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I don’t think Sparta was as cruel and callous as portrayed. I think our view of Sparta is influenced by two main things: 1. Spartan propaganda. It was in Spar
by RcouF1uZ4gsC 5y ago
I don’t think Sparta was as cruel and callous as portrayed.
I think our view of Sparta is influenced by two main things:
1. Spartan propaganda. It was in Sparta’s interest to portray themselves as crazy, devoted warriors who relished the thought of dying for their country. How would you feel going up against a bunch of guys who would rather die on the field of battle than go home in defeat and have their own mothers kill them.
2. We actually don’t have surviving first person Spartan accounts. Most of what we know about the Spartans comes from others- mainly the Athenians. Now the Athenians as bitter rivals to the Spartans also found it in their interest to portray the Spartans as crazy warrior psychopaths.
We know from history that the Spartans actually lost battles. Also in those battles, there were a lot of Spartan survivors who actually surrendered. In addition, we actually have no historical record of any mass killings of losing soldiers by their mothers.
So take what you read about Spartan warriors with a huge grain of salt.
- dustintrex 5y agoSparta was, if anything, more cruel and callous than portrayed, it's just that it was mostly the underclasses that were at the receiving end. You are right in that they weren't particularly good at fighting though.
- baud147258 5y ago> Spartan propaganda Sparta milked the Thermopylae battle a lot, presenting themselves as defender of Greek independence against foreign invaders, sometime even as they were taking money from them to pay for their wars against other Greek cities
- chalst 5y agoXenophon was an Athenian, but he was positively disposed towards Sparta and had seen military service under Spartan commanders. He's probably our best source. https://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/sparta-a.html https://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/sparta-a.html
- slibhb 5y agoDitto for Thucydides, another Athenian who had a positive view of Sparta.
- p1mrx 5y agoSo we're basically reading ancient Chuck Norris facts?
- kwere 5y ago*Steven Seagall
- pacman2 5y agoI have read a comparison about the structure of the Spartan society, basically consisting mostly of slaves like no other culture that used slave labor. Today we know what early experience of violence may do to a person and as far as I now, Spartans hat to kill one helot to be finally admitted into adult Society. So we get two things. 1. A worrier based elite society, consisting basically of psychopaths 2. A society structure that seem more to resemble a concentration camp with guards.
- int_19h 5y agoWe do have plenty of evidence wrt their treatment of helots (crypteia etc). Which is honestly all one needs to make a judgment on cruelty.