This is Sparta: Fierce warriors of the ancient world - Craig Zimmer

Translator: Sune Vilsted Østergaard Reviewer: Anders Finn Jørgensen

In ancient Greece, violent internal conflict between bordering neighbors

I det antikke Grækenland var voldelige konflikter mellem nabolande

and war with foreign invaders was a way of life,

og krige med fremmede magter en måde at leve på,

and Greeks were considered premier warriors.

og grækere var anset som de allerbedste krigere.

Most Greek city-states surrounded themselves with massive defensive walls

De fleste græske bystater var omkranset af massive, forsvarsmure

for added protection.

for større beskyttelse.

Sparta in its prime was a different story,

Sparta, under dens storhedstid,

finding walls unnecessary

fandt mure unødvendige,

when it had an army of the most feared warriors in the ancient world.

siden de havde en hær af de mest frygtede krigere i den antikke verden.

So what was Sparta doing differently than everyone else

Så hvad gjorde Sparta anderledes end andre siden de var i stand til

to produce such fierce soldiers?

at producere sådan barske soldater?

To answer that question, we turn to the written accounts of that time.

For at få svar på det, må vi ty til de nedskrevne tekster fra den tid.

There are no surviving written accounts from Spartans themselves,

Der findes ingen tekster fra spartanerne selv,

as it was forbidden for Spartans to keep records,

siden det var forbudt for dem at føre optegnelser,

so we have to rely on those of non-Spartan ancient historians,

så vi er nødt til at støtte os til ikke-spartanske antikke historikere,

like Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch.

såsom Herodot, Thukydid og Plutarch.

These stories may be embellished

De optegnelser er måske forskønnet

and depict Sparta at the apex of its power,

og skildrer Sparta på toppen af deres magt,

so take them with a grain of salt.

så tag dem med et gran salt.

For Spartans, the purpose for their existence was simple:

For spartanere var meningen med deres eksistens enkelt:

to serve Sparta.

at tjene Sparta.

On the day of their birth,

Når de blev født,

elder Spartan leaders examined every newborn.

undersøgte en ældre spartansk leder alle nyfødte

The strong healthy babies were considered capable of fulfilling this purpose,

De stærke, sunde babyer blev anset for at kunne opfylde dette formål,

and the others may have been left on Mount Taygetus to die.

og de andre blev muligvis efterladt på bjerget Taygetus for at dø.

Every Spartan, boy or girl, was expected to be physically strong,

Det var forventet af alle spartanere, dreng eller pige, at de var fysisk stærke,

mentally sharp,

mentalt skarpe

and emotionally resilient.

og følelsesmæssigt modstandsdygtige.

And it was their absolute duty to defend and promote Sparta at all costs.

Og det var deres største pligt at forsvare og fremme Sparta for enhver pris.

So in the first years of their lives,

Så i de første år af deres liv

children were raised to understand that their loyalty belonged first to Sparta,

voksede børn op med forståelsen af, at deres troskab tilhørte Sparta først

and then to family.

og derefter til deres familie.

This mindset probably made it easier for the Spartan boys,

Den tankegang gjorde det sikkert lettere for de spartanske drenge,

who upon turning seven, were sent to the agoge,

der når de blev syv, blev sendt til agogen,

a place with one main purpose:

et sted med ét formål:

to turn a boy into a Spartan warrior

at gøre en dreng til en Spartansk kriger

through thirteen years of relentless, harsh, and often brutal training.

igennem 13 års nådesløs, hård og tit brutal træning.

The Spartans prized physical perfection above all else,

Spartanerne værdsatte fysisk perfektion fremfor alt andet.

and so the students spent a great deal of their time learning how to fight.

og derfor brugte eleverne meget tid på at lære at slås.

To ensure resilience in battle,

For at sikre modstandsdygtighed i kamp

boys were encouraged to fight among themselves,

blev drengene opfordret til at slås blandt dem selv

and bullying, unlike today, was acceptable.

og mobning, i modsætning til i dag, var accepteret.

In order to better prepare the boys for the conditions of war,

For at forberede drengene til krigstilstandene

the boys were poorly fed,

blev de dårligt fodret,

sometimes even going days without eating.

og nogle gange fik de ikke noget at spise i dagevis.

They also were given little in the way of clothing

De blev også givet beskedne klæder,

so that they could learn to deal with different temperatures.

så de kunne lære at tilpasse sig forskellige temperaturer.

Spartan boys were encouraged to steal in order to survive,

Spartanske drenge blev opfordret til at stjæle for at overleve,

but if they were caught,

men hvis de blev opdaget,

they would be disciplined,

ville de blive straffet.

not because they stole, but because they were caught in the act.

ikke fordi de stjal, men fordi de blev opdaget.

During the annual contest of endurance

Under den årlige udholdenhedskonkurrence

in a religious ritual known as the diamastigosis,

i et religiøst ritual kaldt diamastigosis

teenage boys were whipped in front of an altar

blev teenagedrenge pisket foran et alter

at the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia.

i Artemis Orthia-templet.

It was common for boys to die on the altar of the goddess.

Det var almindeligt for drenge at dø ved gudindens alter.

Fortunately, not everything was as brutal as that.

Heldigvis var alt ikke lige så brutalt som det.

Young Spartans were also taught how to read,

Yngre spartanere lærte også at læse,

write,

skrive

and dance,

og danse,

which taught them graceful control of their movements

som gav dem en yndefuld kontrol over deres bevægelser

and helped them in combat.

og hjalp dem i kamp.

While the responsibilities for the girls of Sparta were different,

Mens pigernes ansvar i Sparta var anderledes,

the high standards of excellence

så var den høje standard

and expectation to serve Sparta with their lives remained the same.

og forventningen om at tjene Sparta med deres liv stadig det samme.

Spartan girls lived at home with their mothers as they attended school.

Spartanske piger boede derhjemme med deres mødre, mens de gik i skole.

Their curriculum included the arts,

Deres pensum inkluderede kunst,

music,

musik,

dance,

dans,

reading,

læsning

and writing.

og skrivning.

And to stay in peak physical condition, they learned a variety of sports,

Og for at forblive i topform, lærte de at spille forskellige sportsgrene

such as discus,

som diskoskast,

javelin,

spydkast

and horseback riding.

og ridning.

In Sparta, it was believed that only strong and capable women

I Sparta troede man på, at kun stærke og egnede kvinder

could bear children that would one day become strong and capable warriors.

kunne få børn, der en dag ville blive til stærke og dygtige krigere.

To all Spartans, men and women,

For alle spartanere, mænd og kvinder,

perhaps the most important lesson from Spartan school

var den vigtigste lektion fra spartansk skolegang,

was allegiance to Sparta.

troskab til Sparta.

To die for their city-state was seen as the completion of one's duty to Sparta.

At dø for sin bystat blev anset for at være fuldførelsen af ens pligt til Sparta.

Upon their death,

Efter deres død

only men who died in battle and women who died in childbirth

var det kun mænd, der døde i kamp og kvinder, der døde under fødsel,

were given tombstones.

som fik gravsten.

In the eyes of their countrymen, both died so that Sparta could live.

I deres landsmænds øjne døde de begge så Sparta kunne leve.