SDBRKYH Greek Warrior Sculpture, Spartan Warrior Statue Samurai Model Tin Metal Craft Collection 1/18

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The idea of the Spartan Statue originated in 1932 from then MSC Athletic Director Ralph Young when he was visiting the campus of University of Southern California and saw their Trojan statue. Students attempted to create a Spartan statue, but all attempts failed. Nothing more would be done until 1941 when President John Hannah took office and asked the statue’s maker to undertake the project. Foxhall, L (Feb 2000) The Running Sands of Time: Archaeology and the Short-Term World Archaeogy, 3, Human Lifecycles, 484-494. Taylor & Francis Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/125114 John Elsner (1996). Sparty Statue Dedication Materials, October 8, 2005, Box 5396, Folder 12, Lana Dart Papers, UA 17.263, Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan.

Sparty himself stands at nine feet seven inches with a weight of 6,600 pounds. Including the base, the structure was thirteen feet ten inches.(Please note that these stats were taken from the 2005 New Spartan Statue Dedication Program. Many reports and documents give different stats for the height and weight of the original Sparty.) At the beginning of the 5 th century BC, war broke out between Persia and Greece. The Greek city-states came together as one to repel a mass invasion led by King Darius of Persia. However, isolationist Sparta was initially reluctant to play a part in the hostilities and was conspicuously absent from the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, which saw the Greeks notably defeat the more numerous Persians. The typical characteristics of Laconian bronzes are slender bodies with muscular legs, arched and swelling thighs, immature chest in female figures, and long faces with strongly marked facial features. Laconia bronzes were widely traded and have been found inregions outside Sparta. Reports state that they left home “with bare thighs and loosened tunics” on their way to run and wrestle. Heraean Gamesa b Dillon, M. "Did Parthenon attend the Olympic Games? Girls and women competing, spectating, and carrying out cult roles at Greek religious festivals". Hermes: 457–480.

In the latter years of the 5 th century, Sparta sought the help of her former enemy, Persia. Together they laid siege to the city of Athens. In 404 BC, Athens finally surrendered, with her city’s population starving and suffering from an outbreak of plague. At the start of each year, war would be declared on the helots and they could be legally hunted and killed by citizens for a set period. However, it is also worth noting that, unlike slaves elsewhere in ancient Greece, helots were allowed to marry and form family units. They were also allowed to keep a proportion of their produce and worship the gods. Pinney, M. E. (June 1925)Votive Gifts to Artemis Orthia, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 20, No. 6,157-159, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3254624

BC saw the outbreak of the Second Messenian War between Sparta and Messenia. After 17 long years, Sparta was finally victorious and soon made the entire population of Messenia into state-owned slaves or helots. The helots were primarily tasked with working the land and providing produce for Spartan citizens. This, in turn, freed up time for male citizens to train in the art of war. The program aimed to produce healthy mothers of healthy warriors. Spartan girls engaged in various athletic events, including running and wrestling.

The piece from the National Archaeological Museum, Athens [8] is wearing a different kind of dress. Unlike the costume for Heraea Game, the bodice of the chiton covers both shoulders and breasts. It may suggest that this running costume is for girls at local ritual festivals in Sparta that are documented in ancient literature. [4] During the festival, some Spartan maidens ran a special race in honor of Dionysus. [1] This ritual celebrating the girls' rites of passage also involved dancing, singing and other athletic events. [9] Location of Sparta in Laconia region of Greece Athletic Spartan women [ edit ]

Spartan Statue Unveiling Program, June 9, 1945, Box 2407, Folder 45, Madison Kuhn Collection, UA 17.107, Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections, East Lansing, Michigan. During the original dedication of Sparty, Hannah spoke, “In the years ahead, this Spartan Warrior in this beautiful and proper setting will become one of the distinguishing marks of this campus that all students and visitors will associate with this college and this campus in much the same way that Beaumont Tower is now generally recognized as the proper symbol of Michigan State College.” President Hannah couldn’t have spoken truer words. The sanctuary was greatly associated with the education of the young Spartans. It was the focus of festivals involving the young citizens of the city; they endured trials of endurance, for example, young boys were flogged as part of their initiation rites as a way to make them stronger.