How come Spartan Hoplites...

[Imperial Fist]

@Imperial Fist:

No. They were not 'wealthy citizens', at least not in their heyday. In their heyday, the Spartans did not even have a currency or money. Neither were they nobles in the conventional sense, unless you consider them as nobles of age and the sword. There was certainly no rank hierarchy besides Kings - Ephors - Everyone Else.

I don't know if having a bunch of helots doing their menial agricultural work for them per person meant that the Spartans were rich, they certainly didn't -own- the helots, so it's doubtful. You misunderstand the Spartan system here, I think...

Yes, i think i do. I only assumed they were like other nation's "elites".
You have money-you serve as an officer, you have the best gear, you have certain priveleges.
But actually i was never interested in spartan or other greek cultures at all. So of course i can be wrong.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

@Imperial Fist:

No. They were not 'wealthy citizens', at least not in their heyday. In their heyday, the Spartans did not even have a currency or money. Neither were they nobles in the conventional sense, unless you consider them as nobles of age and the sword. There was certainly no rank hierarchy besides Kings - Ephors - Everyone Else.

I don't know if having a bunch of helots doing their menial agricultural work for them per person meant that the Spartans were rich, they certainly didn't -own- the helots, so it's doubtful. You misunderstand the Spartan system here, I think...

Ah, but by the beginning of the EB campaign, Sparta's 'heyday' was over 100 years in the past.

By 272 BC the leading Spartan citizens had become corrupted by wealth, luxury and power and most were no longer like the famous Spartans of Thermopylae.

[KhaziOfKalabara]

But that aura of invincibility was anihilated ad Leuctra 371 BC. Thebans shown everybody that Spartans are not invincible. This battle also costed Sparte around 1/3 of all male citizens.

Let's have Thebans as the 1337 units! Thebes ROCKS! LOL! ROTFL! Thebes totally pwns Sparta and Alexander totally for razing it!!!!




Sorry, I got a bit carried away there. * goes for a lie down *