages, and visitors from all Greek cities and states. The noisy crowd moved in different directions, exchanged news, and went about their business.

B. Another city looked a lot like a military camp; it was a gloomy city and not friendly to strangers. There was no noisy market or craft workshops here. One-story houses, similar to each other, lined the streets. There was no theater here, there were almost no stone temples and statues. On the streets we could see troops of marching people, hear abrupt words of command and a military choral song.

As an option for the task: Organizing work in pairs or groups: (or as an option, the game “pass to another.” 3 ask each other questions. Make decisions independently. Ability to work in a group. Along the way, check your actions with the goal, find and correct mistakes

Specific task: Write down in your notebook from the entire textbook pp. 88-89 new words highlighted in bold black and give them a definition.

Algorithm of work of group 1: reading the text of the textbook “Government” p. 89. On sheet A4, make a diagram of the structure of Sparta. Indicate the authority, who was involved, what issues were resolved.

Task 2 group: get acquainted with Spartan education in a textbook; talk about the way of life and raising children in Sparta. Answer the questions orally: did you like life in Sparta? Why? What caught your attention? Guess. What would surprise you in Athens and Sparta? What could disappoint?

Algorithm for group 2:

Reading the material from the textbook “lifestyle and raising children” p. 89.

Prepare oral answers about the life of children in Sparta.

