{"id":1997430,"date":"2023-08-11T04:07:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T08:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-this-sparta-revisionists-get-the-legendary-warriors-all-wrong\/"},"modified":"2023-08-11T04:14:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T08:14:13","slug":"is-this-sparta-revisionists-get-the-legendary-warriors-all-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-this-sparta-revisionists-get-the-legendary-warriors-all-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparta: Revisionists Misunderstand Legendary Warriors"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fis-this-sparta-revisionists-get-the-legendary-warriors-all-wrong%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1997430&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>Busting \u200cthe Myth: The Truth About Sparta&#8217;s Military<\/h2>\n<p>Bret Devereaux has a problem\u2064 with the Spartans. He\u2019s concerned that so much of\u200b U.S. culture admires ancient Greece\u2019s most famous bronze-clad warriors. In a \u2063Foreign Policy <em><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2023\/07\/22\/sparta-popular-culture-united-states-military-bad-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">article<\/a><\/em>  published this July, he claims ancient\u2063 Sparta\u2019s military reputation \u2062is a myth, and\u200b that the city-state was a\u2064 \u201cproto-fascist\u201d\u200c entity \u201cunworthy of emulation.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The article completely ignores Sparta\u2019s well-merited, \u2063legendary military reputation and falsely tars Sparta as \u201cfascist.\u201d \u2062This characterization\u2064 is not only vague but also self-defeating. One of the \u2064standout \u200bcharacteristics of fascist regimes is their militarism, yet Devereaux describes Sparta\u200b as a pleasure-loving society of weaklings with an unmerited reputation for military might.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Questioning the Spartan Brand<\/h3>\n<p>Devereaux\u2064 also states that the Spartan brand has \u201cbecome a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/7-lying-media-outlets-claiming-crt-isnt-being-taught-in-public-schools\/\" title=\"7 Lying Media Outlets Claiming CRT Isn\u2019t Being Taught in Public Schools\">political rallying cry<\/a>, including by\u200d members of the extreme right who stormed\u2063 the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.\u201d Trying to tar \u200band feather what he calls the \u201cSpartan brand\u201d by associating it with Jan. 6 makes as\u2064 much sense as claiming that McDonald\u2019s should be associated with the communist Soviet flag because of its red and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-did-banksy-create-this-image-about-vladimir-putin-and-ukraine\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: Did Banksy Create This Image About Vladimir Putin And Ukraine?\">yellow color scheme<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He expresses special concern for the \u201cU.S. military\u2019s love of all things\u200c Spartan.\u201d Perhaps the fact that some service members love watching \u201c300\u201d is less concerning\u200b than the military\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/defense\/commentary\/the-military-recruiting-crisis-getting-worse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recruiting crisis<\/a>, the result of its\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/powerpost\/republicans-joint-chiefs-chairman-critical-race-theory-congress\/2021\/06\/23\/84654c34-d451-11eb-9f29-e9e6c9e843c6_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">embrace<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">critical race theory<\/a>, medical mandates, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2023\/03\/29\/top-military-officials-questioned-over-drag-shows-military-bases.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">drag shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Devereaux did not discuss Sparta\u2019s sophisticated political system. The\u2063 Spartans had a unique\u200c dual monarchy in\u200d which two kings from different dynasties shared their \u200brule, limiting the power of \u200bboth.\u200b The kings also shared power with an executive \u200ccouncil of magistrates known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livius.org\/articles\/concept\/ephor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ephors<\/a>, a Spartan \u201cSenate\u201d called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csun.edu\/~hcfll004\/sparta-c.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gerousia<\/a> that included Spartans over \u2062age\u200b 60, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/historyforce.com\/the-apella-in-ancient-sparta-origins-importance-and-powers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apella<\/a>, a democratic assembly representing Sparta\u2019s free \u2062male citizenry.