Sparta - Ancient History: Greece

In ancient Spartan society there were generally two Kings and five elected Ephors. The Ephors were elected by the body of eligible voting citizens in Sparta. Their primary responsibility was to oversee the actions of Sparta’s Kings. They were also responsible for enforcing Sparta’s laws and were the leading judicial authority in Spartan territory.

The Spartans, like many other Greek city-states, formulated an extensive legal code over several centuries, beginning in the early Archaic Era. However, unlike other city-states, the Spartan legal code was never codified and written down. Instead, it was passed on and preserved and strengthened from generation to generation as a sort of universally understood system of laws. Not unlike English “common law” of the Medieval period.

For most of its history as a powerful city-state, Sparta was ruled by two kings and a body of wealthy aristocrats. The presence of the two kings might suggest that Sparta was a monarchy, but in actuality the government was administered by a group of five oligarchs known as ephors and an assembly of dozens of officials called “the council of elders.”

Spartan society, during the Archaic and Classical periods, emphasized strength, loyalty, and obedience above all other qualities. Centuries of warfare and the enslavement of neighboring peoples had won Sparta many enemies. As a result, all members of Spartan society were trained and educated to be vigilant, disciplined, and devoted to the protection of Sparta from her many rivals. This naturally meant that literature and art was discouraged in Spartan society, especially as Sparta grew more powerful. The literature and art that was allowed was almost always designed to promote Spartan social values and to encourage obedience to the law.

Citizenship in Sparta was generally conferred on all Spartans at birth. It was never extended to helots or foreigners, and even a helot who had earned his freedom could still never become a citizen. Citizenship was, however, a tenuous right in Spartan society. It could be taken away from an individual if he was not fully dedicated to military training, or if he violated the Spartan way of life. Indeed, there were several different ways in which a Spartan man might find himself deemed inadequate and not useful enough to keep his citizenship.

Spartan society emphasized martial prowess and military discipline above everything else. Spartan boys were generally taken from their family home at the age of seven. They were then expected to live in a communal barracks for the rest of their young lives. Their life was geared around military training.

Sparta peaked as a Mediterranean power during the Peloponnesian War with Athens. Within one hundred years, however, Spartan society had declined to the point where it was not even a regional power. The primary reason for this decline was that Sparta had suffered massive population loss from decades of near-constant warfare. There were simply too few Spartan men to keep up the numbers.

During the Battles of Pylos and Sphacteria, 120 full-blooded Spartan hoplites were stranded on a barren island. They were forced to surrender when peace terms were rejected by the Athenians and the Athenians subsequently surrounded them. For the first time, the Spartans were defeated.

Lysander was the most successful Spartan naval commander during the Peloponnesian War. His victories crippled the Athenian's capabilities to import grain to their city. He eventually destroyed the Athenian fleet, forcing their final surrender.