Lesson stage name	Teacher activities	Student activities
1.Organizational moment(Motivation for learning activities) Target: inclusion of students in activities at a personally significant level	Good afternoon guys! Draw your mood as a smiley face in the margins of your notebook: smiling or sad. Show me your mood in the form of emoticons.	They draw emoticons in history notebooks and show them, demonstrating their mood.	Self-determination (L), goal setting (P), planning educational cooperation (K)
2.Updating previous knowledge: Target: repetition of previously studied material necessary for “discovering new knowledge”, developing previously acquired skills, identifying difficulties.	1. In the previous lesson, we studied the topic “The Birth of Democracy in Athens”, each row is given an A4 sheet, the task of each student in the row is to write what he remembers on the topic. Or an option: checking d/z: if you have prepared questions, then ask them to your classmates, and if not, then collect drawings and work in a notebook.	Each student writes on sheet A 4 what he remembers from the previous topic. Discuss the work done. Show the teacher the completed homework.	Selection of information, analysis, comparison, ability to compare, ability to draw conclusions, ability to convey content in a compressed form. (P), (M). Mastery of the interactive form of speech, mastery of oral and written speech, its design (K).
Discovery of new knowledge Target: ensuring students’ perception, comprehension and initial consolidation of new knowledge	Let's formulate the problem: Today, we are going to talk about another major Greek city - Sparta. The structure of this policy, life in this policy was completely different. Lesson objective: learn the features of life in Sparta. Let's determine how we can solve this problem. With the help of independent work with the textbook, the teacher’s story.	Children write down the lesson problem that needs to be solved.	Mastery of the interactive form of speech, formalization of one’s thoughts, formulation of one’s own thoughts and positions, participation in group work, distribution of responsibilities, planning one’s part of the activity and its implementation, exercising self-control and mutual control (K), (R).
Studying point 1 of the plan: “Location of Sparta. The history of its conquest."	1. Offers a trip to Ancient Sparta. Tells about the location, natural conditions of Sparta, the conditions of its settlement. (using a map) . At the end of the 11th century BC. The Dorians invaded the Peloponnese, conquering the local population of the Achaeans. In the south of the Peloponnese, the Dorians founded the state of Lacedaemon or Sparta. From my story, explain how the state of Sparta arose????	Work with the map of the atlas “Ancient Greece”, find Sparta and find out the features of its location. Answer the teacher's question.	the ability to carry out actions according to a given rule; the ability to control one’s activities based on the results of completing a task. (R); map analysis based on the map legend (P). Mastery of the interactive form of speech, mastery of oral and written speech, its design (K).
Studying 2 points of the plan " The structure of Spartan society, the position of the main population groups"	The teacher asks a question: What were the people of Sparta called? (suggested answer: Spartans. In fact, all the inhabitants of Sparta were called differently, depending on their occupation. The population of Sparta was divided, according to the ancient Laws of the Spartan legislator Lycurgus, into 3 groups: Spartans, Perieki and Helots. Their position was not the same... Teacher: divides the class into 3 rows, each row receives the task of characterizing the situation of the inhabitants of Sparta. Your task is to read the textbook material. 88 “Population of Sparta”, tell about your group of the population of Sparta. Conclusion : The teacher shows the “Class division of Sparta” diagram in the electronic application. Rank these population groups from bottom to top (verbally), which ones were low, middle and dominant??? Specific task: Odnodvortseva, Zakharova - Write out new words from the entire textbook, highlighted in bold black, and give them a definition. Teacher's addition on the topic: The laws of Lycurgus consolidated this position of the main groups of the population, prohibited: h/s, wealth, father transferring his inheritance to his son, Spartan to engage in agriculture, trade, craft. His duty is to be a warrior, physically developed and disciplined!!!	Listen to the teacher’s question and answer. Three groups of the population of Sparta are recorded. The class is divided into 3 parts according to the principle of the 3 population groups of Sparta. Reads the textbook material, and then orally gives an answer to the teacher’s question. In the form of an oral response, the disposition of the population of Sparta is formulated from low to dominant. The rest perform a specific task from the teacher (working with new words)	the ability to carry out actions according to a given rule; the ability to control one’s activities based on the results of completing a task. (R); Mastery of the interactive form of speech, mastery of oral speech, its design. (K).
Physical education minute	The teacher conducts a physical education lesson	Do physical education exercises together with the teacher.
Studying 3 points of the plan " State structure of Sparta"	Dividing the class into 2 groups: Invites the 1st group to “stay” in the state of Sparta and talk about the authorities of Sparta. Algorithm of work of group 1: reading the text of the textbook “Government” p. 89. On sheet A4, make a diagram of the structure of Sparta. Indicate the authority, who was involved, what issues were resolved. Answer: show the correct version of the diagram in the electronic application “Government of Sparta”. 2nd group– get acquainted with Spartan education; talk about the way of life and raising children in Sparta. Answer the questions orally: did you like life in Sparta? Why? What caught your attention? Guess. What would surprise you in Athens and Sparta? What could disappoint? Algorithm for group 2: Reading the material from the textbook “lifestyle and raising children” p. 89. Prepare oral answers about the life of children in Sparta. After this there is a discussion of the answers. All Spartans learned to speak briefly and precisely. This kind of speech was called laconic. For example, one day ambassadors came to them with an empty bag and said: “There is a bag, but there is no flour.” The Spartans said in response: “two words were enough.” “There is no flour.”	Listen carefully to the teacher’s assignments and divide into 2 groups. Receive tasks and complete them. After this there is a discussion of the answers.
Inclusion in the knowledge system	Suggests reflection: If you were in Ancient Sparta, would you like life there? Justify your answer.	Express and defend their point of view.	Defend your opinion using examples from life. Establishing a cause-and-effect relationship, building a logical chain. Application of the information received Willingness to apply historical knowledge based on practical actions and experiences from the past
Lesson summary (Activity reflection). Target: students’ awareness of their educational activities, self-assessment of the results of their activities and the activities of the entire class	Let's solve a test to consolidate new material. (Appendix No. 1). What did you learn in today's lesson? What did you understand or not understand in the lesson? Rating with comment 2) exercise book p. 49 No. 3, or p. 54-55 No. 3.	Solve the test. They check with each other and check using the proposed key. Share their impressions Help their classmates in unclear moments. They record tasks in diaries and receive instructions on how to complete them.	Evaluating the results of one’s own activities, activities, and the class as a whole; Regulating one’s behavior in accordance with known moral standards and ethical requirements. (P), (K).

Test on the topic “Ancient Sparta”.

1.Indicate the name of the region of Greece where Sparta arose.

A. Laconia.

B. Boeotia.

V. Attica.

2. Indicate what was the main occupation of the Spartans.

A. Trade.

B. Agriculture.

V.Military affairs.

