Spartans are a Hellenistic city-state that possess very strong melee infantry. Notably they cannot build Stone Walls, only palisade walls - the soldiers of Sparta will need to serve as their walls.
Sparta heavily relies on its supremely powerful melee infantry, levying this advantage is the difference between success and defeat.
Spartan Cavalry are lacking, along with their siegecraft but a good player can make use of the mounted skirmisher and the trusty battering ram.
Spartan Naval technologies are fairly standard for a Hellenistic civilization, although not a match for the Athenians - if used wisely is still fairly decent.
The Spartans possess a robust but mostly average economy, with good mining technologies and farming technologies; the economy should be fairly capable of supporting this military powerhouse.
The Spartans are clearly an offensive civilization, for them the best defense is a good and brutal offensive campaign or swift preemptive blow to their adversaries. In fact, since they are unable to build any advanced walls beyond palisades its quite possibly their only form of defense.
Civilization Bonuses[]
Othismos
History: The Spartans were undisputed masters of phalanx warfare. The Spartans were so feared for their discipline that the enemy army would sometimes break up and run away before a single shield clashed. 'Othismos' refers to the point in a phalanx battle where both sides try to shove each other out of formation, attempting to breaking up the enemy lines and routing them.
Effect: Spartans can make use of the Phalanx formation without researching a technology.
Laws of Lycurgus
History: Under the Constitution written by the mythical law-giver Lycurgus, the institution of The Agoge was established, where Spartans were trained from the age of 6 to be superior warriors in defense of the Spartan state.
Effect: In City Phase, all citizen-soldiers promote directly to Elite rank after 1 kill, but population cap reduced -10%.
Hellenization
History: By means of their superior culture and evocative language, the Greeks were highly successful in Hellenizing various foreigners. During the Hellenistic Age, Greek was the 'lingua franca' of the Ancient World, spoken widely from Spain to India.
Effect: Constructing an expensive Theatron increases the territory expanse of all buildings by 20%.
Team Bonus[]
Peloponnesian League
History: Much of the Peloponnese was subject to Sparta in one way or another. This loose confederation, with Sparta as its leader, was later dubbed the Peloponnesian League by historians, but in ancient times was called 'The Lacedaemonians and their allies.'
Effect: Allied team members can train Spartiates.
Unique Technologies[]
Feminine Mystique
History: Spartan women were some of the freest in the ancient world. They could own land and slaves and even exercise naked like Spartan men. It is said that only Spartan women gave birth to real men. Such tough-as-nails women more than once helped save their city from disaster, for example when after a lost battle against Pyrrhus of Epirus they overnight built an earthen rampart to protect the city while their men slept in preparation for the next day's siege.
Effect: Spartan female citizens cannot be captured and will doggedly fight back against any attackers. They are also capable of constructing defense towers and palisades.
Tyrtean Paeans
History: Paeans were battle hymns that were sung by the hoplites when they charged the enemy lines. One of the first known Paeans were composed by Tirteus, a warrior poet of Sparta, during the First Messenian War.
Effect: Units move faster in formation.
The Agoge
History: Spartans were housed and trained from a young age to be superlative warriors and to endure any hardship a military life can give them.
Effect: +25% health for spear infantry, but also +10% train time.
Buildings, units and technologies[]
Village Phase
Agora (Civic center) [500 w, 500 m, 500 s, 500 sec]: Allows to aquire large territories, and builds citizens.
Spartiates (Spartan Woman) [50 f, 1 pop, 8 sec]: Thanks to her inspiring aura, nearby male citizens work 10% faster.
Hoplites Perioikos (Perioikoi Hoplite) [50 f, 50 w, 1 pop, 10 sec]: Infantry unit. Triple damage against cavalry.
Town Phase [500 f, 500 w, 30 sec]: Allows to advance to the Town Phase, increases territory influence by 10% and unlocks new units and buildings (including Civic Centers). Requires 5 Village Phase buildings (except Farming fields)
City Phase [750 m, 750 s, 60 sec]: Allows to advance to the City Phase, increases territory influence by 10% and unlocks new units and buildings (Including Wonders). Requires 4 Town Phase buildings.
Oikos (House) [150 w, 50 sec]: Increases by 10 the population limit.
Loom [250 f, 40 sec]: Roman Woman has +50% health.
Peristyle (House Garden) [500 f, 100 s, 40 sec]: Houses increase population limit by 20%.
Spartiates (Spartan Woman) [50 f, 1 pop, 8 sec]: Thanks to her inspiring aura, nearby male citizens work 10% faster. Requires the Fertility Festival to be recruited.
Thesmophoria (Fertility Festival) [250 f, 250 m, 60 sec]: Allows houses to recruit women. Unlocked in Town Phase.
Apotheke (Storage Pit) [100 w, 40 sec] Gathers wood, stone and metal resources.
Peristyle (Glorious Expansion) [3000 f, 3000 w, 500 m, 500 s]: +50 to population limit.
Syssition (Military Mess Hall) [200 m, 200 s, 200 sec]
Leonides (Leonidas I) [50 f, 200 m, 2 pop, 40 sec]: Spartan Hero. Does triple damage against cavalry. +20% attack and +1 capture for all Hoplites and Spartiates within his range.
Brasidas (Brasidas) [50 f, 500 m, 2 pop, 40 sec]: Spartan Hero. All Helotian Skirmishes within his range, +2 attack and +1 armor.
Agis (Agis III) [50 f, 200 m, 2 pop, 40 sec]: Spartan Hero. Has no personal special power, but has double health of the other Spartan Heroes.
Spartiates (Spartan Hoplite) [100 f, 100 w, 50 m, 1 pop, 13 sec]: Melee infantry unit. Does triple damage against cavalry.
The Agoge [500 f, 500 m, 60 sec]: All spear infantry units, +25% health but also +10% training time.
Theatron (Greek Theatre [500 m, 500 s, 500 sec]: Can be built only once. Increases the territory effects of all buildings by +20% while the Theatron exists.
Trivia[]
The emblem of the spartan faction is a hoplon shield with the letter lambda on it, this was common shield configuration amongst the spartan hoplites. The letter lambda was a symbol of Sparta and stood for Lacedaemon (or Laconia) which was the name of the city-state with the centre in Sparta.
