Sparta was the most brutal civilization in human history. Around the dawn of Greek history, while it was still going through its classical period, Sparta was already undergoing radical social and political revolutions. As a result, the Spartans came to the idea of ​​complete equality. Literally. It was they who developed the key concepts that we partially use to this day.

It was in Sparta that the ideas of self-sacrifice for the sake of the common good, the high value of debt and the rights of citizens were first voiced. In short, the goal of the Spartans was to become the most ideal people, as far as it is possible for a mere mortal. You will not believe it, but every utopian idea that we still think about today draws its origins from Spartan times.

The biggest problem with studying the history of this amazing civilization is that the Spartans left very few records, and left behind no monumental structures that could be explored and analyzed.

However, scholars know that Spartan women enjoyed the right to freedom, education, and equality to a degree that women of no other civilization of that time could boast of. Each member of society, woman or man, master or slave, played a special valuable role in the life of Sparta.

That is why it is impossible to talk about the famous Spartan warriors without mentioning this civilization as a whole. Anyone could become a warrior, it was not a privilege or duty for individual social classes. For the role of a soldier, there was a very serious selection among all the citizens of Sparta, without exception. Carefully selected applicants were raised to become ideal warriors. The process of hardening the Spartans was sometimes associated with very tough methods of preparation and reached extremely extreme measures.

10. Spartan children were raised from an early age to participate in wars.

Almost every aspect of Spartan life was controlled by the city-state. This also applied to children. Each Spartan infant was brought before a board of inspectors who checked the child for physical defects. If something seemed to them out of the norm, the child was withdrawn from society and sent to death outside the walls of the city, throwing him off the nearest hills.

In some happy cases, these abandoned children found their salvation among random wanderers passing by, or they were taken in by the "gelots" (lower class, Spartan slaves) working in the nearby fields.

In early childhood, those who survived the first qualifying round bathed in wine baths instead. The Spartans believed that this strengthened their strength. In addition, it was customary among parents to ignore the crying of children so that they get used to the "Spartan" lifestyle from infancy. Foreigners were so delighted with such educational methods that Spartan women were often invited to neighboring lands as nannies and nurses for their iron nerves.

Up to the age of 7, Spartan boys lived with their families, but after that they were taken away by the state itself. Children were moved to public barracks, and a training period called "agog" began in their lives. The goal of this program was to educate youngsters into ideal warriors. The new regime included physical exercise, training in various tricks, unconditional loyalty, martial arts, hand-to-hand combat, the development of pain tolerance, hunting, survival skills, communication skills, and morality lessons. They were also taught to read, write, compose poetry and orate.

At the age of 12, all boys were stripped of their clothes and all other personal belongings, except for a single red cloak. They were taught to sleep outside and make their own bed out of reeds. In addition, the boys were encouraged to dig through the trash or steal their own food. But if the thieves were caught, the children were severely punished in the form of flogging.

Spartan girls lived in their families even after the age of 7, but they also received the famous Spartan education, which included dancing lessons, gymnastics, throwing darts and discs. It was believed that it was these skills that helped them best prepare for motherhood.

9. Hazing and fights among children

One of the key ways to mold boys into ideal soldiers and develop a truly stern disposition in them was considered provoking fights with each other. Older guys and teachers often started quarrels among their students and encouraged them to get into fights.

The main goal of the agoge was to instill in children resistance to all the hardships that would await them in the war - to cold, hunger or pain. And if someone showed even the slightest weakness, cowardice or embarrassment, they immediately became the objects of cruel ridicule and punishment from their own comrades and teachers. Imagine that at school someone is bullying you, and the teacher comes up and joins the bullies. It was very unpleasant. And in order to “finish off”, the girls sang all sorts of offensive slogans about the guilty students right during ceremonial meetings in front of high-ranking dignitaries.

Even adult men did not avoid scolding. The Spartans hated overweight people. That is why all citizens, including even kings, daily participated in joint meals, “sissits”, which were distinguished by deliberate scarcity and insipidity. Together with daily physical activity, this allowed Spartan men and women to keep themselves in good shape throughout their lives. Those who got out of the main stream were subjected to public censure and even risked being expelled from the city if they were not in a hurry to cope with their inconsistency with the system.

8. Endurance competition

An integral part of Ancient Sparta, and at the same time one of its most disgusting practices, was the Endurance Competition - Diamastigosis. This tradition was intended to commemorate the incident when residents from neighboring settlements killed each other in front of the altar of Artemis as a token of veneration for the goddess. Since then, human sacrifices have been performed here every year.

During the reign of the semi-mythical Spartan king Lycurgus, who lived in the 7th century BC, the rituals of worshiping the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia were relaxed and included only the spanking of boys undergoing the agoge. The ceremony continued until they completely covered all the steps of the altar with their blood. During the ritual, the altar was strewn with cones, which the children had to reach and collect.

The older guys were waiting for the younger ones with sticks in their hands, beating the children without any compassion for their pain. The tradition, at its core, was the initiation of little boys into the ranks of full-fledged warriors and citizens of Sparta. The last child standing received great honors for his masculinity. Often, during such initiation, children died.

During the occupation of Sparta by the Roman Empire, the tradition of Diamastigosis did not disappear, but lost its main ceremonial significance. Instead, it became just a spectacular sporting event. People from all over the empire flocked to Sparta to watch the brutal flogging of young guys. By the 3rd century AD, the sanctuary had been converted into a regular theater with stands from which the audience could comfortably watch the beatings.

7. Cryptory

When the Spartans reached the age of 20 or so, those who were marked as potential leaders were given the opportunity to participate in Crypteria. It was a kind of secret police. Although, to a greater extent, it was about partisan detachments that periodically terrorized and occupied the neighboring settlements of the Geloths. The best years of this unit came in the 5th century BC, when Sparta had about 10,000 men capable of fighting, and the civilian population of the Geloths outnumbered them by a few.

On the other hand, the Spartans were constantly under the threat of rebellion from the Geloths. This constant threat was one of the reasons why Sparta developed such a militarized society and prioritized the militancy of its citizens. Every man in Sparta, by law, had to be raised as a soldier from childhood.

Every autumn, young warriors got a chance to test their skills during an unofficial declaration of war against enemy Geloth settlements. Members of the Crypteria went out on missions at night armed only with knives, and their goal was always to kill any geloth they encountered along the way. The bigger and stronger the enemy, the better.

This annual slaughter was carried out to train the neighbors into obedience and reduce their numbers to a safe level. Only those boys and men who participated in such raids could expect to receive a higher rank and a privileged status in society. For the rest of the year, the "secret police" patrolled the area, still executing any potentially dangerous gelot without any trial.

