Spartan society was structured around the need to control a large population of state-owned slaves called helots.

All male Spartan citizens were professional soldiers for most of their lives.

The 'agoge' was a rigorous state-run education and training program that began for boys at the age of seven.

Spartan life emphasized discipline, duty, obedience, and loyalty to the state above all else.

The political system was a complex oligarchy that included two kings, a council of elders (Gerousia), and an assembly of citizens.

Spartan women had more freedom and were more educated than women in other Greek city-states, as they were expected to be strong mothers of future warriors.

To maintain military readiness, Spartans lived a deliberately austere lifestyle, avoiding luxury and commerce.

Their military prowess, particularly their phalanx of hoplite soldiers, was legendary throughout Greece.

Sparta was the leader of the Peloponnesian League, an alliance of city-states that was the main rival to Athens.

The Spartan system ultimately declined due to its rigidness and a shrinking number of full citizens.