The Spartan general came to the meeting being more simplistic, riding out to meet his foes on a horse together with a few bodyguards. The Assyrian commander came in a golden lavish chariot pulled by 4-horses and flanked by spear men and archers. These men were no barbarians they were two of the most highly-disciplined and powerful soldiers the ancient world has ever seen.Īs customary to battles at that time, the generals and negotiators came to meet each other first, to discuss any alternatives to spare their men from certain death. The two sides met face to face, none of whom dared to attack first without the orders of their general. On one the side were the brutal Spartans of Greece, who marched along in tight formation with their well-trained heavy infantry, archer auxiliaries and small cavalry. One was the might Assyrian army, a highly versatile war machine comprised of the best infantry, archery and chariotry in all the Fertile Crescent. In a small flat grassy field in the Peloponnese, two colossal armies came to face each other. A shell of its former self, Sparta was unable and unwilling to prevent Macedonia led by Philp II from conquering Greece and was later conquered by Philip's son, Alexander the Great.īattle vs. However, because of their unwillingness to campaign too far from home and the betrayal at the hands of Pausanias, one Sparta's generals, Sparta with drawing into isolation, leading to Athen's rise to power.Īfter suffering massive casualties during the Peloponnesian Wars, a declining birth rate, and the shrinking of its Spartiate warrior caste, Sparta would eventually lose its hegemony, never to enjoy the same power again. The Spartan army played a crucial role in the repulsion of the invasion. After Sparta and its allies emerged victorious over the Athenia lead Delian League during the Peloponnesus War, it obtained hegemony over southern Greece.ĭuring the Greco-Persian Wars, Sparta was assigned the overall leadership of Greek forces on both land and sea.
During the early 8th century, Sparta's society developed its militaristic nature thanks to the reforms of Lycurgus and embarked on a steady expansion, first by subduing Amyclae and the other Laconian settlements. Little of Sparta's military history during the Mycenaean age remains unknown as a lot of knowledge was lost during the Greek Dark Age thanks to the Dorian invasion. The first known instance of Sparta being involved in the military conflict was in the legendary Trojan War as described in the Iliad, in which Sparta and Troy lead two opposing factions of Greek city-states against each other. According to Greek tradition, the Spartan army was founded by the semi-mythical Spartan legislator Lycurgus. The height of Sparta's military might lasted between the 6th and 4th century BC, during which they gained their legendary reputation as incredibly disciplined warriors in the various wars against Persia. The Spartan army stood at the centre of Spartan society, men were expected to start their military training at a young age and were only able to obtain citizenship through military service.