Re:Sparta was more than an army of super warriors
by dragontamer on Friday October 01, 2021 @11:36AM
(#28719817)
The propaganda of an elite class of warriors is useful. It's basically why the US Marines exist, and such stories are useful for recruitment and morale purposes. (Furthermore: Army can pickup on the engineering, supply and logistics problems).
But there is also the truth and history that we want to learn about sometimes. I think the Spartan mythos was useful to other Greeks, and the Spartan mythos remains useful today (in the form of US Marines).
But the myth is distinct from the real and actual history. It is beneficial to peel back the propaganda sometimes and analyze history for what it is.
Spartans did not win battles more often than others. Spartans couldn't field an army for extended periods of time. Etc. Etc. And yet we have these stories and written history of how great a warrior they were.
Thus: they probably were good at fighting (almost universally accepted). But war is more than just a fight. All the other bits of war were hampered by Spartan society, most noticably their illiteracy.
But there is also the truth and history that we want to learn about sometimes. I think the Spartan mythos was useful to other Greeks, and the Spartan mythos remains useful today (in the form of US Marines).
But the myth is distinct from the real and actual history. It is beneficial to peel back the propaganda sometimes and analyze history for what it is.
Spartans did not win battles more often than others. Spartans couldn't field an army for extended periods of time. Etc. Etc. And yet we have these stories and written history of how great a warrior they were.
Thus: they probably were good at fighting (almost universally accepted). But war is more than just a fight. All the other bits of war were hampered by Spartan society, most noticably their illiteracy.