Sparta didnt had walls ???

**jo the greek** · August 22, 2009, 10:48 AM

It is know that Ancient Sparta didnt had walls cause their soldiers would defend the city and wasnt needed .
It was true but do unterstand this practic you must see another small detail
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=3...34589&t=p&z=10

if u notice Peloponesos is mostly mountainous and the routs to Sparta can Easily controlled by some brave soldiers
The same geography helped the enemy city of Sparta Argos to keep her autonomy.
any comments?

**~~arkeologen~~** · August 22, 2009, 10:49 AM

No comments.

**Antiochos VII Sidetes** · August 22, 2009, 10:52 AM

What's there to say?

**jo the greek** · August 22, 2009, 10:57 AM

It is an aspect that most history fans do not take seriously when read history .

**DAVIDE** · August 22, 2009, 11:40 AM

Sparta hadnt city walls

**Augment** · August 22, 2009, 01:06 PM

they focused on physical combat as it is much more honorable to kill a man face to face so the walls would stand in the way.

**Delta228** · August 22, 2009, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Augment

they focused on physical combat as it is much more honorable to kill a man face to face so the walls would stand in the way.

physical combat in speedos

**Augment** · August 22, 2009, 01:17 PM

Leather Speedo's

**Guderian's Duck** · August 22, 2009, 01:36 PM

That sounds hardcore.

**Spartacus the Irish** · August 22, 2009, 02:23 PM

Having defensive means that your soldiers would have a defensive attitude if Sparta was ever threatened. No defences means that soldiers are, shall we say, coerced into marching out to face the enemy in battle rather than trying to defend fortifications. It was as much a statement of culture and intent, and perhaps a form of psycological warfare, as it was about tactical doctrine - 'All the major Greek cities have fortifications. Sparta needs no defences but her warriors' type of intimidation.

**PointOfViewGun** · August 22, 2009, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by Spartacus the Irish

Having defensive means that your soldiers would have a defensive attitude if Sparta was ever threatened. No defences means that soldiers are, shall we say, coerced into marching out to face the enemy in battle rather than trying to defend fortifications. It was as much a statement of culture and intent, and perhaps a form of psycological warfare, as it was about tactical doctrine - 'All the major Greek cities have fortifications. Sparta needs no defences but her warriors' type of intimidation.

Plus each soldier is trained with the knowledge that the only defense they have is the men next to them and they're the only defense that the man next him has. It should put you in a much different way of thinking.

**CobraStallone** · August 22, 2009, 04:31 PM

Of course it did I build them back in RTW in my greek campaign

**Katsumoto** · August 22, 2009, 02:53 PM

Wasn't it aswell because Sparta was surrounded by hills so walls weren't really necessary?

**Akrotatos** · August 22, 2009, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by Katsumoto

Wasn't it aswell because Sparta was surrounded by hills so walls weren't really necessary?

Nope, not really. It was just that their army was so feared and so good that the Thebans' invasion in 370bC was the first time in memory that a hostile army breached Evrotas valley.

**Ardruire Iacób** · August 22, 2009, 03:40 PM

Didn't they also consider high walls to be blasphemous, or some such? /historically ignorant statement

**Phalanx300** · August 22, 2009, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by Ruire

Didn't they also consider high walls to be blasphemous, or some such? /historically ignorant statement

Well they blaimed the Athenians for being cowards hiding behind their walls so I would gues so.

And yeah, Sparta didn't need walls as its men would be its walls.

**Xerrop** · August 23, 2009, 09:14 AM

Only in their heighdays they had no walls.
After their loss against Thebes and latest in the Diadochi wars they started to build defensive structures and walls. Due to the large size of their capital (not densily populated and consisting of four villages, IIRC) a continous wall enclosing the whole town was only finished in the 190s BC.

But I´m interested what was the real reason for not having walls before (apart from the legends)?

Could it be because they dominated, due to their large population in an territorial state, the southern peloponnesus and there was no real and strong enough enemy (only single city states in the rest of the Peloponessus)?
And later due to the creation of the Peloponnes League they had enough allied nations to their northern borders, could be another reason to not build walls.