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

3,877,398 views ・ 2016-03-08

TED-Ed


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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In ancient Greece, violent internal conflict between bordering neighbors
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and war with foreign invaders was a way of life,
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and Greeks were considered premier warriors.
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Most Greek city-states surrounded themselves with massive defensive walls
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for added protection.
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Sparta in its prime was a different story,
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finding walls unnecessary
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when it had an army of the most feared warriors in the ancient world.
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So what was Sparta doing differently than everyone else
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to produce such fierce soldiers?
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To answer that question, we turn to the written accounts of that time.
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There are no surviving written accounts from Spartans themselves,
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as it was forbidden for Spartans to keep records,
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so we have to rely on those of non-Spartan ancient historians,
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like Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch.
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These stories may be embellished
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and depict Sparta at the apex of its power,
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so take them with a grain of salt.
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For Spartans, the purpose for their existence was simple:
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to serve Sparta.
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On the day of their birth,
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elder Spartan leaders examined every newborn.
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The strong healthy babies were considered capable of fulfilling this purpose,
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and the others may have been left on Mount Taygetus to die.
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Every Spartan, boy or girl, was expected to be physically strong,
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mentally sharp,
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and emotionally resilient.
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And it was their absolute duty to defend and promote Sparta at all costs.
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So in the first years of their lives,
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children were raised to understand that their loyalty belonged first to Sparta,
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and then to family.
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This mindset probably made it easier for the Spartan boys,
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who upon turning seven, were sent to the agoge,
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a place with one main purpose:
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to turn a boy into a Spartan warrior
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through thirteen years of relentless, harsh, and often brutal training.
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The Spartans prized physical perfection above all else,
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and so the students spent a great deal of their time learning how to fight.
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To ensure resilience in battle,
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boys were encouraged to fight among themselves,
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and bullying, unlike today, was acceptable.
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In order to better prepare the boys for the conditions of war,
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the boys were poorly fed,
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sometimes even going days without eating.
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They also were given little in the way of clothing
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so that they could learn to deal with different temperatures.
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Spartan boys were encouraged to steal in order to survive,
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but if they were caught,
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they would be disciplined,
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not because they stole, but because they were caught in the act.
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During the annual contest of endurance
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in a religious ritual known as the diamastigosis,
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teenage boys were whipped in front of an altar
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at the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia.
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It was common for boys to die on the altar of the goddess.
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Fortunately, not everything was as brutal as that.
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Young Spartans were also taught how to read,
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write,
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and dance,
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which taught them graceful control of their movements
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and helped them in combat.
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While the responsibilities for the girls of Sparta were different,
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the high standards of excellence
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and expectation to serve Sparta with their lives remained the same.
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Spartan girls lived at home with their mothers as they attended school.
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Their curriculum included the arts,
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music,
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dance,
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reading,
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and writing.
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And to stay in peak physical condition, they learned a variety of sports,
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such as discus,
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javelin,
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and horseback riding.
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In Sparta, it was believed that only strong and capable women
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could bear children that would one day become strong and capable warriors.
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To all Spartans, men and women,
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perhaps the most important lesson from Spartan school
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was allegiance to Sparta.
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To die for their city-state was seen as the completion of one's duty to Sparta.
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Upon their death,
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only men who died in battle and women who died in childbirth
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were given tombstones.
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In the eyes of their countrymen, both died so that Sparta could live.
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