3. Indicate why the Athenians called the Spartans ignorant.

A. Because the Spartans were taught farming from childhood

and cattle breeding.

B. Because Spartans from childhood were taught to practice painting and

B. Because the Spartans were trained from childhood to engage in military activities

4. Indicate who the Spartans called helots.

A. Inozemtsev.

B. The conquered population of Ancient Sparta.

V. Leaders.

5. Who were the helots in Sparta?

A. Free farmers.

B. Slaves.

V. Warriors.

6. Indicate the highest authority in Sparta

A. People's Assembly.

B. Areopagus.

B. Council of Elders.

7. What kind of speech is called laconic?

A. The one pronounced by a resident of Laconia.

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

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

History of origin

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 raise 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 difficult mountain range.

Initially, the city-state of Sparta arose in the Lakonica valley and represented a very insignificant territory - 30 X 10 km. Access to the sea was blocked by swampy terrain and nothing promised this tiny state world fame.

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

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

Gradually, Sparta turned 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 recaptured some lands from Argos and Arcadia, its neighbors in the northern Peloponnese, and adopted a policy of diplomacy backed by military superiority.

This strategy allowed Sparta to become the head of the Peloponnesian League 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 Spartiates, the Perieki, who inhabited the conquered cities, and the Spartan slaves, the helots. The complex, but logically coherent structure of political governance of the Spartan state was a slave-owning system with remnants of tribal relations preserved from primitive communal times.

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

Ancient state of Sparta photo

Next - a national assembly, in which all Spartans who had reached the age of 30 and had the necessary means for a citizen took part. Somewhat later, another body of government appeared - the ephorate. It consisted of five officials chosen 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 were the Spartiates. Each had his own land plot and a certain number of helot slaves. Using material benefits, the Spartiate could not sell, donate or bequeath land or slaves. It was the property of the state. Only Spartiates could enter government bodies and vote.

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

warriors of Sparta photo

The state leased helots to the Spartiates to cultivate their land plots. During the period of the greatest 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 the strict and harsh life of a warrior.

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

Economy

Sparta belonged to the two most fertile regions - Laconia and Messenia. Arable farming, olives, vineyards, and horticultural crops predominated here. This was an advantage of Lacedaemonia over the Greek city-states. The most basic food product, bread, was grown, not imported.

Among the grain crops, barley predominated, the processed product of which was used as the main one in the diet of the inhabitants of Sparta. The wealthy Lacedaemonians used wheat flour as a supplement to the main diet in public meals. Among the general population, wild wheat, spelled, was more common.

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

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 rich iron mines, the strongest "Lakonian steel" was made in Sparta.

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

In Ancient Sparta, they cared for healthy and viable offspring very cruelly. Newborn children were examined by elders and the sick or weak were thrown into the abyss from the Taygetos rock. Healthy ones were returned to their families.
Girls in Sparta participated in athletics just like boys. They also ran, jumped, threw javelin and discus to grow strong, resilient and produce healthy offspring. Regular physical exercise made Spartan girls very attractive. They stood out for their beauty and stateliness among the rest of the Hellenes.
We owe to the ancient Spartan education such a concept as “laconicism.” 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 from the people of Athens who loved to speak.

In the southeast of the largest Greek peninsula - the Peloponnese - the powerful Sparta was once located. This state was located in the region of Laconia, in the picturesque valley of the Eurotas River. Its official name, which was most often mentioned in international treaties, is Lacedaemon. It was from this state that such concepts as “Spartan” and “Spartan” came. Everyone has also heard about the cruel custom that has developed in this ancient polis: killing weak newborns in order to maintain the gene pool of their nation.

History of origin

Officially, Sparta, which was called Lacedaemon (from this word also came the name of the nome - Laconia), arose in the eleventh century BC. After some time, the entire area on which this city-state was located was captured by the Dorian tribes. Those, having assimilated with the local Achaeans, became Spartakiates in the sense known today, and the former inhabitants were turned into slaves called helots.

