![]() ![]() The Spartans enslaved an entire population, the Helots You can read Herodotus’ account of the Battle of Thermopylae here. So, there we have it, 300 Spartans went to Thermopylae, and only Aristodamus and Pantites came back alive (though not for long).Īristodamus and Pantites nowhere to be seen… ![]() When Pantites return to Sparta, he was so ashamed not have been in the battle that he hanged himself! He was away at the time of battle bringing a message to Thessaly. The second Spartan who avoided death at Thermopylae was Pantites. He returned to Sparta with great shame (he later redeemed himself at the battle of Plataea where he died). Eurytus bravely charged into battle and died. Herodotus informs us that two Spartans, Eurytus and Aristodamus, were being treated for serious eye infections when they heard that the Persians had found a way around the pass so as to attack the Greek forces. Two of the Spartans sent to Thermopylae did not die in the battle. 298, rather than 300, Spartans, died at Thermopylaeģ00 is probably the first thing that most people associate with Sparta, both the 2006 Zack Snyder film (based on the graphic novel), and that 300 Spartans fought at the infamous battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE. I am the only women in the whole of Greece to take this crown.Īpelleas, son of Kallikleos made. I Cynisca, victorious with the chariot of swift-footed horses, Spartan kings are my fathers and brothers. The fragmentary statue base and victory poem of Cynisca. In fact, we can still read Cynisca’s victory poem, dedicated at Olympia with a bronze statue for all to see: If this was Agesilaus’ intention, it did not work, and Cynsica’s achievement would later be praised in Sparta, where a hero shrine was established for her ( Pausanias, 3.15.1). Xenophon, in his biographical work on Agesilaus II (Cynsica’s brother), claims that Agesilaus encouraged his sister to enter the chariot race in order to discredit it as a sporting event ( it required no skill, only wealth). However, while it is easy for us to see this first female victory and look favourably on it, not everyone in the ancient world would have. For a woman to then win this event would have caused quite a stir! In fact, women were not allowed within the sanctuary of Olympia while the games were on. The four-horse chariot race was a very aristocratic and highly praised event. That should by no means diminish Cynisca’s achievement though. To qualify this achievement, she did not actively race in the event herself, but, as was the custom, she trained and bred the horses that competed, and funded the chariot and its racer. The event that she won both times was the four-horse chariot race. She did this some 2412 years ago in 396 BCE (and again in 392 BCE). She was the first woman to win at the Olympic games. The first female Olympic victor was SpartanĬynisca is someone more people should know about. As such, this post includes some interesting facts (and theories) about ancient Sparta that you might not know, enjoy! However, the popular image of Sparta propagates a version of Sparta, our version of Sparta, and this is often quite removed from the ancient sources and idealised. Sparta was one of the most important cities in ancient Greece, and the stories of its heroic warriors continue to be retold through modern films and stories.
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