WarlikeMenelaos
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 13, 2005
- Messages
- 74
Their greatness comes from many aspects of their life that personally I find refreshing. The Spartans did not become a 'comfort' state but prefered a simple plain life without the need to fill their lives with trivial things. True patriotism is another very noble thing, so is viewing everyone the age of your parents as your parents. Respect for those young and old, plus we shouldn't forget how 'free' women were in Spartan society compared to being practicly prisoners in their own houses in Athens.
Their government is an interesting one, two Kings, five Ephors (overseers) who have the power to depose a King if they have enough evidence. Plus a committee of elders (retired soldiers) who while they were voted in, it was a joke of an election because only friends of the Kings or other important people would come to power.
People seem to have such a love for democracy these days that you fail to realise that Kings worked for such a long time and during the reigns of good Kings the people were happy. People actually liked being ruled and if the King was a bad one they could revolt. Despite various slave revolts in Spartan history their government was more stable than any nation has ever been.
Spartans may have failed to spread their influence across all of Greece (despite the fact they managed to beat Athens in war) but they still managed to influence the Roman and and even British Empires.
Their government is an interesting one, two Kings, five Ephors (overseers) who have the power to depose a King if they have enough evidence. Plus a committee of elders (retired soldiers) who while they were voted in, it was a joke of an election because only friends of the Kings or other important people would come to power.
People seem to have such a love for democracy these days that you fail to realise that Kings worked for such a long time and during the reigns of good Kings the people were happy. People actually liked being ruled and if the King was a bad one they could revolt. Despite various slave revolts in Spartan history their government was more stable than any nation has ever been.
Spartans may have failed to spread their influence across all of Greece (despite the fact they managed to beat Athens in war) but they still managed to influence the Roman and and even British Empires.