The most Doric of all the states that Ancient Greece once knew, Sparta, was located on the western bank of Eurotas, on the site of the modern city of the same name. Its name can be translated as “scattered.” It consisted of estates and estates that were scattered throughout Laconia. And the center was a low hill, which later became known as the acropolis. Sparta originally had no walls and remained true to this principle until the second century BC.

State system of Sparta

It was based on the principle of the unity of all full-fledged citizens of the polis. For this purpose, the state and law of Sparta strictly regulated the life and life of its subjects, restraining their property stratification. The foundations of such a social system were laid by the treaty of the legendary Lycurgus. According to him, the duties of the Spartans were only sports or the art of war, and crafts, agriculture and trade were the work of the helots and perioecs.

As a result, the system established by Lycurgus transformed the Spartiate military democracy into an oligarchic-slave-owning republic, which still retained some signs of a tribal system. Here, land was not allowed, which was divided into equal plots, considered the property of the community and not subject to sale. Helot slaves also, historians suggest, belonged to the state rather than to wealthy citizens.

Sparta is one of the few states that was simultaneously headed by two kings, who were called archagets. Their power was inherited. The powers that each king of Sparta had were limited not only to military power, but also to the organization of sacrifices, as well as to participation in the council of elders.

The latter was called gerusia and consisted of two archagets and twenty-eight geronts. The elders were elected by the people's assembly for life only from the Spartan nobility who had reached the age of sixty. Gerusia in Sparta performed the functions of a certain government body. She prepared issues that needed to be discussed at public assemblies, and also directed foreign policy. In addition, the Council of Elders considered criminal cases, as well as state crimes, including those directed against the archaget.

Court

The legal proceedings and law of ancient Sparta were regulated by the college of ephors. This organ first appeared in the eighth century BC. It consisted of the five most worthy citizens of the state, who were elected by the people's assembly for only one year. At first, the powers of the ephors were limited only to the legal proceedings of property disputes. But already in the sixth century BC their power and powers were growing. Gradually they begin to displace gerusia. The ephors were given the right to convene a national assembly and gerousia, regulate foreign policy, and carry out internal governance of Sparta and its legal proceedings. This body was so important in the social structure of the state that its powers included the control of officials, including the archaget.

People's Assembly

Sparta is an example of an aristocratic state. In order to suppress the forced population, whose representatives were called helots, the development of private property was artificially restrained in order to maintain equality among the Spartiates themselves.

The Apella, or popular assembly, in Sparta was characterized by passivity. Only full-fledged male citizens who had reached the age of thirty had the right to participate in this body. At first, the people's assembly was convened by the archaget, but subsequently its leadership also passed to the college of ephors. Apella could not discuss the issues put forward, she only rejected or accepted the solution she proposed. Members of the national assembly voted in a very primitive way: by shouting or dividing participants into different sides, after which the majority was determined by eye.

Population

The inhabitants of the Lacedaemonian state have always been class-unequal. This situation was created by the social system of Sparta, which included three classes: the elite, the perieki - free residents from nearby cities who did not have the right to vote, as well as state slaves - helots.

The Spartans, who were in privileged conditions, were exclusively engaged in war. They were far from trade, crafts and agriculture; all this was given over to the Perieks as a right. At the same time, the estates of the elite Spartans were cultivated by helots, whom the latter rented from the state. During the heyday of the state, there were five times fewer nobility than perieks, and ten times fewer helots.

All periods of the existence of this one of the most ancient states can be divided into prehistoric, ancient, classical, Roman and Each of them left its mark not only in the formation of the ancient state of Sparta. Greece borrowed a lot from this history in the process of its formation.

Prehistoric era

The Leleges initially lived on the Laconian lands, but after the capture of the Peloponnese by the Dorians, this region, which was always considered the most infertile and generally insignificant, as a result of deception, went to two minor sons of the legendary king Aristodemus - Eurysthenes and Proclus.

