Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

36 THE SPARTAN SOLDIER.were compelled to undergo extraordinary fatigues, and thison slender rations ; and were taught the simpler virtues ofrespect for age and obedience to superiors. From twentyto sixty all men were under arms. War was to them the onlyart ; death in battle the highestgood. As a consequence, the Spartanarmy, for centuries, was consideredinvincible.But Sparta's success in war ledher into too frequent wars, and herdisregard of the arts and sciencesadvanced other nations beyond herin the intellectual grasp of war.Sparta was forbidden by Lycurgusto possess either fortress or fleetGreek Psilos (from a vase).the army alone must suffice asbreastwork of the land. Still more cm'iously, the army wasprohibited from pursuing a beaten enemy. Not conquest,but defense of the fatherland was sought. Such mistakenpolicy eventually gave Sparta's opponents the upper hand.Heavy infantry was the main reliance of Sparta. The soldierwore full armor ; he held it a duty to the state to preserveintact his body for the state, but he did not seek safetyby the method of Hudibras. He deemed it dishonor to lose,or to fight withovit, his shield. Not to have it with himimplied that in his haste to run away he had cast it aside,so as to run the faster. He bore a heavy pike, generally alighter lance, and a short double-edged sword. There waslittle light infantry, and the cavalry was mediocre. It wasformed in eight ranks, and generally got beaten.There is some conflict of statement between Xenophon andThucydides as to the organization of the Spartan troops intobodies. This is probably due to the changes in such organi-