Spartan Military and Man Power

• The Spartans were obsessed with military training.
• There were no occupations for Spartans other than that of the warrior. The city was maintained by slaves who worked the land.
• Training began in childhood.
• At 18 Spartans were given the right to attend meetings of the citizen assembly and go on military expeditions.
• They were famous for being the best warriors and never running from battle. It was Spartan law that retreat was not an option.
• Because of the brutish nature of the Spartans, as well as their reputation, they were renowned and feared.
• The Spartans were never of a massive population. It is believed that the greatest extent of the Spartan population was less than 10,000. By the start of the Peloponnesian war, there may have only been 5,000 Spartans left.
• The Spartans partially relied on the non-Spartan population of Lakonia, called the Periokoi, to help fight their battles.
• The Perioikoi worked for a living. They made the armour and weapons used by the Spartans, as well as pottery, furniture and cloth. They fought alongside the Spartans as hoplites.
• When Sparta needed a large army, they called on the allied states of the Peloponnesian league. The nearest were the cities of Arcadia, which weren't large, but could muster hundreds of soldiers. Larger contingents were contributed by more distant states (Corinth and Thebes)
• These allies provided the majority of hoplites in any Spartan army.