Soon Sparta became the main city of Lacedaemon, whose system for a long time did not stand out among the other Doric states. She waged constant external wars with neighboring Argive or Arcadian cities. The most significant rise occurred during the reign of Lycurgus, the ancient Spartan legislator, to whom ancient historians unanimously attribute the political structure that subsequently dominated Sparta for several centuries.

Antique era

After victory in the wars lasting from 743 to 723 and from 685 to 668. BC, Sparta was able to finally defeat and capture Messenia. As a result, its ancient inhabitants were deprived of their lands and turned into helots. Six years later, Sparta, at the cost of incredible efforts, defeated the Arcadians, and in 660 BC. e. forced Tegea to recognize her hegemony. According to the agreement stored on the column placed near Althea, she forced her to enter into a military alliance. It was from this time that Sparta in the eyes of the people began to be considered the first state of Greece.

The history of Sparta at this stage is that its inhabitants began to make attempts to overthrow the tyrants that had been appearing since the seventh millennium BC. e. in almost all Greek states. It was the Spartans who helped expel the Cypselids from Corinth, the Pisistrati from Athens, they contributed to the liberation of Sikyon and Phocis, as well as several islands in the Aegean Sea, thereby acquiring grateful supporters in different states.

History of Sparta in the classical era

Having concluded an alliance with Tegea and Elis, the Spartans began to attract the rest of the cities of Laconia and neighboring regions to their side. As a result, the Peloponnesian League was formed, in which Sparta assumed hegemony. These were wonderful times for her: she provided leadership in wars, was the center of meetings and all meetings of the Union, without encroaching on the independence of individual states that maintained autonomy.

Sparta never tried to extend its own power to the Peloponnese, but the threat of danger prompted all other states, with the exception of Argos, to come under its protection during the Greco-Persian wars. Having eliminated the immediate danger, the Spartans, realizing that they were unable to wage war with the Persians far from their own borders, did not object when Athens took further leadership in the war, limiting itself only to the peninsula.

From that time on, signs of rivalry between these two states began to appear, which subsequently resulted in the First, which ended with the Thirty Years' Peace. The fighting not only broke the power of Athens and established the hegemony of Sparta, but also led to a gradual violation of its foundations - the legislation of Lycurgus.

As a result, in 397 before our chronology, the uprising of Kinadon took place, which, however, was not crowned with success. However, after certain setbacks, especially the defeat at the Battle of Cnidus in 394 BC. e, Sparta ceded Asia Minor, but became a judge and mediator in Greek affairs, thus motivating its policy with the freedom of all states, and was able to secure primacy in an alliance with Persia. And only Thebes did not submit to the conditions set, thereby depriving Sparta of the benefits of such a shameful peace for her.

Hellenistic and Roman era

Starting from these years, the state began to decline quite quickly. Impoverished and burdened with the debts of its citizens, Sparta, whose system was based on the legislation of Lycurgus, turned into an empty form of government. An alliance was concluded with the Phocians. And although the Spartans sent them help, they did not provide real support. In the absence of King Agis, with the help of money received from Darius, an attempt was made to get rid of the Macedonian yoke. But he, having failed in the battles of Megapolis, was killed. The spirit that Sparta was so famous for, which had become a household name, gradually began to disappear.

Rise of an Empire

Sparta is a state that for three centuries was the envy of all of Ancient Greece. Between the eighth and fifth centuries BC, it was a collection of hundreds of cities, often at war with each other. One of the key figures for the establishment of Sparta as a powerful and strong state was Lycurgus. Before his appearance, it was not much different from the rest of the ancient Greek city-states. But with the arrival of Lycurgus, the situation changed, and priorities in development were given to the art of war. From that moment on, Lacedaemon began to transform. And it was during this period that it flourished.

Since the eighth century BC. e. Sparta began to wage wars of conquest, conquering one after another its neighbors in the Peloponnese. After a series of successful military operations, Sparta moved on to establishing diplomatic ties with its most powerful opponents. Having concluded several treaties, Lacedaemon stood at the head of the union of the Peloponnesian states, which was considered one of the powerful formations of Ancient Greece. The creation of this alliance by Sparta was supposed to serve to repel the Persian invasion.