6. Forced marriage

And although it is difficult to call it something frankly horrific, but forced marriages by the age of 30 today, many would consider unacceptable and even frightening. Until the age of 30, all Spartans lived in public barracks and served in the state army. At the onset of 30 years of age, they were released from military duty and transferred to the reserve until the age of 60. In any case, if by the age of 30 one of the men did not have time to find a wife, they were forced to marry.

The Spartans considered marriage important, but not the only way to conceive new soldiers, so girls were married no earlier than 19 years old. Applicants had to first carefully assess the health and fitness of their future life partners. And although he often decided between his future husband and father-in-law, the girl also had the right to vote. After all, according to the law, Spartan women had equal rights with men, and even much more than in some modern countries to this day.

If the men of Sparta married before their 30th birthday and still during their military service, they continued to live separately from their wives. But if a man went to the reserve still single, it was believed that he was not fulfilling his duty to the state. The bachelor was expected to be publicly ridiculed for any reason, especially during official meetings.

And if for some reason the Spartan could not have children, he had to find a suitable partner for his wife. It even happened that one woman had several sexual partners, and together they raised common children.

5. Spartan weapons

The bulk of any ancient Greek army, including the Spartan, were "hoplites". They were soldiers in bulky armor, citizens whose armaments took a decent amount of money so that they could participate in wars. And while warriors from most of the Greek city-states did not have sufficient military and physical training and equipment, Spartan soldiers knew how to fight all their lives and were always ready to go to the battlefield. While all the Greek city-states were building defensive walls around their settlements, Sparta did not care about fortifications, considering hardened hoplites as their main defense.

The main weapon of the hoplite, regardless of its origin, was a spear for the right hand. The length of the spears reached about 2.5 meters. The tip of this weapon was made of bronze or iron, and the handle was made of dogwood. It was this tree that was used, because it was distinguished by the necessary density and strength. By the way, dogwood wood is so dense and heavy that it even sinks in water.

In his left hand, the warrior held his round shield, the famous "hoplon". 13 kg shields were used primarily for defense, but were also occasionally used in close-range striking techniques. Shields were made of wood and leather, and covered with a layer of bronze on top. The Spartans marked their shields with the letter "lambda", which symbolized Laconia, a region of Sparta.

If a spear broke or the battle got too close, the hoplites from the front would take up their "ksipos", short swords. They were 43 centimeters long and were intended for close combat. But the Spartans preferred their "kopis" to such ksipos. This type of sword inflicted especially painful chopping wounds on the enemy due to its specific one-sided sharpening along the inner edge of the blade. Kopis was used more as an axe. Greek artists often depicted Spartans with copies in their hands.

For additional protection, the soldiers wore bronze helmets that covered not only the head, but also the back of the neck and face. Also among the armor were chest and back shields made of bronze or leather. The shins of the soldiers were protected by special bronze plates. The forearms were closed in the same way.

4. Phalanx

There are certain signs of what stage of development a civilization is in, and among them is just how nations fight. Tribal communities tend to fight in a chaotic and haphazard fashion, with each warrior brandishing his ax or sword as he pleases and seeking personal glory.

But more advanced civilizations fight according to well-thought-out tactics. Each soldier plays a specific role in his squad and is subject to a common strategy. This is how the Romans fought, and the ancient Greeks, to whom the Spartans belonged, also fought. By and large, the famous Roman legions were formed precisely following the example of the Greek "phalanxes".

Hoplites gathered in regiments, "lokhoi", consisting of several hundred citizens, and lined up in columns of 8 or more rows. Such a formation was called a phalanx. The men stood shoulder to shoulder in tight groups, protected on all sides by comradely shields. In between the shields and helmets was a veritable forest of spears jutting outward in spikes.

The phalanxes were distinguished by very organized movement due to rhythmic accompaniments and chants, which the Spartans learned intensively at a young age during training. It happened that the Greek cities fought among themselves, and then in the battle one could see spectacular clashes of several phalanxes at once. The battle continued until one of the detachments stabbed the other to death. It could be compared to a bloody skirmish during a rugby match, but in ancient armor.

3. Nobody gives up

The Spartans were brought up to be extremely loyal and despised cowardice above all other human failings. Soldiers were expected to be fearless in all circumstances. Even if we are talking about the last drop and to the last survivor. For this reason, the act of surrender was equated with the most unbearable cowardice.

If, in some unimaginable circumstances, the Spartan hoplite had to surrender, he then committed suicide. The ancient historian Herodotus recalled two unknown Spartans who missed an important battle and committed suicide out of shame. One hanged himself, the other went to a certain redemptive death during the next battle in the name of Sparta.

Spartan mothers were notorious for often telling their sons before battle, "Return with your shield, or don't return at all." This meant that they were either expected with victory or dead. In addition, if a warrior lost his own shield, he also left his comrade without protection, which jeopardized the entire mission, and was unacceptable.

Sparta believed that a soldier fully fulfilled his duty only when he died for his state. The man had to die on the battlefield, and the woman had to give birth to children. Only those who performed this duty had the right to be buried in a grave with a name engraved on the tombstone.

2. Thirty tyrants

Sparta was famous for the fact that she always sought to spread her utopian views to neighboring city-states. At first it was the Messenians from the west, whom the Spartans conquered in the 7th - 8th century BC, turning them into their Geloth slaves. Later, the gaze of Sparta rushed even to Athens. During the Peloponnesian War of 431 - 404 BC, the Spartans not only subjugated the Athenians, but also inherited their maritime superiority in the Aegean region. This hasn't happened before. The Spartans did not raze the glorious city to the ground, as the Corinthians advised them, but instead decided to mold the conquered society in their own image and likeness.

To do this, they installed in Athens a "pro-Spartan" oligarchy, infamously known as the "Thirty Tyrants" regime. The main goal of this system was the reformation, and in most cases the complete destruction of the fundamental Athenian laws and orders in exchange for the proclamation of a Spartan version of democracy. They carried out reforms in the field of power structures and lowered the rights of most social classes.

500 councilors were appointed to carry out judicial duties previously held by all citizens. The Spartans also elected 3,000 Athenians to "share power with them." In fact, these local managers simply had a few more privileges than the rest of the residents. During the 13-month regime of Sparta, 5% of the population of Athens died or simply disappeared from the city, a lot of other people's property was confiscated, and crowds of adherents of the old system of governance in Athens were sent into exile.

The former student of Socrates, Kritias, the leader of the "Thirty", was recognized as a cruel and completely inhuman ruler who intended to turn the conquered city into a reflection of Sparta at any cost. Critias acted as if he was still on post in the Spartan Cryptea and executed all the Athenians whom he considered dangerous to establish a new order of things.

300 bannermen were hired to patrol the city, who ended up intimidating and terrorizing the local population. About 1,500 of the most prominent Athenians, who did not support the new government, forcibly took the poison - hemlock. Interestingly, the more cruel the tyrants were, the more resistance they met from the locals.

