Ancient Sparta

Imagine. War is your only goal. War is your only purpose in life. The first memories of your entire life are all overshadowed with the theme of war. As a teenager you went through rigorous skill tests to improve and fine-tune your body and mind. It is never mentioned whom exactly you are training for, yet that never seems to matter. All that matters is you are ready for who or whatever threatens your city. …

…to its strong central government and its ability to remain a fair and free democracy. The city-state of Sparta was able to thrive for much different reasons. No one else of the times matched their physical strength. While Sparta might be seen as the bully of the ancient world, the fact remains that their tactics worked, at least for a while. Sparta deserves respect for being one of the more successful cultures in ancient times.