Greek Life Vs Spartan Life

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Sparta had two kings and two royal families: The Agiads and the Eurypontids, whom the people believed to be descendants of the Greek hero, Heracles the son of Zeus. Therefore, the people believed the Spartan kings were themselves descendants of Zeus, this was part of the reason why Spartans were willing to sacrifice their lives for their kings and follow them until the end without question. Spartans would even engage in ritualistic floggings of adolescent boys. This was to test the endurance and grit of the young boys; it did result in the deaths of some. This was a large part of Sparta’s culture, it resulted in many amphitheaters being used for the bloody events.Unlike Sparta’s contemporaries, being a warrior was the only career they would …show more content…

They banned luxuries like coined money and prostitutes. Although, Spartans were allowed to drink wine and it was accepted that teenagers could drink as well. The main focus of Spartan society was equality, they believed everyone should be the same, which is why they wouldn’t dress up in gold; Unlike the Athenians or the Romans, riches did not matter to Spartans.In Sparta, their pride for being Spartan was a key reason as to why they trained so hard and lived how they did. In Sparta, only two types of people had a tombstone with their name on it; A man who died in battle and a woman that died during childbirth as they both died for the state. Before going to war, the Spartans would consult with the Ethors and the Oracle. When Sparta went to war with Persia the Oracle informed them that Sparta would lose a king or the Persians would conquer Sparta’s homeland.This prophecy became true as King Leonidas died in the Battle of Thermopylae and Sparta ended up winning the war. The people believed they were a “chosen super race” above all other people.Once becoming a soldier, a Spartan had to dedicate his life to