In the end, after 13 months of a brutal regime, a successful coup took place, led by Trasibulus, one of the few citizens who escaped from exile. During the Athenian restaurant, 3,000 of the aforementioned traitors received an amnesty, but the rest of the defectors, including those same 30 tyrants, were executed. Critias died in one of the first battles.

Steeped in corruption, treachery and violence, the short rule of the tyrants led to a strong distrust of the Athenians towards each other even during the next few years after the fall of the dictatorship.

1. The famous Battle of Thermopylae

Best known today from the 1998 comic book series and the 2006 film 300, the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC was an epic massacre between the Greek army led by the Spartan king Leonidas I and the Persians led by King Xerxes.

Initially, the conflict arose between these two peoples even before the accession of the mentioned military leaders, during the reign of Darius I, the predecessor of Xerxes. He expanded the boundaries of his lands far into the depths of the European continent and at some point fixed his greedy gaze on Greece. After the death of Darius, Xerxes, almost immediately after taking over as king, began preparations for the invasion. This was the greatest threat Greece has ever faced.

After long negotiations between the Greek city-states, a combined force of about 7,000 hoplites was sent to defend the Thermopylae Pass, through which the Persians were going to advance into the territory of all Hellas. For some reason, in the film adaptations and comics, those very few thousand hoplites were not mentioned, including the legendary Athenian fleet.

Among the several thousand Greek warriors were the glorified 300 Spartans, whom Leonidas led into battle personally. Xerxes raised an army of 80,000 soldiers for his invasion. The relatively small defense of the Greeks was explained by the fact that they did not want to send too many warriors far to the north of the country. Another reason was a more religious motive. In those days, the sacred Olympic Games and the most important ritual festival of Sparta, Carneia, were taking place, during which bloodshed was forbidden. In any case, Leonidas was aware of the danger that threatened his army and convened 300 of his most devoted Spartans, who had already had male heirs.

Located 153 kilometers north of Athens, the Thermopylae Gorge was an excellent defensive position. Only 15 meters wide, sandwiched between almost vertical rocks and the sea, this gorge created a great inconvenience for the numerical army of Persia. Such a limited space did not allow the Persians to properly deploy all their power.

This gave the Greeks a significant advantage along with the defensive wall already built here. When Xerxes finally arrived, he had to wait 4 days in the hope that the Greeks would surrender. That did not happen. Then he sent his ambassadors for the last time to call on the enemy to lay down their arms, to which Leonidas replied "come and take it yourself."

Over the next 2 days, the Greeks repelled numerous Persian attacks, including a battle with an elite detachment of "Immortals" from the personal guard of the Persian king. But betrayed by the local shepherd, who pointed out to Xerxes about a secret detour through the mountains, on the second day the Greeks nevertheless found themselves surrounded by the enemy.

Faced with this unpleasant situation, the Greek commander dismissed most of the hoplites, except for 300 Spartans and a few other selected soldiers, to give the last stand. During the last attack of the Persians, the glorious Leonidas and 300 Spartans fell, honorably fulfilling their duty to Sparta and her people.

To this day, there is a tablet in Thermopylae with the inscription "Traveler, go to erect to our citizens in Lacedaemon that, observing their precepts, here we died with our bones." And although Leonidas and his people died, their joint feat inspired the Spartans to gather their courage and overthrow the malicious invaders during the subsequent Greco-Persian wars.

The Battle of Thermopylae forever cemented Sparta's reputation as the most unique and powerful civilization.

In the photo, the theater of Ancient Sparta is located on the southwestern slope of the Acropolis, below the temple of Athena.

Sparta is one of the most famous cities in Greece. Today it is a rather small settlement on the peninsula. But in the days of Ancient Greece, there was a city-state that went down in history with the courage of its warriors. Ancient authors sometimes called it Lacedaemon, and its inhabitants - Lacedaemonians. Laconia is the abbreviated name of the region.

Story

Ancient Sparta reached its peak of prosperity and power in 404 BC. e. after the victory over Athens in the Second Peloponnesian War.

Laconia played an important role in the history of Ancient Greece. From the south and east it is washed by the sea, and from enemies on land it was protected by mountain ranges. The fertile valley of the largest river in Laconia, Evrotas, has turned Laconia into a flourishing area for crop production and livestock breeding. The general picture of well-being was spoiled only by periodic earthquakes. Sparta was the largest city of Laconia, the rest were far from it in all respects.

In 2 thousand BC. e., during the period of the Mycenaean civilization, Laconia was inhabited by the Greek tribal group of the Achaeans. At the end of 2 thousand BC. e. another ancient Greek tribe invaded Laconia from the north - the Dorians, who subjugated it to themselves. They were the ones who founded Sparta. The Dorians became the main population of Laconia, forming a class group of Spartans who had all civil rights, turning everyone else into state slaves-helots or free, but not citizens - perieks from other cities of Laconia.

In fact, the whole country was a military camp, turning into an unusually militarized state. The introduction of this way of life is usually attributed to Lycurgus, although whether it was a god, a mythical hero, or a historical figure, it is not clear.

Many historians believe that Sparta arose relatively late, after the invasion of the Dorians, which occurred presumably between 1150 and 1100 BC. BC e. Initially, the invaders settled in or near the cities they conquered, and often destroyed, but a century later they established their own capital along the Evrotas River.

Starting from this period, the history of Laconia completely coincides with the history of its capital - the city-state of Sparta - founded around the 10th century. BC e. Sparta, whose name may mean "scattered" (other interpretations are offered), consisted of estates scattered over the territory, the center of which was a low hill that later became the Acropolis.

Sparta was a city unique to the ancient world. Suffice it to mention at least the fact that the Spartans did not erect walls to protect their city, relying more on the strength of their warriors and the talent of generals. Walls appeared only in the II century. BC e. under the tyrant Nabid.

Ancient Sparta was most intensively built up in the 6th century. BC e. At that time, the temple of Athena Poliuhos, or Mednodomnaya, mentioned by the ancient Greek geographer Pausanias, the sanctuary of King Leonidas I, the hero of the Greco-Persian wars, the throne of Apollo and many other architectural monuments, was erected on the Spartan Acropolis.

However, Sparta still lagged far behind other Greek policies in architectural terms: it was more of a typical provincial city than a luxurious capital. The reason for such deliberate modesty should be sought in the "laws of Lycurgus", created by the Spartan legislator himself or attributed to him and primarily directed against luxury.

The building of the city, obviously, was carried out without any definite plan; for especially significant structures, places were selected higher, on the hills.

The remains of Ancient Sparta are located north of modern Sparta, in the area of ​​the local stadium. The area itself is a huge olive grove: trees sprouted right through the ruins.

