Saturday Scholar: How the Spartans built their legacy

Happy Saturday climbers! The average are addicted to leisure. The exceptional are obsessed with learning. Knowledge is power.

Historic Summary

• Originated from the region of Laconia.

• Traditionally considered descendants of Hercules (Heracles)

• Settled in the region around the 10th century BCE

• The goal of every Spartan warrior was to become an efficient killing machine.

• Spartan society was split into three main classes. Spartiates (full citizens), Perioikoi (not citizens but could roam freely) and Helots (semi-enslaved agricultural laborers).

• Helots formed the backbone of the Spartan economy allowing Spartiates to focus solely on military training.

• The Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE where a small Spartan-led force held off a huge Persian army became a symbol of bravery and sacrifice for the Spartans.

• Sparta led the Peloponnesian League (a coalition of city-states within Peloponnese) which was formed to counter the Delian League (led by Athens)

• Sparta is most well known for the Peloponnesian War, 431-404 BCE)(Sparta vs Athens) in which Sparta ended victorious.

• Sparta were weakened after this war & and huge earthquake in 464 BCE alongside continuous conflict against neighboring city-states led to an even weaker regime.

• The battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE marked the ending of the Spartans against the Thebans.

• Despite their decline, Spartans left a lasting legacy through their use of military tactics and discipline.

5 Lessons Learnt

1. Discipline and hard work leads to a legacy.

The Spartans have a legacy, even to this day, due to their attitude to war. They focused solely on their objective (to win) and trained harder than anyone else. Imagine if you put your entire focus into one objective…

2. Train hard fight easy.

Spartans believed in training religiously. Maintaining strong, healthy bodies meant they were able to serve their state and community better. There are very few opportunities where being out of shape will put you in a better position that someone in shape.

3. You must be adaptable.

It’s impossible to predict the future. Many people wait for the perfect moment to take action and that moment never comes. Sparta were known for adopting new tactics and strategies in warfare that led to victories for example taking advantage of terrain. They had no way of knowing how the terrain would be shaped but adapted to it as it came.

4. Mental Resilience makes the impossible, possible.

By not giving up, even when the odds are stacked against you, you allow the possibility of success.

5. Sacrifice is key to victory.

Sometimes you have to lose the fight in order to win the war. Spartans were not strangers to death. Sacrificing the few to safe the many is still a common tactic used today in wars. Although that may seem unnecessary if you apply it to your own life you may find sacrifice leads to success.