Sparta was a city-state of ancient Greece. It was the chief city of a region called Laconia. Spartans loved military strength and ruled harshly.
Sparta was very different from Athens, another great city-state of ancient Greece. The Spartans did not care about art or philosophy. Instead they valued bravery, strength, and obedience.
At age 7, Spartan boys had to leave their parents. The boys grew up together in military-style groups. They built up their bodies by exercising and playing sports. The strongest and bravest became captains. Girls also learned Spartan values, but their upbringing was less strict.
All male Spartan citizens became soldiers at age 20. Men retired from soldiering at age 60 and could then become elders.
Sparta had two kings who ruled together. A council of elders helped the kings to rule. Only citizens of Sparta could participate in the government. A group of people who lived outside of the city worked in Sparta as merchants and craftspeople. A third group called the helots farmed the lands of the Spartans. The helots were almost like slaves. They made up most of the population of Laconia
Sparta was most likely founded in the 800s bce. Spartan armies helped to fight off Persian invaders of Greece in wars called the Persian Wars (492–449 bce). Athens won the biggest victories in the Persian Wars. However, in the Peloponnesian War (431–404 bce), Sparta defeated Athens and became the most powerful Greek city.
Sparta’s power did not last long. Later battles weakened many of the Greek city-states. By 339 bce King Philip II of Macedonia had conquered most of Greece, including Sparta. In the 100s bce, Roman armies took over Sparta. A Germanic group called the Visigoths destroyed the city in 396 ce.
