Notably, Spartan men were known for their long, flowing hair, which became linked to the ancient warriors in antiquity. While many would not associate long, beautiful hair with the famously austere warriors of ancient Greece, maintaining their hair was very important to the Spartans.
This ancient practice was preserved by the Spartans for many centuries. The Spartan boys always had their hair cut quite short (en chroi keirontes), but as soon as they reached the age of puberty, they let it grow long.
mode of wearing. The Greeks of the oldest times regarded long hair in a man as an ornament, and only out it as a sign of mourning. Among the Spartans it was usual for boys to wear their hair short, and to let it grow when they attained the age of ephibi.
For the Spartans, long hair symbolized being a free man, and they believed, Plutarch says, “that it made the handsome more comely and the ugly more frightful.” The Spartans kept themselves well-groomed, often braiding these long locks, and keeping their beards neatly trimmed as well.
Previously, long hair on a man had been associated with wealth and status in Athens, while slaves had their hair closely cropped. The Spartans, however, continued to keep their hair long, and non-Spartan men across Greece who were sympathetic to the famous ancient warriors wore their hair long as well.
No one soldier was considered superior to another. Going into battle, a Spartan soldier, or hoplite, wore a large bronze helmet, breastplate and ankle guards, and carried a round shield made of bronze and wood, a long spear and sword. Spartan warriors were also known for their long hair and red cloaks.
The average Spartan man was approximately 5'9" tall, taller than other Greeks of the time. He was in excellent shape physically due to a lifetime of athletic and military training.
By the mid-19th century, the Black Spartans numbered between 1,000 and 6,000 women, about a third of the entire Dahomey army. Under King Gezo's rule, female troops lived in his compound and were kept well supplied with tobacco, alcohol and slaves–as many as 50 to each warrior.
The average Spartan was around 6'1″ tall and weighed around 190 lbs. They had strong bodies and were able to carry heavy loads.
You see, the women of the Red Yao tribe have some of the longest hair in the world – as in their hair is almost the same length as their height!
Long hair on a man was attached to a cultural as well as a ceremonial significance. For many cultures, long hair was a sign of courage, and nobility. Cutting hair in some cultures meant cowardice, or mourning. Other cultures simply valued the way a man looked with a handsome complexion, and long, dark hair.
The female Spartan was honored as the equal of the male in her own sphere of power and authority and, even in the accounts of detractors, performed admirably. It could be argued, in fact, that the strength of the Spartan women allowed for the formidable reputation of the same in the Spartan men.
Spartan magistrates known as Ephors also wore their hair braided in long locks, an Archaic Greek tradition that was steadily abandoned in other Greek kingdoms. The style was worn by Ancient Christian Ascetics, and the Dervishes of Islam, among others.
Comanches took great pride and care of their hair. They wore their hair long, parted down in the middle and two braids were worn down the side. According to the Penatka elder Nemaruibetsi, the man's hair was daubed with a color of yellow using the finger from his forehead to the scalp lock.
The site hosted Sparta's brutal initiation ritual in which young boys were beaten to prepare them for military service, but there was more to it than warfare.
Ancient Greece
As with Ancient Egyptians, Mycenaean Greeks and Minoans generally depicted women with pale or white skin and men with dark brown or tanned skin.
There is a Greek village in Mani, on the Peloponnesian peninsula, called Neochori where residents boast that they are true descendants of the Spartans.
The Spartans enslaved an entire population, the Helots
The darkest aspect of Sparta's success was that, ultimately, it was enabled by the dehumanisation, subjugation, and enslavement of an entire people, the Helots, a population of Greeks who lived in Messenia. The Helots were, in effect, agricultural slaves.
Through a series of untested surgical operations, those enrolled in the Spartan-II program saw incredible physical enhancements, including a drastic increase in height and weight. Outside of his armor, Halo's iconic Master Chief is nearly seven feet tall and weighs in at a little under 300 pounds of pure muscle.
Vikings would win. Vikings fought guerilla style and seemed to have heavier weapons, as for Spartans, unlike the AC game, they fought in phalanx formation, a disciplined formation warfare like the Romans and British and had lighter weapons.
The Spartans, noted among ancient writers for their austerity, prepared a black broth of blood and boiled pig's leg, seasoned with vinegar, which they combined with servings of barley, fruit, raw greens, wine and, at larger dinners, sausages or roasted meat. Spartan boys were sparingly issued barley cakes.
Spartan warriors known for their professionalism were the best and most feared soldiers of Greece in the fifth century B.C. Their formidable military strength and commitment to guard their land helped Sparta dominate Greece in the fifth century.
Were the Spartans actually strong people (physically)? Yes very strong. Their physique would resemble the physique we see today on star athletes at the Olympics. It wasn't only their crazy training and their way of life, but also their nutrition which was basically almost 100% protein.
For the ancient athletes running was a must. They run a lot as running gives the highest cardiovascular payoff with the littlest effort. There were no slick gym machines and Greeks relied purely on body-weight exercises using whatever they could find. Lifting stones and animals for strength.