The Rise and Fall of Sparta - From Superpower to Tourist Attraction DOCUMENTARY

In this history documentary we recap the history of Sparta. This began long ago in the Bronze age which saw a rather glacial period of development that slowed even further in the Greek dark ages. However during the Archaic period a series of four villages eventually banded together to form a loose urban center that would later be called Sparta. They used their collective might to first dominate the local area, conquering the valley of Laconia before taking over neighboring Messenia over the course of the 8th and 7th centuries BC. During the 6th century BC it went on to undergo a series of reforms that saw the emergence of the Laws of Lycurgus and a more stark division between the citizen and non-citizen groups. This set the stage for Sparta to use its might to form the Peloponnesian League which collectively had the most powerful land army in all of Greece.

Thus in the 5th century BC, Sparta was able to take a commanding role in the Greco-Persian wars and truly shine in the battles of Thermopylae and Plataea. It would then go on to win the Peloponnesian War against Athens and become the master of Greece. This would be the pinnacle of its rise to power. However this would be fatally undermined by a cratering citizen population which soon led to a dramatic fall from grace. It would take several hundred years but eventually Sparta would be able to pick itself back up, this time as a tourist attraction dedicated to its glorious past. We cover the ways in which this occurred and its a fascinating look into an otherwise forgotten part of the history of Sparta.

Bibliography and Suggested Reading:
“Spartans: A New History”, by Nigel M. Kennell
“Hellenistic and Roman Sparta: A Tale of Two Cities” by Paul Cartledge and Anthony Spawforth
“The Credibility of Early Spartan History” by Chester G. Starr
“Sayings of Spartans” by Plutarch
"The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-heroes of Ancient Greece" by Paul Anthony Cartledge
S. Hodkinson, Property and Wealth in Classical Sparta (2000)
J. Ducat, Spartan Education: Youth and Society in the Classical Period (2006)
S.M. Rusch, Sparta at War: Strategy, Tactics and Campaigns, 550-362 BC (2011)
E. Rawson, The Spartan Tradition in European Thought (1969)
S. Hodkinson & I.M. Morris (eds.), Sparta in Modern Thought (2012)

Credits:
Research: Chris Das Neves
Script: Chris Das Neves
Narration: Invicta
Artwork: Beverly Johnson

#History
#Sparta
#Documentary

[kevting]

Sparta then: "THIS. IS. SPARTA!"

Sparta now: "Buy our replica spear and shield at the gift shops! Only 50 Denarii."

[monadsingleton]

*And, two thousand years later, Roman civilization itself is a giant tourist trap.*

[junkyardjoe]

So Sparta essentially was the middle-aged man who spent the rest of his life trying to relive his high school football glory days?

[starbreeze]

I always wonder how Sparta felt when Alexander was conquering the world, sending back gifts to "All the Greeks... except Sparta."

[llhbsdh]

Fun fact: Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos restored the Spartan war-like tradition by creating a squadron called the "Lacedaemonians" composed of 10.000 elite warriors and if we believe Anna Komnena's Alexiad they were trained near Mystras (almost Sparta) following their traditional "agōgē"
plus Byzantine generals at this time were encouraged to memorize the tactis of erlier Spartan kings most notable Agesilaus and Leonidas.

[aaronbasham]

Perfect, now everyone knows that Sparta was the ancient equivalent of Disney Land

[kiteracer]

My roots are from Sparta, I have family that still lives in Sparta, I’ve stayed in Sparta many times, and I can unequivocally tell you that there is nothing cool going on in modern day Sparta.

[miketacos]

Modern Greece: “We need more tourism!”
Spartans: “I have an idea. Gimme that whip.”

[LudosErgoSum]

I wanted to do the group tour to Thermopylae, but they were sold out.





They had space for only 300.

[KonekoEalain]

I also had no idea that Sparta became a big mock up of itself, very interesting. The antagonistic relationship of Sparta to the rest of Greece may have been why Phillip didn't bother to conquer them, better to have the threat of them force the rest of Greece into his hegemony.

[cruzaider]

"It do be like that sometimes"
-Every civilization to ever exist

[angela_merkeI]

"TONIGHT YOU DINE IN HELL...as most famous restaurant for traditional Spartan dishes! Come and try our black broth! And if you celebrate your birthday here, you'll get a Leonidas figurine extra!

[wargriffin]

@12:50 Hey Roman parents! Do your children disrespect you? Talk back to you? Refuse to stand when you enter the room, or bring honor to the family name? Give them a one-way ticket this summer to the "Spartan Agoge for Troubled Kids!"






(Disclaimer: The "Spartan Agoge for Troubled Kids" is not liable if your son returns slightly more gay than when he left. Prospective clients are advised: "Caveat Emptor.")

[thegermaniccoenus]

16:40 I didn't realize Sellasia was that close to Sparta.

To those who are wondering, that was the sight of the battle where the Macedonian-Achaean armies of Antigonus III Doson defeated the Spartan army (armed in a Macedonian-style phalanx) of Cleomenes III. That was also the first time where Sparta was militarily occupied by a non-Spartan general (i.e Antigonus III)

[connorgolden]

Crazy how quickly one can go from being on top to an irrelevant backwater at the bottom.

[jonbaxter]

Sparta: We have no walls!
Pyrrhus: Looking in interest...

[fallenbirch]

Why does stealing the cheese actually sound fun

[CG-yqxy]

In between the final abandonment of the city and it's reestablishment in the 1800's, the inhabitants fled to the more fortified and mountainous peninsula of Mani. There they more or less maintained their own lifestyle isolated from the outside world. Last we hear of them is around the ~800's, where a bishop is sending them a letter to abandon their pagan ways and convert to Christianity.

[legateelizabeth]

It's amazing how we see even ancient cities relying on a tourist economy ultimately doom themselves but we keep doing it.

[CursedDepartmentEastOffice]

The problem was Sparta didn't research or build the buildings required to train Horse Archers and Hellenic Cataphracts.