In the Greco-Persian wars of 499-449. BC e. Sparta played one of the key roles. She further strengthened her position after the victory over Athens in the Peloponnesian War of 431-404. BC, becoming the most influential policy in Greece.

However, by the V-IV centuries. BC e. Sparta began to decline: in order to maintain its leading position, it had to wage many wars, the nobility was corrupted by luxury, the birth rate fell catastrophically due to late marriages and the isolation of the Sparta class. The decline of Sparta began with the defeat at the Battle of Thebes at Leuctra in 371 BC. The Lacedaemonians lost their reputation as invincible, the authority of Sparta fell.

Sparta was never able to recover and regain its former influence, and in 146 BC. e., like all of Greece, the legendary city became part of the Roman Empire. In 396 the city was destroyed by the Visigoths of Alaric. Starting from the XIII century. neighboring Mistra became the political and cultural center of Laconia.

Due to the peculiarities of the development of its history, Laconia is not among the regions of Greece rich in historical monuments. The ruins of ancient Sparta alone are best known.

During the excavations of the British School in Athens, carried out in 1906-1910 and 1924-1929, the remains of several buildings were discovered, including the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, the temple of Athena Mednodomnaya and the theater.

The central building is, of course, the Acropolis, which was the center of both military and cultural life of the locals. Without it, it was considered impossible to erect other buildings. The Spartan Acropolis consists of an agora (a combination of a market square, a stock exchange, a place for negotiations and announcing the decision of the authorities), built already in the era of Ancient Rome.

The temple of Artemis Orthia, Orphosia the Lady, as she was called in Sparta - Lygodesma, or Banded with willows - was built in the 10th century. BC. shortly after the rise of Sparta. This is one of the few buildings of the authentic Spartan period. The temple preserved the image of Artemis Orthia, and in a vertical, not overthrown position. The temple was apparently destroyed by the flood. Today it has been restored.

Sparta also had its own theater, built on the highest of the Spartan hills, and very large: it is designed for 16 thousand spectators. The original structure was built of wood, later walls were built of limestone, and the stage was made of white marble. To our time, only the choirs, the stage and a few more fragments have survived from the theater.

A long arched gallery has also been preserved, where craftsmen's shops were located.

The pride of the Archaeological Museum of Sparta is the collection of Roman mosaics. There are also finds made during archaeological work on the ruins of Sparta: a marble head of a warrior from the Acropolis, bas-reliefs with images of snakes from the sanctuary of Apollo, ceramic masks - an attribute of ritual dances in the sanctuary of Artemis.

Not far from the city was the sanctuary of Menelaus and Helen, whose ruins have survived to this day.

The city of Sparta, which stands next to the ruins of the buildings of the ancient city, has practically not retained traces of its former greatness. Completely rebuilt in the first half of the 19th century, today it is the administrative center of the region of Laconia, the center of the agricultural region of the Evrotas River valley and the residence of an Orthodox bishop.

general information

Numbers

Climate and weather

Mediterranean.

Winters are mild and cool, summers are hot and dry.

January average temperature : +9.6°С.

July average temperature : +28.5°С.

Average annual rainfall : 700 mm.

Average annual relative humidity : 65%.

Attractions

Archaeological complex of the ruins of Ancient Sparta

Temple of Artemis Orthia (X century BC)

Leonidaion - the burial of King Leonidas I (5th century BC)

Acropolis with the temple of Athena Poliuhos, or Mednodomnaya (VI century BC)

Theater (I-II centuries)

Altar of Lycurgus

North and South Gates

• Statue of King Leonidas

Modern Sparta

Museums Archaeological (1876)

Olive and Olive Oil Museum

John Cumantarios Art Gallery

Beyond Sparta

Byzantine church with the monastery of St. Nicholas (X century)

Churches of St. Sophia Evangelistria, St. Chrysostom and St. Athanasius (XI-XIV centuries)

Castle of Baron de Nivelet (XIII century)

Monastery of Peribleptou (XIV century)

Sanctuaries of Apollo, Menelaus and Helena

Diros caves

Curious facts

Already in ancient times, Sparta was a tourist attraction: people from Rome came here to study the Spartan customs and government, unusual for the era of the Roman conquest of Greece.

The laws of Lycurgus turned Sparta into an exemplary example of a despotic totalitarian militaristic state that controlled the lives of citizens from birth to death. At the birth of a child, the state determined whether a healthy citizen would grow out of him or whether he should be thrown off the mountain. The boy spent the first years of his life at home. From the age of seven, education was taken over by the state, and almost all the time the children devoted to physical exercises and military drill. At the age of 20, a young Spartiate joined the phiditia, a society of companions of fifteen people, continuing his military training with them. He had the right to marry, but he could only visit his wife in secret. At the age of 30, a Spartiate became a full citizen and could participate in the people's assembly, but spent almost all the time in the gymnasium (gym), forest (club) and fidity (canteen). On the gravestone of a Spartan, only his name was carved; if he died in battle, the words "in war" were added.

Many modern historians believe that the state structure of Sparta, attributed to Lycurgus alone, was actually formed through a gradual modification of the patriarchal system. Lycurgus the legislator, most likely, was not a real historical person, but a fictional organizer of Spartan life.

Ancient Greek writer and geographer Pausanias was the author of what was probably the first guidebook in history. His work "Description of Hellas" is divided into 10 chapters according to the names of Greek regions, including Laconia. It is a guide to the sights of ancient Greece, equipped with accompanying legends. Geographically, the "Description of Hellas" can serve as a guide even today.

One of the sights of Sparta is supposedly the same rock from which children were thrown, “rejected” by the commission, which decided which of the children was strong and could live, and which was weak and should be disposed of immediately. However, archaeologists have not found reliable evidence that the gorge of Sparta is filled with the bones of babies. Now it is believed that this is most likely a myth.

Since Sparta had not yet emerged in the period to which most historians attribute the Trojan War (about 1200 BC), the myth of the abduction of Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, by Paris, was probably attributed to Sparta. In neighboring Therapna, where there was a large city of the Mycenaean era, there was a sanctuary of Menelaion, where the cult of Menelaus and Helena went for quite a long time.

The first recorded victory of the Spartans at Olympia is the first place of a certain Akanthos in running at the 15th Olympiad in 720 BC. e. For more than a century, Spartan athletes have dominated the Olympic Games, achieving 46 out of 81 victories in that time.

On the last Saturday-Sunday of September, the traditional sports competition Spartaflon is held in Sparta, usually gathering a lot of spectators.

In the southeast of the largest Greek peninsula - the Peloponnese - the powerful Sparta was once located. This state was located in the region of Laconia, in the picturesque valley of the Evros River. Its official name, which was most often mentioned in international treaties, is Lacedaemon. It was from this state that such concepts as "Spartan" and "Spartan" came. Everyone has also heard about the cruel custom that has developed in this ancient policy: to kill weak newborns in order to maintain the gene pool of their nation.