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s true that Spartan society had its difficulties and flaws. Life <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/8-reasons-it-wasnt-easy-being-spartan#:~:text=The%20state%20counseled%20that%20men,his%20active%20duty%20military%20service.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">was \u200charsh<\/a> for Spartan citizens.\u2064 They dedicated \u2064their lives to military discipline and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greecehighdefinition.com\/blog\/ancient-greek-recipe-spartan-black-broth-melas-zomos-how-to-make-the-spartan-black-soup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ate \u2064food<\/a> that would make many modern stomachs churn. The married\u2064 men couldn\u2019t even\u2064 see their wives <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/8-reasons-it-wasnt-easy-being-spartan#:~:text=The%20state%20counseled%20that%20men,his%20active%20duty%20military%20service.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">until the age of 30<\/a> due to the demands of\u2064 life in the barracks, at which they\u2064 were legally forced to\u2064 spend years of their lives.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>The Spartan\u2064 Military Might<\/h3>\n<p>The Spartan system relied on an underclass of slaves, known as helots, to care for the land and produce food. The Spartans brutally treated the helots, but if\u2063 we call them \u201cfascist\u201d because \u2064they held slaves, then \u2064that would make everyone \u200bin the \u2064ancient world, from Gallic tribes to the Persian Empire,\u2063 a goose-stepping \u200dNazi.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Spartan society wasn\u2019t perfect, and we shouldn\u2019t emulate every aspect\u200c of\u2062 it. It still, however, formed a remarkable network\u2063 of checks and balances that gave the Spartan state stability for a long time and prevented a\u2063 tyrant from arising in the mold of a Nero or a Caligula. It\u2063 might have influenced the Roman Republic\u2019s system of checks and\u2063 balances\u2063 and thus, indirectly, America\u2019s \u2014 considering how \u2063much inspiration the American founders drew from ancient Rome.<\/p>\n<p>So much for Spartan politics. Is Devereaux correct in his\u200d critique \u200bof Sparta\u2019s military?<\/p>\n<p>Devereaux disagrees with the presentation of the Spartans as \u201csuperior warriors from an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-this-sparta-revisionists-get-the-legendary-warriors-all-wrong\/\" title=\"Sparta: Revisionists Misunderstand Legendary Warriors\">ultra-militarized society bravely defending freedom<\/a>,\u201d and he argues the Spartans\u2019 military might is overrated. To support\u2062 this revisionist statement, he claims they were \u201ctactically and strategically \u2064uncreative,\u201d that they lacked military innovation, and that their famous <em>agoge<\/em> educational system was not \u201can\u2064 intense \u200dmilitary bootcamp\u201d but rather \u201cprimarily designed to instill obedience and conformity rather than skill at arms or tactics.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>The Spartan\u2063 Military\u200b Excellence<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s true that the Spartans weren\u2019t eight-foot-tall super soldiers with Arnold Schwarzenegger muscles who thought only of \u2064war and whose six-packs could stop a bullet. But they were still widely recognized to be the best soldiers \u200dof ancient Greece.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Qualified Spartan men fought\u200d as\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/ancient-greece\/sparta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">full-time professional soldiers<\/a> at a\u200b time when the \u200brest of the Greek world \u200brelied on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realmofhistory.com\/2022\/08\/02\/10-things-you-may-not-have-known-about-the-greek-hoplites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">part-time hoplite levies<\/a> with only limited military training. The warriors from \u2064other\u2062 Greek city-states were usually farmers \u2062first and soldiers \u2064second \u2014 but \u200bSpartans dedicated \u200dtheir lives to battle.<\/p>\n<p>It is\u200b this commitment\u200d to having a professional standing army that allowed the Spartans to gain a significant edge over their enemies. Spartans put\u200c a premium on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/sparta-warriors-training\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fitness<\/a> as well as continual drilling: They \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/sparta-warriors-training\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">drilled \u2062relentlessly, until they could execute tactics with perfection<\/a>.