The Karneia- Spartan Festival!

 

Today being my last day in Sparta I wanted to get a better sense of their community. Today was the day when one of the biggest religious festivals in Sparta was held. It's called “The Karneia”. I later found out this festival is held to honor the god Apollo and to celebrate the core value of unity in Sparta. As I looked around the festival people were dressed in simple clothes dancing and gathering in big groups. This was a whole new side of Sparta I haven’t seen before. People were smiling and dancing. It was very lively and fun. There were beautiful melodies being played and wonderful smells of food. The main event of the festival was a game where one person wore a crown and carried valuable items while others chased them, if they were caught it showed that the gods were pleased with Sparta and would be rewarded with strong agriculture. As I was walking around I caught the smell of food again but as soon as I saw the food it was nothing I had yet to see in Sparta. They typically ate very simple food. It's simply not a luxury, it's a necessity. However, today was different. They shared meat and bread together. And shockingly they brought out wine, they were truly present and relaxed in the moment. They were proud of their city and the work and effort they put into it. This was their celebration of the amount of work and effort they put in to protect it. This festival truly showed me a different side of Sparta and that they are so much more than just warriors in their communities as well. From what their training to when they have fun their values never falter and that’s admirable. As I leave Sparta I am leaving nothing short of amazed. Thank you all for supporting and joining me on my time travel journey.

The Krypteia- Police Undercover?

 

After visiting the Agoge, a spartan home, and the temple of Artemis Orthia, I am left at a loss for words at everyone's dedication to create strong warriors, no matter which role they play. Their dedication to this act made me curious what it was all for. Where do all these young boys go after being trained for fighting and protecting their entire life. Some of these boys go to war and fight on the front lines, however the strongest and best boys join the Krypteia(undercover police). Their job was to watch over people they referred to as helots. The helots were people who owned and did most of the labor in Sparta, they were essentially slaves. Sparta was powerful in its own way but they were aware of the power in numbers, this fear forced the creation of the Krypteia. They were instructed to intimidate, scare, or even kill the helots who even thought they were brave. The Krypteia was Sparta's attempt to maintain control, it was cruel no doubt about that but it worked and that's all that mattered to Sparta. These young men I want to say ruthless but they were loyal and were taught there were two options: loyalty or death. The Krypteia was the ultimate exam of Sparta. I watched them train as they moved quietly through obstacles, it sent shivers down my spine of how stealth they truly are. It was terrifying. As I got around to talking to some of these boys they made me feel very uneasy through their stories. In all seriousness, I learned today that Sparta is willing to do anything to maintain control. It was truly a display of their core values. Come join me tomorrow as I end my journey by attending a Spartan religious festival which was one of their many gatherings!    

Visiting a Spartan Home-Spartan Woman

 

After realizing that these young Spartan warriors are not the only ones who display acts of bravery I had to head to a Spartan household to see who was raising these brave warriors. On the outside the houses all looked simple and strong, made by stone and with minimal personality. However, inside the house is what left me in absolute shock. Most other Greek city cultures have their woman be a mere shadow and her duties lie in the house only. Here I encountered a strong and active mother who was teaching her young boy to stand tall and show no fear, she was instilling Spartan values into her young child. In other parts of the house I encountered a woman practicing throwing javelins outside and running, as if she was training for war. They are not training for war, Spartan believed that strong women give birth to strong children. Hence why the woman trained similarly to men. Women are also held up to the same values as men, they must be strong and fearless and serve their city by bearing the next generation of warriors. Women here are allowed to own land and manage their homes while their husband is away, which is very different from other places where women are not allowed to manage anything due to fear of lack of power for the men. Children here are never spoiled, their mothers never sugar coat anything they tell it to them straight. I overheard one mother tell her kid to come back with his shield or on it. Very intense if you ask me… she would rather her son come home a winner then at all. After overhearing that conversation I stepped back inside the house where there were simple wooden beds and a small area for cooking. They definitely lack in luxury which they made up for in practicality. Being in this home made me realize that men are not the only strong warriors but so are the Spartan Women in their communities. Yes, the Spartan women had more freedoms than other women in other greek city states but at the cost of being tough and loyal to Spartan. Come join me tomorrow I will go investigate and see the Krypteia, to learn how they kept control over the Spartan people! 

A Day at the Agoge

               

After yesterday's incredible display of endurance and strength I had to see where the Spartans were training their young warriors. Today, I visited the Agoge, Spartan’s military training school. All these boys started when they were a mere 7 years old and have not stopped training since. Disciplines of strength and loyalty to Spartan were taught here in order to create strong warriors. When I was growing up you would see kids laughing and playing simply being children. Spartan did not treat their boy like that, they were not seen as incapable, they were seen as potential warriors and were treated as such. They were not laughing or smiling. These boys were wrestling and practicing to fight with each other using wooden swords and shields. These boys wore long red gowns draped on their bodies, they were already dirty from rolling around the ground. I saw mentors screaming and pushing the boys, punishing if deemed necessary. These boys were being taught to steal food and punished if caught. Despite training constantly these boys looked very thin almost as if they never ate but no one said anything, ever.I kept asking myself why that was, it was to prepare them for scarcity and hard times in battle. If any one of them ever thought about stepping out of line they were being watched by their elders at all times. I had so many questions at this point and it all kept leading me back to why? Why put these kids through so much fighting? To Spartan it was not mere fighting it was loyalty and trust this training was to train them to put Spartan before themselves. I felt so many emotions ranging from sad to amazed.

Come join me tomorrow! I plan to visit a Spartan home in order to learn more about Spartan women and how they influence and run the estate.

Arrival In Sparta-Temple of Artemis Orthia

 

Today I finally reached Sparta during the 4th Century BCE. My first stop was the Temple of Artemis Orthia. This temple was built proudly for Artemis goddess of strength and the younger generation. Here she was worshiped by those from Sparta for protecting the youth. As soon as I entered the temple I smelled the burning of herbs and saw smoke. I heard chanting priests and clashing shields. The smell of the herbs and boys mixed together to create an unforgettable smell. You could feel the love and willingness to fight they had for Sparta. The Sparta youth and elders were performing a ceremony. The ceremony was a test of endurance and pain tolerance. The young Spartan boys are trying to steal cheese from the older boys from a large stone altar while trying to avoid being whipped. The goal was to grab the cheese, but if you were whipped you were to stay strong and courageous and uphold the values of Sparta. While watching I was wincing at the boys getting hurt, however I met some of their mothers in the crowd who were left emotionless not showing an ounce of sympathy or emotion. Then I found out later that day that Sparta mothers raise their children to be brave and loyal above everything else. These boys are raised to be warriors and nothing else from day one. Seeing this ceremony truly made me realize how no matter if boy, man, or woman all must uphold Spartan values and discipline it is not an expectation it’s a requirement. My goal throughout this journey is allow you guys to see how military strength and discipline follow Spartan culture from the battlefield to inside the home. Tomorrow join me as I go visit where the Agoge(Sparta Military) train their youth!