The Dangerous Situation of Sparta
The distinctiveness of the Spartan
way of life1 was fundamentally a reaction to their living in the midst of people whom they
had conquered in war and enslaved to exploit economically but who outnumbered them
greatly. To maintain their position of superiority over their conquered neighbors, from
whom they derived their subsistence, Spartan men had to turn themselves into a society
of soldiers constantly on guard. They accomplished this transformation by a radical
restructuring of traditional family life enforced by strict adherence to the laws and
customs governing practically all aspects of behavior. Through constant, daily
reinforcement of their strict code of values, the Spartans ensured their survival
against the enemies they had created by subjugating their neighbors. The seventh-century
poet Tyrtaeus, whose verses exemplify the high quality of the poetry produced in early
Sparta before its military culture began to exclude such accomplishments, expressed that
code in his ranking of martial courage as the supreme male value: “I would
never remember or mention in my work any man for his speed afoot or wrestling skill, not
if he was as huge and strong as a Cyclops or could run faster than the North Wind, nor
more handsome than Tithonus or richer than Midas or Cinyras, nor more kingly than
Pelops, or had speech more honeyed than Adrastus, not even if he possessed every
glory—not unless he had the strength of a warrior in full rush.”
