Enmity with Athens followed and Sparta suffered defeat by Thebes in the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. The city-state retained its political independence until 146 BC when Rome conquered Greece.
Sparta was famous among the Greeks - and indeed it remains famous today - for being a militaristic state. The city-state was so pre-occupied with forging first class warriors that it practiced an early form of eugenics through which only the strongest were allowed to survive and continue to breed. The result was impeccably skilled warriors, trained for years in Spartan martial arts and able to fight as a group in the phalanx.
Eugenics
Shortly after birth a male Spartan child was bathed in wine by its mother to see if it could survive. Later the child's father would bring it before elders who would decide whether the child should live or be cast into a chasm on Mount Taygetos.
Spartan Martial Arts Military Training
Military training for a boy began at the age of seven when he would enter the Agoge system to learn Spartan martial arts. Although the primary focus of this was to prepare the boy to serve in the Spartan phalanx, it was extensive enough to cover other aspects of child rearing such as reading, writing, music and dancing. Training was divided into three segments: from 7-17, 18-19 and 20-29. The Spartan warrior became a 'reserve' soldier at the age of 18 and a full member of the army at age 20 before he retired at 30 after which he would remain on the 'active reserve' list until 60.
Twelve was also an important age for the Spartan youth. First he would be given a red cloak, which would serve as a badge of honor. It was also at this age that he would be given over to an older, unmarried Spartan mentor who would pass on his knowledge and give advice on training. It continues to be debated as to whether or not this relationship was also homosexual.
Training continued until the age of 18 when a ritual coming-of-age task was performed. If the warrior survived he would join the reserves then, at 20, he would join his squad of around fifteen others. This squad would bond and learn to rely on one another, a factor vital to the success of the phalanx.
The sanctity of the phalanx is testified by the parting words of a warrior's wife (or some other significant female figure) when her man marched to war. She would present his shield to him and say 'With this, or upon this', indicating that he should return from battle either with his shield or carried slain upon it. The shield carried such significance because in the press of the phalanx it protected both the wearer and the man to his left. Without the shield a comrade was in danger and with him the protection of the phalanx. Losing one's shield was punishable by death though the same law did not apply to personal pieces of armor. A principal teaching therefore of Spartan martial arts - and a factor that influenced weaponry and tactics - was the subjugation of the self for the protection of the phalanx. The martial skills of the Spartan warrior then were different to what we would perceive today as a martial art. Most of us would first of all think of a martial art as being intended for individual, most likely one-on-one combat, but not so for the Spartans. They anticipated fighting in a group in massive battles and training in Spartan martial arts reflected this.
In the videos below you can take a closer look at Spartan martial arts, tactics and the training methods of the Agoge.
The Spartan shield was large and heavy and not intended for defensive purposes only. Used correctly from a stable, strong stance, the shield was also used to attack an opponent and drive him to the ground.
Spartan martial arts included weapons practice and pankration which, as you can see from the video, had much in common with modern MMA fighting except that for the Spartan warrior on the battlefield there were no rules whatsoever. Finishing techniques included eye gouges and neck cranks.
