Spartan Warrior Culture and the Modern Age

Student paper for credit in HIST 2210, LC
Written by: G. Read-Friedmann

I wanted to learn more about the warrior race from ancient Greece and find out what it was that set them apart and made them legendary compared to the other fighting forces of the time. What I wanted to discover next after learning more about their warrior culture, was to analyze modern-day athletes and find one who compares to legends and see what kind of impact they might’ve had on them. The Spartans whole identity was centered around their military and the warriors’ prowess in battle, and they made their military the highest honor in society. In my research I hoped to learn a lot more about some of the methods the Spartans used to make their warriors so fierce, and why they were so essential to preserving the Spartan way of living.

The Spartans were an incredibly fierce people, though not the most populous in the Ancient Greek world they had a great military. Part of what made their military so effective was the Spartan culture. The Spartans inhabited an area of Greece called Peloponnesus, and we’re a deeply religious people, sometimes calling off or delaying entire campaigns in order to observe a holy festival. From a young age, Spartan boys were trained in a most grueling and effective way in order to teach them how to function as part of a group and endure almost any hardship. Boys were trained to be warriors from the ages of 7, being separated and forced to live in barracks with the other boys who would become their brothers in arms. They were given little in the way of comforts, a solitary cloak that could also act as a blanket was usually the only comfort given. (Hodkinson) Being reared in conditions like this instills a certain fortitude in a person and made them dedicated to their country’s cause. This way of life was ingrained in and forced on all of them, and those who didn’t measure up were tossed out and shunned. They were extremely effective in the Second Peloponnesian war. It was a war that was between Athens and her allies and the Spartans and theirs. The ultimate victors after almost 30 years of fighting, making them the dominant power in Ancient Greece. (Thucydides) 

The Spartans were incredibly talented warriors, but this was no accident. This military education of boys was a program created by the Lycurgus with the intention of strengthening Sparta. (Britannica) The program seemed to have work, as they were feared in the ancient world for their land battle capabilities and were able to enlarge their territory by waging war and submitting the inhabitants. The Spartans came to rely on this system, having all the subdued inhabitants be subjected to working the fields, essentially as slaves, and called these people helots. With the helots ensuring the Spartans would be fed, it left more men and resources available to be put towards their already fearsome military. An interesting fact that shows how much faith the Spartans had in their ability to defend themselves is a stark lack of walls or defensive strictures on their borders or towns. It was said that the spears of Sparta’s men were greater than any wall and would destroy those who attempt to invade. (Thucydides)

A quote that has been passed down I find really that embodies the spartan spirit passed down to us rests at Thermopylae. Though the original has not lasted, we have the words copied down by historians and in the mid 20th century and recreation of the monument was made. It reads “Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie."(Manning) It shows their extreme sacrifice, and willingness to do whatever it took in order to ensure victory at a later date. The battle at Thermopylae was crucial in slowing the Persians down and allowing the rest of the Greek Armies to convene in time, leaving King Leonidas and a few hundred of his best warriors, along with some Thebans and Thespians to defend the pass.

For a modern-day comparison, I looked towards combat sports because those sports require an intense and almost lifelong dedication in order to become successful. Although I’m not the biggest fan of either boxing or mixed martial arts I have a deep respect for the athletes that compete in them. A shining example of this dedication is the recently retired and undefeated champion of the lightweight division Khabib Nurmagomedov. Hailing from the Dagestan region in Russia, he was born and bred to fight. His training took over from a young age and his talents in grappling are said to be unmatched. (ESPN) The video of Khabib online shows just how seriously he takes his training, using nature as one of his toughest challenges, he can be seen swimming up an almost frozen rover in Russia or talking about how he used to train wrestling bears when he was younger. He is also a deeply religious man, similar to how the Spartans but much faith in the gods and even refused to fight during some periods Khabib does the same, a practicing Muslim, he puts his family and faith above his fighting career.

The Spartan mentality is not something that all can replicate, they took everything to the very extremes and were rewarded with results. The same can be said for Khabib, he was coached by his father from an early age after watching some of the students wrestle in his father’s gym. Khabib was trained by his father in the styles of judo, wrestling, and sambo, making him an extremely dangerous grappler, who often forces his opponents onto the ground and forces them into submission. One of the more interesting techniques Khabib’s father Abdulmanap used was forcing Khabib to wrestle with bears when he was 9. The training was supposed to help Khabib “build character” and going to extreme lengths like that is what it takes to transcend a sport and become almost larger than life. This is very similar to how we think of the Spartans warriors today, we romanticize their story and show them as these unbeatable forces, but the reality of the hardships endured, and grueling training is sometimes glossed over. Not everyone has the stomach to endure this kind of training or the dedication to see it through, so the fact that he’s been doing it since a young age which is nearly the same age the Spartan boys were forced to start their training.

Through my research, I think that I’ve uncovered what I’d be looking for in regard to the Spartans history. What set them apart from the others wasn’t solely their skill (though it was superior) is was more the mentality and spirit that had been cultivated in their people over more than a hundred years of state education and forced futures. They weren’t given independence and the chance to choose their future for themselves, but it seemed to create a deep national pride that the whole country bought into, and they were ready to protect that at all costs. This reminds me of Khabib because although he had the choice to be a fighter, he was trained by his father from such a young age that it may have appeared more like a foregone conclusion rather than a choice that he would become a fighter. He was trained in the same mentality as the Spartans, to fight to the end and never give up, using natural elements like animals and forces of nature to enhance his training, and keeping resolute faith in his religion. The difference between them comes in Khabib’s undefeated record, he never lost a professional bout while the Spartans started to decline around 370 BC. Their decline was due in part to dwindling population, and to the growing strength of the other major Greek Poleis’ of the time. Eventually Alexander the Great would subdue all of Greece before turning his conquests east, but Khabib managed to go out on top as a champion. He retired recently after losing his father but there are rumors that he could make a return in the future. I believe that the tale of the modern Spartan is far from over.

The Spartans and Khabib are like-minded in their pursuit of absolute victory and domination over their opponents at the time. The intensity with which they both trained and dedicated their lives to achieve the goal of victory shows that this is an apt comparison. While I can’t say whether or not Khabib truly drew inspiration from the Spartan way of life, it is clear from their training methods to the extreme dedication that Khabib could be considered a Spartan’s modern-day equal. This is some feat, as many athletes express and extreme dedication to their sport and physical strength, but Khabib’s record, unorthodox training methods, and incredible ability set him apart from other athletes, much like how the Spartans stood above the other warriors of the time in terms of quality.

References

Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War. Translated by Thomas Hobbes

Hodkinson, S. (2020). Sparta and war: myths and realities. Historian (02651076), 144, 16. https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=QF9PDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Sparta+and+war:+myths+and+realities.&ots=Zxxyy6ihZ8&sig=mnxq7PKx84-XSkPHV-rYQZjxVmo&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Sparta%20and%20war%3A%20myths%20and%20realities.&f=false 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/8944455/khabib-wrestles-bear-ufc-242/

Atkins, Stuart. Forrester, Richard. “Animal Instincts”. The Sun. 9th September 2019

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lycurgus-Spartan-lawgiver

Editors of Britannica encyclopedia. Lycurgus. Encyclopedia Britannica. April 18th 2019

https://scottmanning.com/content/warpath-wednesday-go-tell-the-spartans/

Manning, Scott. Historian on the warpath. April 6th 2016

https://www.espn.com/mma/fighter/bio/_/id/2611557/khabib-nurmagomedov