The state of Sparta has been a mystery to historians. The Greeks not only admired its citizens, but feared them. One type of bronze shields and scarlet cloaks worn by the warriors of Sparta put their opponents to flight, forcing them to capitulate.

Not only the enemies, but also the Greeks themselves did not really like it when an army, even a small one, was located next to them. Everything was explained very simply: the warriors of Sparta had a reputation of being invincible. The sight of their phalanxes brought even the most seasoned into a state of panic. And although only a small number of fighters took part in the battles in those days, they never lasted long.

The beginning of the decline of the empire

But at the beginning of the fifth century BC. e. a massive invasion from the East marked the beginning of the decline of Sparta's power. The huge Persian empire, which always dreamed of expanding its territories, sent a large army to Greece. Two hundred thousand people stood at the borders of Hellas. But the Greeks, led by the Spartans, accepted the challenge.

Tsar Leonidas

Being the son of Anaxandrides, this king belonged to the Agiad dynasty. After the death of his older brothers, Dorieus and Clemen the First, it was Leonidas who took over the reign. Sparta in 480 years before our chronology was in a state of war with Persia. And the name of Leonidas is associated with the immortal feat of the Spartans, when a battle took place in the Thermopylae Gorge, which remained in history for centuries.

This happened in 480 BC. e., when the hordes of the Persian king Xerxes tried to capture the narrow passage connecting Central Greece with Thessaly. At the head of the troops, including the allied ones, was Tsar Leonid. Sparta at that time occupied a leading position among friendly states. But Xerxes, taking advantage of the betrayal of the dissatisfied, bypassed the Thermopylae Gorge and went behind the rear of the Greeks.

Having learned about this, Leonidas, who fought along with his soldiers, disbanded the allied troops, sending them home. And he himself, with a handful of warriors, whose number was only three hundred people, stood in the way of the twenty-thousand-strong Persian army. The Thermopylae Gorge was strategic for the Greeks. In case of defeat, they would be cut off from Central Greece, and their fate would be sealed.

For four days, the Persians were unable to break the incomparably smaller enemy forces. The heroes of Sparta fought like lions. But the forces were unequal.

The fearless warriors of Sparta died every single one. Their king Leonidas fought with them to the end, who did not want to abandon his comrades.

The name Leonid will forever go down in history. Chroniclers, including Herodotus, wrote: “Many kings have died and have long been forgotten. But everyone knows and respects Leonid. His name will always be remembered in Sparta, Greece. And not because he was a king, but because he fulfilled his duty to his homeland to the end and died as a hero. Films have been made and books have been written about this episode in the life of the heroic Hellenes.

Feat of the Spartans

The Persian king Xerxes, who was haunted by the dream of capturing Hellas, invaded Greece in 480 BC. At this time, the Hellenes held the Olympic Games. The Spartans were preparing to celebrate Carnei.

Both of these holidays obliged the Greeks to observe a sacred truce. This was precisely one of the main reasons why only a small detachment resisted the Persians in the Thermopylae Gorge.

A detachment of three hundred Spartans led by King Leonidas headed towards Xerxes’ army of thousands. Warriors were selected based on whether they had children. On the way, Leonid's militia was joined by a thousand people each from Tegeans, Arcadians and Mantineans, as well as one hundred and twenty from Orkhomenes. Four hundred soldiers were sent from Corinth, three hundred from Phlius and Mycenae.

When this small army approached the Thermopylae Pass and saw the number of Persians, many soldiers became afraid and began to talk about retreat. Some of the allies proposed withdrawing to the peninsula to guard the Isthmus. However, others were outraged by this decision. Leonidas, ordering the army to remain in place, sent messengers to all cities asking for help, since they had too few soldiers to successfully repel the Persian attack.

For four whole days, King Xerxes, hoping that the Greeks would take flight, did not begin hostilities. But seeing that this was not happening, he sent the Cassians and Medes against them with the order to take Leonidas alive and bring him to him. They quickly attacked the Hellenes. Each onslaught of the Medes ended in huge losses, but others took the place of the fallen. It was then that it became clear to both the Spartans and Persians that Xerxes had many people, but few warriors among them. The battle lasted the whole day.

