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This is Sparta: Fierce warriors of the ancient world - Craig Zimmer

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    In ancient Greece, violent internal
    conflict between bordering neighbors
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    and war with foreign invaders
    was a way of life,
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    and Greeks were considered
    premier warriors.
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    Most Greek city-states surrounded
    themselves with massive defensive walls
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    for added protection.
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    Sparta in its prime was a different story,
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    finding walls unnecessary
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    when it had an army of the most feared
    warriors in the ancient world.
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    So what was Sparta doing differently
    than everyone else
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    to produce such fierce soldiers?
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    To answer that question, we turn to
    the written accounts of that time.
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    There are no surviving written accounts
    from Spartans themselves,
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    as it was forbidden for Spartans
    to keep records,
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    so we have to rely on those of
    non-Spartan ancient historians,
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    like Herodotus, Thucydides,
    and Plutarch.
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    These stories may be embellished
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    and depict Sparta
    at the apex of its power,
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    so take them with a grain of salt.
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    For Spartans, the purpose for their
    existence was simple:
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    to serve Sparta.
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    On the day of their birth,
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    elder Spartan leaders examined
    every newborn.
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    The strong healthy babies were considered
    capable of fulfilling this purpose,
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    and the others may have been left
    on Mount Taygetus to die.
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    Every Spartan, boy or girl,
    was expected to be physically strong,
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    mentally sharp,
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    and emotionally resilient.
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    And it was their absolute duty
    to defend and promote Sparta at all costs.
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    So in the first years of their lives,
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    children were raised to understand that
    their loyalty belonged first to Sparta,
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    and then to family.
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    This mindset probably made it easier
    for the Spartan boys,
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    who upon turning seven,
    were sent to the agoge,
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    a place with one main purpose:
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    to turn a boy into a Spartan warrior
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    through thirteen years of relentless,
    harsh, and often brutal training.
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    The Spartans prized physical perfection
    above all else,
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    and so the students spent a great deal
    of their time learning how to fight.
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    To ensure resilience in battle,
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    boys were encouraged to fight
    among themselves,
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    and bullying, unlike today,
    was acceptable.
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    In order to better prepare the boys
    for the conditions of war,
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    the boys were poorly fed,
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    sometimes even going days without eating.
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    They also were given little
    in the way of clothing
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    so that they could learn to deal
    with different temperatures.
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    Spartan boys were encouraged
    to steal in order to survive,
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    but if they were caught,
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    they would be disciplined,
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    not because they stole,
    but because they were caught in the act.
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    During the annual contest of endurance
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    in a religious ritual known as
    the diamastigosis,
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    teenage boys were whipped
    in front of an altar
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    at the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia.
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    It was common for boys to die
    on the altar of the goddess.
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    Fortunately, not everything
    was as brutal as that.
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    Young Spartans were also taught
    how to read,
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    write,
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    and dance,
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    which taught them graceful control
    of their movements
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    and helped them in combat.
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    While the responsibilities for the girls
    of Sparta were different,
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    the high standards of excellence
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    and expectation to serve
    Sparta with their lives remained the same.
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    Spartan girls lived at home with
    their mothers as they attended school.
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    Their curriculum included the arts,
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    music,
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    dance,
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    reading,
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    and writing.
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    And to stay in peak physical condition,
    they learned a variety of sports,
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    such as discus,
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    javelin,
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    and horseback riding.
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    In Sparta, it was believed that only
    strong and capable women
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    could bear children that would one day
    become strong and capable warriors.
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    To all Spartans, men and women,
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    perhaps the most important lesson
    from Spartan school
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    was allegiance to Sparta.
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    To die for their city-state was seen
    as the completion of one's duty to Sparta.
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    Upon their death,
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    only men who died in battle
    and women who died in childbirth
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    were given tombstones.
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    In the eyes of their countrymen,
    both died so that Sparta could live.
Title:
This is Sparta: Fierce warriors of the ancient world - Craig Zimmer
Description:

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/this-is-sparta-fierce-warriors-of-the-ancient-world-craig-zimmer

In ancient Greece, violent internal conflict between border neighbors and war with foreign invaders was a way of life, and Greeks were considered premier warriors. Sparta, specifically, had an army of the most feared warriors in the ancient world. What were they doing to produce such fierce soldiers? Craig Zimmer shares some of the lessons that might have been taught at Spartan school.

Lesson by Craig Zimmer, animation by TED-Ed.

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Video Language:
English
Team:
closed TED
Project:
TED-Ed
Duration:
04:28

English subtitles

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