Who were the Spartans?
The Spartans were the citizens of Sparta, a powerful city-state in ancient Greece known for its strict military training and fearsome soldiers. Sparta was at its height from about 650 to 371 BC.
Sparta was located in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. Spartan boys were taken from their families at age seven to begin the agoge, a tough training program that taught fighting, endurance and obedience. Adult men served as soldiers until about age 60. Spartan women had more freedom than in most Greek cities and could own property.
Sparta depended on a large population of state-owned serfs, called helots, who farmed the land. Fear of helot rebellions shaped Spartan society. Sparta was governed by two kings, a council of elders and elected officials called ephors.
Thermopylae and beyond
In 480 BC, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans, along with several thousand other Greeks, held off a huge Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae for three days. Sparta later defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War, but lost power after its defeat by Thebes at Leuctra in 371 BC.
Did You Know?
The word laconic, meaning using few words, comes from Laconia, the region of Sparta, because Spartans were famous for short, witty replies.