History of occurrence

Officially, Sparta, which was called Lacedaemon (the name of the nome, Laconia, also came from this word), arose in the eleventh century BC. After some time, the entire area on which this city-state was located was captured by the Dorian tribes. Those, having assimilated with the local Achaeans, became Spartakiates in the sense known today, and the former inhabitants were turned into slaves, called helots.

The most Doric of all the states that Ancient Greece once knew, Sparta, was located on the western bank of the Eurotas, on the site of the modern city of the same name. Its name can be translated as "scattered". It consisted of estates and estates that were scattered across Laconia. And the center was a low hill, which later became known as the acropolis. Initially, Sparta had no walls and remained true to this principle until the second century BC.

Government of Sparta

It was based on the principle of unity of all full-fledged citizens of the policy. For this, the state and law of Sparta strictly regulated the life and life of its subjects, restraining their property stratification. The foundations of such a social system were laid by the agreement of the legendary Lycurgus. According to him, the duties of the Spartans were only sports or military arts, and crafts, agriculture and trade were the work of helots and perieks.

As a result, the system established by Lycurgus transformed the Spartan military democracy into an oligarchic-slave-owning republic, which at the same time still retained some signs of a tribal system. Here it was not allowed to land, which was divided into equal plots, considered the property of the community and not subject to sale. Helot slaves also, as historians suggest, belonged to the state, and not to wealthy citizens.

Sparta is one of the few states headed by two kings at the same time, who were called archagetes. Their power was hereditary. The powers that each king of Sparta possessed were limited not only to military power, but also to the organization of sacrifices, as well as participation in the council of elders.

The latter was called gerousia and consisted of two archagetes and twenty-eight gerontes. The elders were elected by the people's assembly for life only from the Spartan nobility who had reached sixty years of age. Gerusia in Sparta performed the functions of a certain government body. She prepared issues that needed to be discussed at public meetings, and also led foreign policy. In addition, the council of elders considered criminal cases, as well as state crimes directed, among other things, against the archagets.

Court

Judicial proceedings and the law of ancient Sparta were regulated by the board of ephors. This organ first appeared in the eighth century BC. It consisted of the five most worthy citizens of the state, who were elected by the people's assembly for only one year. At first, the powers of the ephors were limited only to litigation of property disputes. But already in the sixth century BC, their power and authority are growing. Gradually, they begin to displace gerusia. The ephors were given the right to convene a national assembly and gerousia, regulate foreign policy, and exercise internal control over Sparta and its legal proceedings. This body was so important in the social structure of the state that its powers included the control of officials, including the archaget.

People's Assembly

Sparta is an example of an aristocratic state. In order to suppress the forced population, whose representatives were called helots, the development of private property was artificially restrained in order to maintain equality among the Spartans themselves.

Apella, or popular assembly, in Sparta was distinguished by passivity. Only full-fledged male citizens who had reached the age of thirty had the right to participate in this body. At first, the people's assembly was convened by the archaget, but later its leadership also passed to the college of ephors. Apella could not discuss the issues put forward, she only rejected or accepted the decision she proposed. Members of the people's assembly voted in a very primitive way: by shouting or dividing the participants on different sides, after which the majority was determined by eye.

Population

The inhabitants of the Lacedaemonian state have always been class unequal. This situation was created by the social system of Sparta, which provided for three estates: the elite, perieks - free residents from nearby cities who did not have the right to vote, as well as state slaves - helots.

The Spartans, who were in privileged conditions, were engaged exclusively in war. They were far from trade, crafts and agriculture, all this was given as a right to be farmed out to the perieks. At the same time, the estates of the elite Spartans were processed by the helots, whom the latter rented from the state. During the heyday of the state, the nobility was five times less than the perieks, and ten times less than the helots.

All periods of existence of this one of the most ancient states can be divided into prehistoric, ancient, classical, Roman, and each of them left its mark not only in the formation of the ancient state of Sparta. Greece borrowed a lot from this history in the process of its formation.

prehistoric era

Lelegs originally lived on the Laconian lands, but after the capture of the Peloponnese by the Dorians, this area, which has always been considered the most infertile and generally insignificant, as a result of deceit went to the two minor sons of the legendary king Aristodem - Eurysthenes and Proclus.

Soon Sparta became the main city of Lacedaemon, the system of which for a long time did not stand out among the rest of the Doric states. She waged constant external wars with neighboring Argive or Arcadian cities. The most significant rise occurred during the reign of Lycurgus, the ancient Spartan legislator, to whom ancient historians unanimously attribute the political structure that subsequently dominated Sparta for several centuries.

ancient era

After winning the wars lasting from 743 to 723 and from 685 to 668. BC, Sparta was able to finally defeat and capture Messenia. As a result, its ancient inhabitants were deprived of their lands and turned into helots. Six years later, Sparta, at the cost of incredible efforts, defeated the Arcadians, and in 660 BC. e. forced Tegea to recognize her hegemony. According to the contract, stored on a column placed near Alfea, she forced her to conclude a military alliance. It was from this time that Sparta in the eyes of the peoples began to be considered the first state of Greece.

The history of Sparta at this stage boils down to the fact that its inhabitants began to make attempts to overthrow the tyrants that appeared from the seventh millennium BC. e. in almost all Greek states. It was the Spartans who helped expel the Cypselides from Corinth, the Peisistrati from Athens, they contributed to the liberation of Sicyon and Phokis, as well as several islands in the Aegean Sea, thereby gaining grateful supporters in different states.

History of Sparta in the classical era

Having entered into an alliance with Tegea and Elis, the Spartans began to attract the rest of the cities of Laconia and neighboring regions to their side. As a result, the Peloponnesian Union was formed, in which Sparta assumed hegemony. These were wonderful times for her: she led the wars, was the center of meetings and all meetings of the Union, without encroaching on the independence of individual states that retained autonomy.

Sparta never tried to extend its own power to the Peloponnese, but the threat of danger prompted all other states, with the exception of Argos, during the Greco-Persian wars to come under its protection. Having eliminated the danger directly, the Spartans, realizing that they were unable to wage war with the Persians far from their own borders, did not object when Athens assumed further leadership in the war, limiting itself only to the peninsula.

Since that time, signs of rivalry between these two states began to appear, which subsequently resulted in the First, ending with the Thirty Years' Peace. The fighting not only broke the power of Athens and established the hegemony of Sparta, but also led to a gradual violation of its foundations - the legislation of Lycurgus.

As a result, in 397 BC, there was an uprising of Cinadon, which, however, was not crowned with success. However, after certain setbacks, especially the defeat at the battle of Knidos in 394 BC. e, Sparta ceded Asia Minor, but became a judge and mediator in Greek affairs, thus motivating its policy with the freedom of all states, and was able to secure primacy in alliance with Persia. And only Thebes did not obey the conditions set, thereby depriving Sparta of the advantages of such a shameful world for her.