Having received a decisive rebuff, the Medes were forced to retreat. But they were replaced by the Persians, led by Hydarnes. Xerxes called them an “immortal” squad and hoped that they would easily finish off the Spartans. But in hand-to-hand combat, they, like the Medes, failed to achieve great success.

The Persians had to fight in close quarters, and with shorter spears, while the Hellenes had longer spears, which gave a certain advantage in this fight.

At night, the Spartans again attacked the Persian camp. They managed to kill many enemies, but their main goal was the defeat of Xerxes himself in the general turmoil. And only when it was dawn did the Persians see the small number of King Leonidas’s detachment. They pelted the Spartans with spears and finished them off with arrows.

The road to Central Greece was open for the Persians. Xerxes personally inspected the battlefield. Having found the dead Spartan king, he ordered him to cut off his head and put it on a stake.

There is a legend that King Leonidas, going to Thermopylae, clearly understood that he would die, so when his wife asked him during farewell what his orders would be, he ordered him to find a good husband and give birth to sons. This was the life position of the Spartans, who were ready to die for their Motherland on the battlefield in order to receive a crown of glory.

Beginning of the Peloponnesian War

After some time, the Greek city-states at war with each other united and were able to repel Xerxes. But, despite the joint victory over the Persians, the alliance between Sparta and Athens did not last long. In 431 BC. e. The Peloponnesian War broke out. And only several decades later was the Spartan state able to win.

But not everyone in Ancient Greece liked the supremacy of Lacedaemon. Therefore, half a century later, new hostilities broke out. This time his rivals were Thebes, who and their allies managed to inflict a serious defeat on Sparta. As a result, the power of the state was lost.

Conclusion

This is exactly what ancient Sparta was like. She was one of the main contenders for primacy and supremacy in the ancient Greek picture of the world. Some milestones of Spartan history are sung in the works of the great Homer. The outstanding “Iliad” occupies a special place among them.

And now all that remains of this glorious polis are the ruins of some of its buildings and unfading glory. Legends about the heroism of its warriors, as well as a small town of the same name in the south of the Peloponnese peninsula, reached contemporaries.

The ancestors of the Spartans were Greek tribes who came from the north of the Balkan Peninsula. They settled in Southern Greece. In the valley of the Eurdt River in the region of Laconia, several neighboring settlements united and began to be called Sparta *.

1. Spartans and helots. Gradually, the Spartans conquered all of Laconia, and its inhabitants were forced to work for themselves and began to be called helots2. Next to Laconia is the fertile Messenia. The Spartans, after a fierce struggle, conquered this area. The inhabitants of Messenia were also turned into helots.

All the land in Laconia and Messenia was divided between the Spartans into equal plots. Helots lived and worked on these plots, giving the Spartans the amount of grain, olives, vegetables and other products established by the state. Helots were slaves belonging to the Spartan state, they were forbidden to leave their settlements.

In Laconia and Messenia, helots made up the majority of the population. Fearing their uprising, the Spartan rulers from time to time carried out the beating of unarmed people. Spartan youths were given swords and sent to wander around the area. During the day they hid, and at night they killed those helots they met on the roads. Often young men went around the fields, killing the strongest helots.

1 This Sparta had nothing in common, except the name, with the city mentioned in the myths of the Trojan War. 2 Helots - in Greek “captured”.

Residents of the rest of Greece called the murder of the helots a vile act and condemned the Spartans for keeping their fellow Greeks in slavery.

2. Sparta - military camp. Sparta did not have fortress walls. Its residents argued that the only reliable defense of the city was not stones, but brave men. The main occupation of the Spartans was military affairs; the Spartan infantry was considered the best in Greece.

Sparta was like a military camp where no one could live the way he wanted. The Spartans were forbidden to engage in trade and crafts; all manual labor was despised.

Foreigners rarely came to Sparta. Nothing was sold here and there was nothing to admire: no beautiful buildings were built in the city, no statues were erected. The residents of Sparta themselves were also rarely allowed to travel abroad for fear that they would imitate someone else's life.

