The Spartan armys superiority in battle was a reflection of the values they had learned more than their tactics on the battlefield. Discuss.

by mario1234567890 (student)

“The Spartan army’s superiority in battle was a reflection of the values they had learned more than their tactics on the battlefield.”

The Spartan Army was widely considered one of the greatest military states in the whole of Greece. It was one of the leading states in Greece with its Army standing at the centre of the Spartan state, a Spartans purpose in life was to serve the state and fight for the welfare of Spartans. Spartans were subjected to military drills right from birth; this was so the intensity of war was experienced well before they actually took part in combat. When Sparta was at its height in the 6th to 4th centuries BC, it was commonly accepted that "one Spartan was worth several men of any other state." “Son. Either with this or on this.” Spartan mothers would say this to their sons referring to their personal shield; this would be mentioned before departing for war. This meant that a Spartan must win his battles or die trying, he should not retreat and become a deserter as that would be shameful and against the teachings of Spartan society. Spartans were greatly committed to their cause; by being committed this greatened their fighting skills as they had no fear of death and believed that to die a, ‘beautiful death,’ was a death worthy of greatness. Spartans also believed they could conquer all lands, this meant that they felt there were no limits to their boundaries, making mentally superior against their foes, they beloved they could conquer, “as far as this can reach.”

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The Spartans were greatly prepared for battle from a young age. Even from birth they were tested, if they were not capable enough even as a baby they would be left for dead outside of Sparta where they would either die, become adopted (if they were lucky) and would never become a Satiate. They were inducted into the agog by the age of seven and they trained everyday up to the age of 18. They were constantly trained; they fought bare and trained with their masters. They lived with their masters who taught them all about the phalanx and military tactics. Trials conducted started from birth as they were left in darkrooms on their own and were bathed in wine. They learnt of indolence at a very young age. As they grew they were left to fend for themselves, they had to steal for food and fight for their safety against wild beats. They were submitted to physical endurance when they were forced to climb bare rock to withering heights. They were taught to fight with everything down to the nails and their last breath. This journey from birth to adulthood before they were truly part of the Spartan army greatly enhanced their physical prowess and mentality which made them superior to the mentality and physical capability of other states in Greece.

During battles, Spartans fought to their last breath. They would fight with everything they had in their arsenal and would never back down from a fight. They fought to the death and if they came home without their shield, they would be branded a deserter. They fought in a phalanx formation which gave them a distinct advantage against any other foes. A phalanx was a rectangular formation in rows and columns each column tended to be eight rows deep depending on the size of the army. Soldiers advanced together in a tight formation which meant that the formation was perfect. Soldiers had their shield raised in their left hand which protected the man beside them. Each soldier trusted with their spears in a consistent formation and if a man fell, the man behind would step forward to take his place. The Phalanx became an epic turnout for the Spartans resulting in a glorious defeat in Thermopylae which although was lost, it scattered Persian troops by their sheer loss of numbers so the Spartans could eventually ride them out of Greece. This meant that the phalanx played a key part in the success of the Spartan army.

The reasons above are the reasons for why the Spartans were superior in battle. Sparta owed their military superiority to the values they had learnt and also the tactics they had learnt in battle. The combination of the two made them a force not to be reckoned with.