Hellenistic and Roman era

Starting from these years, the state began to decline rather quickly. Impoverished and burdened with the debts of its citizens, Sparta, whose system was based on the legislation of Lycurgus, turned into an empty form of government. An alliance was made with the Phocians. And although the Spartans sent them help, they did not provide real support. In the absence of King Agis, with the help of money received from Darius, an attempt was made to get rid of the Macedonian yoke. But he, having failed in the battles of Megapolis, was killed. Gradually began to disappear and became a household spirit, which was so famous for Sparta.

Rise of an empire

Sparta is a state that for three centuries was the envy of all Ancient Greece. Between the eighth and fifth centuries BC, it was a collection of hundreds of cities, often at war with each other. One of the key figures for the formation of Sparta as a powerful and strong state was Lycurgus. Before its appearance, it was not much different from the rest of the ancient Greek policies-states. But with the advent of Lycurgus, the situation changed, and priorities in development were given to the art of war. From that moment on, Lacedaemon began to transform. And it was during this period that he flourished.

From the eighth century B.C. e. Sparta began to wage aggressive wars, conquering one by one its neighbors in the Peloponnese. After a series of successful military operations, Sparta moved on to establishing diplomatic ties with its most powerful opponents. Having concluded several treaties, Lacedaemon stood at the head of the union of the Peloponnesian states, which was considered one of the most powerful formations of Ancient Greece. The creation of this alliance by Sparta was to serve to repel the Persian invasion.

The state of Sparta has been a mystery to historians. The Greeks not only admired its citizens, but feared them. One type of bronze shields and scarlet cloaks worn by the warriors of Sparta put opponents to flight, forcing them to capitulate.

Not only the enemies, but the Greeks themselves did not really like it when an army, even a small one, was located next to them. Everything was explained very simply: the warriors of Sparta had a reputation for being invincible. The sight of their phalanxes caused even the worldly-wise to panic. And although only a small number of fighters participated in the battles in those days, nevertheless, they never lasted long.

The beginning of the decline of the empire

But at the beginning of the fifth century BC. e. a massive invasion, undertaken from the East, was the beginning of the decline of the power of Sparta. The huge Persian empire, always dreaming of expanding its territories, sent a large army to Greece. Two hundred thousand people stood at the borders of Hellas. But the Greeks, led by the Spartans, accepted the challenge.

King Leonidas

Being the son of Anaxandrides, this king belonged to the Agiad dynasty. After the death of his older brothers, Dorieus and Klemen the First, it was Leonidas who took over the reign. Sparta in 480 years before our era was at war with Persia. And the name of Leonid is associated with the immortal feat of the Spartans, when a battle took place in the Thermopylae Gorge, which has remained in history for centuries.

It happened in 480 BC. e., when the hordes of the Persian king Xerxes tried to capture the narrow passage connecting Central Greece with Thessaly. At the head of the troops, including the allied ones, was Tsar Leonid. Sparta at that time occupied a leading position among friendly states. But Xerxes, taking advantage of the betrayal of the dissatisfied, bypassed the Thermopylae Gorge and went into the rear of the Greeks.

Upon learning of this, Leonid, who fought on a par with his soldiers, disbanded the allied detachments, sending them home. And he himself, with a handful of warriors, whose number was only three hundred people, stood in the way of the twenty thousandth Persian army. The Thermopylae Gorge was strategic for the Greeks. In the event of a defeat, they would be cut off from Central Greece, and their fate would be sealed.

For four days, the Persians were unable to break the incomparably smaller enemy forces. The heroes of Sparta fought like lions. But the forces were unequal.

The fearless warriors of Sparta died one and all. Together with them, their king Leonid fought to the end, who did not want to abandon his comrades.

The name of Leonid has gone down in history forever. Chroniclers, including Herodotus, wrote: “Many kings have died and have long been forgotten. But Leonid is known and honored by everyone. His name will always be remembered by Sparta, Greece. And not because he was a king, but because he fulfilled his duty to his homeland to the end and died like a hero. Films have been made and books written about this episode in the life of the heroic Hellenes.

The feat of the Spartans

The Persian king Xerxes, who did not leave the dream of capturing Hellas, invaded Greece in 480 BC. At this time, the Hellenes held the Olympic Games. The Spartans were preparing to celebrate Carnei.

Both of these holidays obligated the Greeks to observe a sacred truce. This was one of the main reasons why only a small detachment opposed the Persians in the Thermopylae Gorge.

A detachment of three hundred Spartans, led by King Leonidas, headed towards the army of Xerxes with thousands of men. Warriors were selected on the basis of having children. On the way, a thousand Tegeans, Arcadians and Mantineans, as well as one hundred and twenty from Orchomenus, joined the militias of Leonidas. Four hundred soldiers were sent from Corinth, three hundred from Phlius and Mycenae.

When this small army approached the Thermopylae Pass and saw the number of Persians, many soldiers became frightened and began to talk about retreat. Part of the allies proposed to withdraw to the peninsula in order to guard Isthm. Others, however, were outraged by the decision. Leonid, ordered the army to remain in place, sent messengers to all the cities asking for help, since they had too few soldiers to successfully repel the attack of the Persians.

For four whole days, King Xerxes, hoping that the Greeks would take flight, did not start hostilities. But seeing that this was not happening, he sent the Cassians and Medes against them with orders to take Leonidas alive and bring him to him. They quickly attacked the Hellenes. Each attack of the Medes ended in huge losses, but others came to replace the fallen. It was then that it became clear to both the Spartans and the Persians that Xerxes had many people, but there were few warriors among them. The fight lasted all day.

Having received a decisive rebuff, the Medes were forced to retreat. But they were replaced by the Persians, led by Gidarn. Xerxes called them the "immortal" detachment and hoped that they would easily finish off the Spartans. But in hand-to-hand combat, they did not succeed, just like the Medes, to achieve great success.

The Persians had to fight in tight quarters, and with shorter spears, while the Hellenes had longer ones, which in this fight gave a certain advantage.

At night, the Spartans again attacked the Persian camp. They managed to kill many enemies, but their main goal was to defeat Xerxes himself in the general turmoil. And only when dawn broke, the Persians saw the small number of the detachment of King Leonidas. They threw spears at the Spartans and finished off with arrows.

The road to Central Greece was open to the Persians. Xerxes personally inspected the battlefield. Finding the deceased Spartan king, he ordered him to cut off his head and put it on a stake.

There is a legend that King Leonidas, going to Thermopylae, clearly understood that he would die, therefore, when his wife asked him what the orders would be, he ordered him to find a good husband and give birth to sons. This was the life position of the Spartans, who were ready to die for their Motherland on the battlefield in order to receive a crown of glory.