The Spartans were forbidden to dine at home. Having united in groups of about a dozen and a half, the men ate the same foods together: stew, vegetables, a little cheese, and only occasionally meat and fish. One day, a famous commander returned to Sparta after a victory. He immediately sent for his share of the beggars, wanting to dine with his wife this time. He was not only refused, but also fined.

Compliance with all rules was vigilantly monitored by the Council of Elders, which had enormous and uncontrollable power. The Council included citizens at least 60 years of age.

They participated in the meetings for life.

The people's assembly, consisting of Spartan men, elected elders and was in charge of declaring war and concluding peace. However, only elders had the right to speak in the People's Assembly. The rest voted with a shout for the proposals they made or against them.

Ancient Greek army commanded by two leaders, statue. they were called kings. The power of kings is transferred
was inherited, but was not great. The kings were part of the Council of Elders and usually obediently carried out its will.

In the VI (6th) century BC. e. Sparta became one of the most powerful city states in Greece.

3. Spartan education. The Greeks argued that children in Sparta belonged not to their parents, but to the state. The father had to take the newborn to the elders. They examined the child and, if they found him strong, gave him to his father. If the child was frail, he was thrown from a mountain cliff into the abyss.

When boys reached the age of seven, they were taken from their parents and distributed into units where they had to live together. At the head of each detachment was placed the one who was distinguished by his intelligence and was the bravest in fights. The rest followed his orders and suffered the punishment in silence.

One of the most respected Spartans was appointed as the main teacher of the boys. The elders also supervised the children's games and activities. They tried to cause a quarrel and a fight, and then observed whether their pets were brave and persistent in fights.

The children were taught to endure inconvenience and hardship. They ran half naked and barefoot, slept on

The Legend of the Poet Tirtöy

During one of the wars, the Spartans were predicted that they would win if an Athenian led their army. But the Athenians sent not a general as a mockery, but a lame schoolteacher, Tyrtaeus. The Spartans first subjected him to mockery. However, Tyrtaeus was a poet, his fiery songs raised the spirit of the warriors, and the Spartans won. The Spartans went into battle with the songs of Tyrtaeus. In his poems, the poet sang of a warrior devoted to his homeland:

We must fight steadfastly for our children and for our native land,

Meet the blows with your chest, not sparing your soul in the cut.

Bravely, friends! Stay together in the brave battle!

Despise the idea of flight, let fear remain far away!

bedding that they prepared for themselves by breaking reeds with their bare hands on the banks of the Eurotas.

The boys were fed sparingly, encouraging them to get their own food. They stole not only from vegetable gardens and other people's storerooms, but even from temples, food intended to be sacrificed to the gods. They stole everything edible from under the noses of the guards - vegetables, bread, cheese. But if a thief was caught, he was beaten with a whip, punishing not for theft, but for inept theft.

Young Spartans were taught to speak briefly, to give precise and accurate answers (such speech is called laconic - after the name of the region of Laconia).

The Athenians called the Spartans ignoramuses because they taught little to read and write. But both boys and girls were intensely involved in gymnastics: they competed in running, jumping, wrestling, discus and javelin throwing. The boys spent hours learning war songs to the sound of a flute, with which the Spartans went into battle. The young singers glorified those who had fallen for Sparta, cursed the cowards, promising in the future to prove their courage and perform feats worthy of being preserved for centuries.

Explain the meaning of the expression “laconic speech.” Test yourself. 1. Who were called helots? What was their situation? 2. How was Sparta like a military camp? By what measures was the freedom of the Spartans limited? 3. How was Sparta governed? What do you know about the Council of Elders? about the People's Assembly? about kings in Sparta? Work with the map (see p. 115). Find and name two areas in which the Spartan state was located. In what part of Greece are they located?

Think about it. 1. If you were in Ancient Sparta, would you like life there? Justify your answer. 2. What did the Spartan woman want to say when she saw off her son to war? Handing the shield to the young man, she succinctly said: “With it or on it.”