"Begin with your own family."
A witticism attributed to Lycurgus, the legendary lawgiver of Sparta, was a response to a proposal to set up a democracy in Sparta.
"Begin with your own family."
A witticism attributed to Lycurgus, the legendary lawgiver of Sparta, was a response to a proposal to set up a democracy in Sparta.
After being invited to dine at a public table, the sophist Hecataeus was criticized for failing to utter a single word during the entire meal. Archidamidas answered in his defense:
"He who knows how to speak, knows also when."
Last edited by Tanis111; March 9th, 2016 at 07:14 PM.
“States which are trained for nothing but war that, after they have acquired supreme power over those around them, they are ruined; for during peace, like a sword, they lose their brightness. This fault lies with the legestlator who never taught them how to be at rest.”
-Aristotle on why warrior societies will always fail.
Let a man learn how to fight by first daring to perform mighty deeds, Not where the missiles won't reach, if he is armed with a shield, But getting in close where fighting is hand to hand, inflicting a wound With his long spear or his sword, taking the enemy's life, With his foot planted alongside a foot and his shield pressed against shield, And his crest up against crest and his helm up against helm And breast against breast, embroiled in the action—let him fight man to man, Holding secure in his grasp haft of his sword or his spear!
-Tyrtaeus
Spartan poet
To the Soldiers; after a defeat
By: Tyrtaeus of Sparta
c. 630 BC
Now, since you are the seed of Heracles the invincible,
courage! Zeus has not yet turned away from us. Do not
fear the multitude of their men, nor run away from them.
Each man should bear his shield straight at the foremost ranks
and make his heart a thing full of hate, and hold the black flying
spirits of death as dear as he holds the flash of the sun.
You know what havoc is the work of the painful War God,
you have learned well how things go in exhausting war,
for you have been with those who ran and with the pursuers,
O young men, you have had as much of both as you want. Those who, standing their ground and closing their ranks together,
endure the onset at close quarters and fight in the front,
they lose fewer men. They also protect the army behind them.
Once they flinch, the spirit of the whole army falls apart.
And no man could count over and tell all the number of evils,
all that can come to a man, once he gives way to disgrace.
For once a man reverses and runs in the terror of battle,
he offers his back, a tempting mark to spear from behind,
and it is a shameful sight when a dead man lies in the dust there,
driven through from behind by the stroke of an enemy spear. No, no, let him take a wide stance and stand up strongly against them,
digging both heels in the ground, biting his lip with his teeth,
covering thighs and legs beneath, his chest and his shoulders
under the hollowed-out protection of his broad shield,
while in his right hand he brandishes the powerful war-spear,
and shakes terribly the crest high above his helm.
Our man should be disciplined in the work of the heavy fighter,
and not stand out from the missiles when he carries a shield,
but go right up and fight at close quarters and, with his long spear
or short sword, thrust home and strike his enemy down.
Let him fight toe to toe and shield against shield hard driven,
crest against crest and helmet on helmet, chest against chest;
let him close hard and fight it out with his opposite foeman,
holding tight to the hilt of his sword, or to his long spear.
And you, O light-armed fighters, from shield to shield of your fellows,
dodge for protection and keep steadily throwing great stones,
and keep on pelting the enemy with your javelins, only
remember always to stand near your own heavy-armed men.
"If"
-The Spartan's reply to Phillip II of Macedon's message:
"You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city."
Subsequently, both Philip and Alexander would avoid Sparta entirely.
Last edited by Tanis111; March 19th, 2016 at 06:41 PM.
Things of War
-Alcaeus of Mytilene
c. 575 B.C.
The great house glitters with bronze. War has patterned
the roof with shining helmets,
their horsehair plumes waving in the wind, headdress
of fighting men. And pegs
are concealed under bright greaves of brass which
block the iron-tipped arrows. Many
fresh-linen corselets are hanging and hollow shields
are heaped about the floor,
and standing in rows are swords of Chalcidian steel,
belt-knives and warriors' kilts.
We cannot forget our arms and armor when soon
our dreadful duties begin.
sparta battle.jpg
We shall have our fight in the shade!
Over 2,500 years later, the Battle of Thermopylae is still famous among admirers of manliness. The historian Herodotus recorded the details of this three-day fight, in which an alliance of Greeks led by 300 Spartan warriors held off the invading armies of the Persian Empire. Herodotus describes Dienekes not only as the bravest and most distinguished of the Spartans, but also as a master of badass wit. When informed by a local resident that the Medes, one of the armies sent by the Persians, were so numerous that their arrows were known to blot out the sun, the man replied: “Excellent tidings. If the Medes darken the sun, we shall have our fight in the shade.”
The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.
- Epicurus
Only the dead have seen the end of the war.
- Plato
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