Beginning of the Peloponnesian War

After some time, the Greek policies that were at war with each other united and were able to repulse Xerxes. But, despite the joint victory over the Persians, the alliance between Sparta and Athens did not last long. In 431 BC. e. The Peloponnesian War broke out. And only a few decades later, the Spartan state was able to win.

But not everyone in ancient Greece liked the supremacy of Lacedaemon. Therefore, half a century later, new hostilities broke out. This time, Thebes became his rivals, who, together with their allies, managed to inflict a serious defeat on Sparta. As a result, the power of the state was lost.

Conclusion

This is what ancient Sparta was like. She was one of the main contenders for primacy and supremacy in the ancient Greek picture of the world. Some milestones in Spartan history are sung in the works of the great Homer. A special place among them is occupied by the outstanding Iliad.

And now from this glorious policy now there are only the ruins of some of its buildings and unfading glory. Legends about the heroism of its warriors, as well as a small town of the same name in the south of the Peloponnese peninsula, have reached contemporaries.

The Spartan kings considered themselves Heraclids - the descendants of the hero Hercules. Their militancy became a household name, and quite rightly so: the combat formation of the Spartans was the direct predecessor of the phalanx of Alexander the Great.

The Spartans were attentive to signs and prophecies and listened very much to the opinion of the Delphic oracle. The cultural heritage of Sparta is not known as well as Athenian, largely due to the wariness of the warlike people to the letter: for example, their laws were transmitted orally, and it was forbidden to write the names of the dead on non-military tombstones.

However, if not for Sparta, the culture of Greece could have been assimilated by foreigners who constantly invaded the territory of Hellas. The fact is that Sparta was actually the only policy that not only had a combat-ready army, but whose whole life was subject to army order, passed according to the strictest schedule, designed to discipline the soldiers. The emergence of such a militarized society, the Spartans were due to unique historical circumstances.

Early 10th century BC e. It is considered to be the time of the first large-scale settlement of the territory of Laconia, that is, the future Sparta and the lands adjacent to it. In the VIII century, the Spartans undertook expansion into the nearby lands of Messenia. During the occupation, they decided not to destroy the locals, but to make them their slaves, who are known as helots - literally "prisoners". But the creation of a colossal slave complex led to inevitable uprisings: in the 7th century, the helots fought the enslavers for several years, and this became a lesson for Sparta.

The laws established according to the legend by the Spartan king-legislator named Lycurgus (translated as “working wolf”) as early as the 9th century served to regulate the internal political situation after the conquest of Messenia. The Spartans distributed the lands of the helots among all citizens, and all full-fledged citizens formed the backbone of the army (about 9,000 people in the 7th century - 10 times more than in any other Greek policy) and had hoplite weapons. The strengthening of the army, dictated, perhaps, by the fear that another uprising of slaves would break out, contributed to an extraordinary increase in the influence of the Spartans in the region and the formation of a special way of life, characteristic only of Sparta.

In order to optimally train the warriors of Sparta, from the age of seven they were sent to centralized state structures, where they spent time in intensive training until the age of 18. This was a kind of initiation stage: in order to become a full-fledged citizen, one had not only to successfully pass all the tests of 11 years of study, but also, as proof of one’s skills and fearlessness, kill a helot alone with a dagger. It is not surprising that the helots constantly had a reason for the next speeches. The widespread legend about the execution of handicapped Spartan boys or even babies, most likely, has no real historical basis, since there was even a certain social stratum of hypomeions in the policy - physically or mentally handicapped "citizens".

Where did the Spartans come from

Who are the Spartans? Why is their place in ancient Greek history singled out in comparison with other peoples of Hellas? What did the Spartans look like, is it possible to understand whose generic features they inherited?

The last question seems obvious only at first glance. It is very easy to consider that the Greek sculpture, representing the images of the Athenians and the inhabitants of other Greek policies, equally represents the images of the Spartans. But where, then, are the statues of the Spartan kings and generals, who over the centuries acted more successfully than the leaders of other Greek city-states? Where are the Spartan Olympic heroes whose names are known? Why was their appearance not reflected in ancient Greek art?

What happened in Greece between the "Homeric period" and the beginning of the formation of a new culture, whose origin is marked by a geometric style - primitive vase paintings, more like petrogryphs?

Vase painting from the Hermetic period.

How could such a primitive art, dating from the 8th century. BC e. turn into magnificent examples of painting on ceramics, bronze casting, sculpture, architecture by the 6th-5th centuries. BC e.? Why did Sparta, having risen along with the rest of Greece, experience a cultural decline? Why did this decline not prevent Sparta from holding out against Athens and becoming the hegemon of Hellas for a short time? Why was the military victory not crowned with the creation of a common Greek state, and shortly after the victory of Sparta, the Greek statehood was destroyed by internal strife and external conquests?

Many questions should be answered by returning to the question of who lived in ancient Greece, who lived in Sparta: what were the state, economic and cultural aspirations of the Spartans?

Menelaus and Helen. The winged Boread hovers over the scene of the meeting, reminiscent of the story of the abduction of Orthia, similar to the abduction of Helen.

According to Homer, the Spartan kings organized and led a campaign against Troy. Maybe the heroes of the Trojan War are the Spartans? No, the heroes of this war have nothing to do with the state of Sparta known to us. They are separated even from the archaic history of ancient Greece by the "dark ages", which did not leave any materials for archaeologists and were not reflected in the Greek epic or literature. The heroes of Homer are an oral tradition that survived the heyday and oblivion of the peoples who gave the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey the prototypes of characters known to this day.

The Trojan War (13th-12th centuries BC) took place long before the birth of Sparta (9th-8th centuries BC). But the people who later founded Sparta could well exist, and later participate in the conquest of the Peloponnese. The plot of the abduction by Paris of Helen, the wife of the "Spartan" king Menelaus, is taken from the pre-Spartan epic, born among the peoples of the Cretan-Mycenaean culture, which preceded the ancient Greek. It is connected with the Mycenaean sanctuary of Menelaion, where in the archaic period the cult of Menelaus and Helen was performed.

Menelaus, copy of a statue of the 4th century BC e.

The future Spartans in the Dorian invasion are that part of the conquerors of the Peloponnese that went ahead, sweeping away the Mycenaean cities and skillfully storming their powerful walls. It was the militant part of the army itself that advanced the farthest, pursuing the enemy and leaving behind those who were satisfied with the results achieved. Perhaps that is why in Sparta (the very farthest point of the continental conquest, after which only the islands remained to be conquered) a military democracy was established - here the traditions of the people-army had the most solid foundations. And here the pressure of the conquest was exhausted: the Dorians' army was greatly thinned out, they were a minority of the population in the southernmost lands of Hellas. This is what determined both the multinational composition of the inhabitants of Sparta and the isolation of the ruling ethnic group of the Spartans. The Spartans ruled, and the process of cultural development was continued by the subservient - the free inhabitants of the periphery of Spartan influence (Perieks) and the helots assigned to the land, who were obliged to support the Spartans as a military force protecting them. The cultural demands of the Spartan warriors and the Periek merchants bizarrely mixed up, creating many mysteries for modern researchers.

