Spartan Warrior

Statue of a Spartan Warrior,handmade and metal-coated by Veronese design

For the Spartan Warrior there were some means of fulfillment and embodiment of the spartan ideals. The performance of duty. Respect for the enemy. Battle with honor and dignity.War without passion,and fear . The dedication of victory to the god.Bravery, daring, and self-sacrifice. Ancient Greek history is full of heroic deeds of the Spartans culminating in Thermopylae. Where 300 Spartans with their King Leonidas gave Mankind a model Warrior,with a Philosophical attitude of Life and Death.

The History

The letter lambda (Λ), standing for Laconia or Lacedaemon.  Which was painted on the Spartan warrior shields, was first adopted in 420s BC and quickly became a widely known Spartan symbol.  Military families passed on their shields to each generation as family heirlooms. The Spartan shields’ technical evolution and design evolved from bashing and shield wall tactics. They were of such great importance in the Spartan army that while losing a sword and a spear was an exception, to lose a shield was a sign of disgrace. Not only did a shield protect the user, but it also protected the whole phalanx formation.

To come home without the shield was the mark of a deserter; rhipsaspia, or “dropping the shield,” was a synonym for desertion in the field. Mothers bidding farewell to their sons would encourage them to come back with their shields.  Often saying goodbyes such as “Son, either with this or on this” (Ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς). This saying implied that they should return only in victory, a controlled retreat, or dead, with their body carried on the shield.

The Hoplites

Spartan hoplites were often depicted bearing a transverse horsehair crest on their helmet.  Which was possibly used to identify officers.During the Archaic period, Spartans were armored with flanged bronze cuirasses, leg greaves, and a helmet, often of the Corinthian type. It is often disputed which torso armor the Spartans wore during the Persian Wars. However, it seems likely they either continued to wear bronze cuirasses of a more sculptured type or instead had adopted the linothōrax. During the later 5th century BC, when warfare had become more flexible, and full-scale phalanx confrontations became rarer. The Greeks abandoned most forms of body armor. The Lacedaemonians also adopted a new tunic, the exōmis, which could be arranged to leave the right arm and shoulder uncovered and free for action in combats.

The weapons

The Spartan’s main weapon was the dory spear. For long-range attacks, they carried a javelin. The Spartiates were also always armed with a xiphos as a secondary weapon. Among most Greek warriors, this weapon had an iron blade of about 60 centimetres; however, the Spartan version was typically only 30–45 centimetres. The Spartans’ shorter weapon proved deadly in the crush caused by colliding phalanxes formations .  It was capable of being thrust through gaps in the enemy’s shield wall and armor, where there was no room for longer weapons. The groin and throat were among the favorite targets. In one account, an Athenian asked a Spartan why his sword was so short.  And after a brief pause, he replied, “It’s long enough to reach your heart.” In another, a Spartan complained to his mother that the sword was short, to which she simply told him to step closer to the enemy.

As an alternative to the xiphos, some Spartans selected the kopis as their secondary weapon. Unlike the xiphos, which is a thrusting weapon, the kopis was a hacking weapon in the form of a thick, curved iron sword. In Athenian art, Spartan hoplites were often depicted using a kopis instead of the xiphos.  As the kopis was seen as a quintessential “bad guys” weapon in the Greeks’ eyes. The Spartans retained the traditional hoplite phalanx until the reforms of Cleomenes III when they were re-equipped with the Macedonian sarissa and trained in the phalanx style.

Spartan warriors trained in pankration, a famous martial art in Ancient Greece that consisted of boxing and grappling. Spartans were so adept in pankration that they were mostly forbidden to compete when it was inducted in the Olympic Games.

Quality: .Made of cast copper resin, which allows greater detail and a nice weight. All Veronese figurines are beautifully packaged, have great detail and are great collectible gifts.