nsasource.blogg.se - Ancient wars sparta old games

Helots caught trying to escape were generally killed. Helots were beaten once a year and were forced to wear clothing made from animal skins. They farmed their own land, but had to give half of their crops to the Spartans as payment. They were basically slaves or serfs to the Spartans.

Helot - The helots were the largest portion of the population.

Many of the perioikoi were Laconians who were defeated by the Spartans. They could travel to other cities, could own land, and were allowed to trade.

Perioikoi - The perioikoi were free people who lived in Spartan lands, but were not Spartan citizens.

There were a few exceptions where adopted sons who performed well in battle could be given citizenship. Spartan citizens were those people who could trace their ancestry to the original people who formed the city of Sparta. There were relatively few Spartan citizens.

Spartan - At the top of Spartan society was the Spartan citizen.

Spartan society was divided into specific social classes. The biggest disgrace a soldier could suffer was to lose his shield in battle.

The most important piece of equipment to a Spartan was their shield. They also wore a crimson tunic so their bloody wounds wouldn't show. The basic equipment used by the Spartans included their shield (called an aspis), a spear (called a dory), and a short sword (called a xiphos).

They rarely broke formation and could defeat much larger armies. The Spartans spent their lives drilling and practicing their formations and it showed in battle. Then they would lock their shields together and advance on the enemy stabbing them with their spears. They would line up side by side and several men deep. The Spartan Army fought in a Phalanx formation.

All Spartan men trained to become warriors from the day they were born. The Spartans were widely considered to have the strongest army and the best soldiers of any city-state in Ancient Greece. Unlike their counterparts in the city of Athens, the Spartans didn't study philosophy, art, or theatre, they studied war.