Where did the Dorian conquerors come from? What were these peoples? And how did they survive the three "dark" ages? Let us assume that the connection of the future Spartans with the Trojan War is reliable. But at the same time, the roles are reversed in comparison with the plot of Homer: the Trojan Spartans defeated the Achaean Spartans in a punitive campaign. Yes, and remained in Hellas forever. Achaeans and Trojans lived side by side after that, going through the hard times of the "dark ages", mixing their cults and heroic myths. In the end, the defeats were forgotten, and the victory over Troy became a common tradition.

The prototype of a mixed community can be seen in Messenia, neighboring Sparta, where the state center, palaces and cities were never formed. The Messenians (both the Dorians and the tribes they conquered) lived in small villages that were not surrounded by defensive walls. In many ways, the same picture is observed in archaic Sparta. Messinia 8th–7th centuries BC e. - a cast of the earlier history of Sparta, perhaps giving a general picture of the life of the Peloponnese in the "dark ages".

So where did the Trojan Spartans come from? If from Troy, then the epic of the Trojan War could eventually be assimilated in the new place of the settlement. In this case, the question arises why the conquerors did not return to their lands, as did the cruel Achaeans who ravaged Troy? Or why did they not build a new city at least somewhat approaching the former splendor of their capital? After all, the Mycenaean cities were in no way inferior to Troy in the height of the walls and the size of the palaces! Why did the conquerors prefer to abandon the conquered fortress cities?

The answers to these questions are connected with the riddle of the city excavated by Schliemann, which has been known as Troy since ancient times. But does this "Troy" coincide with Homer's? After all, the names of cities have moved and are moving from place to place until today. A city that has fallen into decay may be forgotten, and its namesake may become widely known. Among the Greeks, the Thracian city and island of Thasos in the Aegean Sea corresponds to Thasos in Africa, next to which Miletus was located - an analogue of the more famous Ionian Miletus. Identical city names are present not only in antiquity, but also in modern times.

Three can be attributed to a plot related to another city. For example, as a result of exaggerating the significance of a single episode of a long war or exalting an insignificant operation in its finale.

We can say for sure that the Troy described by Homer is not Schliemann's Troy. Schliemann's town is poor, insignificant in terms of population and culture. Three "dark" ages could play a cruel joke on the former Trojans: they could forget where their wonderful capital was located! After all, they appropriated the victory over this city, exchanging places with the winners! Or maybe they still carried in their memory vague memories of how they themselves became the masters of Troy, taking it away from its former owners.

Excavations and reconstruction of Troy.

Most likely, Schliemann's Troy is an intermediate base for the Trojans expelled from their capital as a result of a war unknown to us. (Or, on the contrary, well known to us from Homer, but not associated with Schliemann's Troy at all.) They brought a name with them and, perhaps, even conquered this city. But they could not live in it: too aggressive neighbors did not allow them to quietly manage their household. Therefore, the Trojans moved on, entering into an alliance with the Dorian tribes who came from the Northern Black Sea region along the usual transit route of all steppe migrants coming from the distant South Ural and Altai steppes.

The question "where is the real Troy?" is unresolvable at the current level of knowledge. One hypothesis is that the Homeric epic was brought to Hellas by those who recalled the wars around Babylon in oral traditions. The splendor of Babylon, indeed, may resemble the splendor of Homeric Troy. The war between the Eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia is indeed a scale worthy of an epic and centuries-old memory. An expedition of ships that reaches poor Schlimann's Troy in three days and fights there for ten years cannot be the basis for a heroic poem that has worried the Greeks for many centuries.

Excavations and reconstruction of Babylon.

The Trojans did not recreate their capital in a new place, not only because the memory of the real capital had dried up. The forces of the conquerors, who tormented the remnants of the Mycenaean civilization for many decades, also dried up. The Dorians, probably for the most part, did not want to look for anything in the Peloponnese. They had enough other lands. Therefore, the Spartans had to overcome local resistance also gradually, over decades and even centuries. And keep a strict military order, so as not to be conquered.

Mycenae: Lion's Gate, excavations of the fortress walls.

Why didn't the Trojans build cities? At least on the site of one of the Mycenaean cities? Because there were no builders with them. In the campaign there was only an army that could not return. Because there was nowhere to go. Troy fell into decay, was conquered, the population was dispersed. The remains of the Trojans turned out to be in the Peloponnese - the army and those who left the devastated city.

Future Spartans were satisfied with the life of the villagers, who were most threatened by their closest neighbors, and not by new invasions. But the Trojan legends remained: they were the only source of pride and a memory of past glory, the basis of the cult of heroes, which was destined to recover - to go from myth to reality in the battles of the Messenian, Greco-Persian and Peloponnesian wars.

If our hypothesis is correct, then the population of Sparta was diverse - more diverse than in Athens and other Greek states. But living separately - in accordance with a fixed ethno-social status.

Settlement of peoples in ancient Greece.

We can assume the existence of the following groups:

a) Spartans - people with eastern (“Assyrian”) features, related to the population of Mesopotamia (we see their images mainly on vase paintings) and representing the southern Aryan migrations;

b) Dorians - people with Nordic features, representatives of the northern stream of Aryan migrations (their features were embodied mainly in sculptural statues of gods and heroes of the classical period of Greek art);

c) the Achaean conquerors, as well as the Mycenaeans, Messenians - the descendants of the indigenous population, who in ancient times moved here from the north, partially represented by the flattened faces of distant steppe peoples (for example, the famous Mycenaean masks from the "Palace of Agamemnon" represent two types of faces - "narrow-eyed "and" pop-eyed ");

d) Semites, Minoans - representatives of the Middle Eastern tribes who spread their influence along the coast and islands of the Aegean Sea.

All these types can be observed in the fine arts of the Spartan archaic.

In accordance with the usual picture that school textbooks give, I would like to see Ancient Greece homogeneous - inhabited by Greeks. But this is an unjustified simplification.

In addition to related tribes, which at different times inhabited Hellas and received the name "Greeks", there were many other tribes here. For example, the island of Crete was inhabited by autochthonous peoples under the rule of the Dorians, the Peloponnese was also inhabited mainly by the autochthonous population. Surely the helots and perieks had a very distant relation to the Dorian tribes. Therefore, we can only talk about the relative kinship of the Greek tribes and their difference, fixed by various dialects, sometimes extremely difficult for the inhabitants of large shopping centers to understand, where the common Greek language was formed.

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