\u201d \u200bAs the historian Paul Cartledge \u2062points out in <em>The Spartans<\/em>, their \u201cconstant drilling\u201d led \u200bto \u201ctight co-ordination, rigid discipline and high morale,\u201d granting them a \u2064level of\u2064 professionalism that their adversaries simply could not match.<\/p>\n<p>Other advantages of Spartan armies included their unique ability for \u201cstealthy movement by night\u201d (as Cartledge explains), \u200ctheir\u200b <a href=\"http:\/\/www.perseus.tufts.edu\/hopper\/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0210%3Atext%3DConst.+Lac.%3Achapter%3D11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wearing of a red uniform<\/a> that gave their armies \u200dthe appearance of unity, and their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greyhawkes.com\/blacksword\/spartan%20combat%20arts%202001\/1-pages\/orgainization\/units.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">high officer-to-soldier ratio<\/a> that improved their command ability and made maneuvering more\u2062 efficient.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the best argument \u200bfor Sparta\u2019s fearsome reputation is what their enemies knew about them. Devereaux might think the Spartans were pansies, but \u200dhe\u2019d have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pga-tour-could-face-legal-challenges-for-suspending-liv-players\/\" title=\"PGA Tour Could Face Legal Challenges for Suspending LIV Players\">tough time convincing<\/a> the Athenians, who, for almost the entire three-decade\u200b duration of the Peloponnesian War, refused to meet the Spartans in open battle on land. The \u2063only major pitched land\u2064 battle that Athenians \u2063and\u200b Spartans fought during this war was the Battle of Mantineia \u2014 \u200ba decisive loss for the Athenians.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, Sparta played a\u200d crucial role\u2064 in defending Greece during the Persian king Xerxes\u2019 invasion.\u2062 They not only fought to the death at Thermopylae, but they were also all-important in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/persian-wars-battle-of-plataea-2360862\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Battle of Plataea<\/a>, in which an \u2063alliance of Greek city-states defeated the main \u2064Persian army and finally banished the Persians from mainland \u200dGreece forever.<\/p>\n<p>Pointing to certain Spartan defeats throughout their long history to \u2064try to demonstrate their weakness,\u2063 as Devereaux attempts, does not negate the fact that their military reigned supreme for much of ancient Greek history.<\/p>\n<p>We can admire Sparta\u2019s military, its achievements on the battlefield, and its complex political \u2063system.\u200b We cannot cave to \u200dthe pressure of presentists who \u2064want to cancel an entire ancient culture. \u2062This path, as we \u2064have seen, leads to calumniating our \u2063own\u200c history, tarring the Founding Fathers as irredeemably\u2063 evil, and slandering anything they\u2019ve ever \u2062accomplished, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/scholarship.law.upenn.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1259&#038;context=penn_law_review_online\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Constitution<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salon.com\/2019\/07\/04\/fourth-of-julys-ugly-truth-exposed-the-declaration-of-independence-is-sexist-racist-and-prejudice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">America\u2019s founding ideals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So don\u2019t feel guilty the next time you watch \u201c300,\u201d read the \u200cexcellent <em>Gates of Fire<\/em>, \u200bor run the Spartan Race \u2014 all of which Devereaux lists\u2063 in his\u200c lament of cultural phenomena that have adopted the \u200c\u201cSpartan brand.\u201d Instead, be encouraged to learn more about this \u2063fascinating \u2063ancient warrior society, not ignoring their flaws but still appreciating their heroism and skill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bret Devereaux criticizes the admiration for Spartans in U.S. culture, arguing that their military reputation is a myth. In a July Foreign Policy article, he labels ancient Sparta as a &#8220;proto-fascist&#8221; entity unworthy of emulation. However, the article fails to acknowledge other aspects of Sparta&#8217;s history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1740,"featured_media":1997431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1997430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1740"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1997430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1997431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1997430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1997430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1997430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}