CREEPY Way Spartans Cleaned Up the Dead After Battles

**Welcome to Ancient Greece!** A significant battle has just concluded between the Spartans and their adversaries, leaving the landscape marked by the aftermath. Typically, enemy corpses would be stripped of their possessions and eventually returned to their families after the Spartans performed certain rituals. However, there was also a more complex aspect to this post-battle cleanup ritual, involving elements of humiliation and desecration, which could even provoke the wrath of the gods. Join us as we explore the battlefields of ancient Greece to uncover what happened after a fierce Spartan battle.

To understand how the Spartans managed the bodies of both their own soldiers and those of their enemies after a fight, we first need to grasp who the Spartans were. Many people envision the 300 valiant warriors defending the Hot Gates at the Battle of Thermopylae when they think of Spartan soldiers. While this image holds some truth, tales of Spartan victories and the ferocity of their warriors spread throughout ancient Greece. The Spartans were indeed one of the region’s most powerful and influential city-states.

Decades of warfare across Greece resulted in battlefields strewn with the remains of fallen soldiers. It is from this period that we gain insights into how Sparta handled post-battle cleanup. So, what did the Spartans do with the bodies left in their wake? Surprisingly, despite their reputation as a brutal warrior culture, the Spartans approached post-battle cleanup with a degree of compassion. However, there was often a secondary agenda when deciding what to do with the remains on the battlefield.

After a Spartan victory, the warriors would take a moment to reflect, express gratitude to the gods, and honor their fallen comrades. During this time, slaves and lower-ranking members accompanying the Spartan army would search the battlefield for fallen enemy soldiers. They would remove the armor and weapons from the bodies but would not desecrate the corpses. This practice was customary, as the dead bodies were to be returned to their people for proper funerary rites. Even Sparta, known for its militaristic society, adhered to these principles.

Following a battle, the Spartans would either leave enemy bodies where they fell or move them to a designated area for eventual return to their adversaries. It was considered undignified and against the will of the gods to allow the bodies to decay on the battlefield, necessitating timely post-battle cleanup. Most Greeks, including the Spartans, believed that the dead should be mourned by their community and commemorated, which further explained why the bodies were not mutilated or discarded.

Although the Spartans typically planned to return enemy bodies, they would not abandon the battlefield. This was due to a crucial aspect of Sparta’s post-battle traditions. After an engagement, the victors would control the area, meaning that when Sparta defeated an opposing force, they would not only gain control of the land and resources but also possess the dead and wounded of their enemies. To ensure proper funerary rights, the defeated force would need to send a representative to declare a truce to recover their dead soldiers.

The truce held significant importance beyond merely halting hostilities; it was an acknowledgment of defeat. One of the customs following a battle was to guard the bodies of the enemy until a truce was called, allowing the battlefield to be cleared and the next Spartan engagement to be planned. The return of the bodies was one reason why, immediately after a battle, Sparta would strip their adversaries’ corpses of their weapons and armor. Sparta generally permitted their enemies to reclaim their dead but would not allow them to retrieve their gear.

Once the fighting ceased and Sparta controlled the battlefield, they would separate fallen enemy soldiers from their wartime attire and wait for the losing side to send a herald to request a truce, formally recognizing Sparta as the victors. A notable example of this post-battle cleanup routine is recounted by the Greek military leader and historian Xenophon, who described the Spartans allowing their adversaries to reclaim their dead after the Battle of Coronea in 394 BCE.

Xenophon wrote in Book 4 of the *Hellenica*: “The Thebans, however, sent heralds asking to bury their dead under a truce. In this way, accordingly, the truce was made, and Agesilaus went to Delphi and offered to the god a tithe of the amount derived from his booty, an offering of not less than one hundred talents; but Gylis, the polemarch, withdrew with the army to Phocis and from there made an invasion of Locris.”

This is not the only evidence that Sparta and other Greek city-states followed the post-battle procedures discussed. Many historical accounts from ancient Greece confirm that after battles, a truce was requested by the defeated, and the victors allowed them to claim their dead. Consequently, due to the practice of stripping deceased enemy bodies of their gear and then permitting their adversaries to recover their fallen soldiers, Spartan battlefields tended to be relatively clear of human remains shortly after the fighting ended. This stands in stark contrast to the chaos that would have unfolded during a Spartan engagement, as the battle-hardened warriors fought fiercely.

It is worth noting that there was at least one occasion when Sparta did not adhere to conventional post-battle traditions, but such instances were exceedingly rare. The Battle of Aigospotamoi, fought in 405 BCE, marked the final confrontation between Athens and Sparta during the Peloponnesian War. During this battle, the Spartan naval fleet, led by the brilliant commander Lysander, decimated the Athenian navy, effectively ending the war as Athens could no longer sustain its empire or military campaigns.

After their naval victory, Lysander initiated a series of land campaigns to conquer territories around Athens. In one battle, the Spartans captured approximately 4,000 Athenians. Lysander ordered the execution of the prisoners and refused to return the bodies to the Athenians for proper burial. This decision likely stemmed from the intense animosity the Spartans held toward the Athenians, as well as Lysander’s desire to intimidate and punish their adversaries. This refusal to allow the enemy to recover their dead was an anomaly, as the Spartans typically permitted their adversaries to clean the battlefield once they acknowledged defeat and their gear had been confiscated.

Interestingly, some armies, including the Spartans, would not request a truce to reclaim their dead. This was likely because admitting defeat was considered a fate worse than death for a warrior culture like Sparta. Instead, the Spartans sometimes insisted on fighting another battle for the right to regain possession of the bodies, even if they were significantly outnumbered. A new battle could erupt at the same location where one had just been fought, solely to recover the bodies of fallen comrades.

Some Greek cultures would also use the post-battle cleanup phase to ransom some of the dead bodies. In these cases, the enemy had clearly been defeated and was sometimes allowed to collect some of their dead from the battlefield. However, the victors occasionally retained a few corpses to compel their enemy into conceding more territory or for payment in resources. This dishonorable act was likely rare or nonexistent among the Spartans, who focused on securing as many possessions from fallen soldiers as possible, not only for their own use but also to shame their enemies.

For instance, at the Battle of Mantinea in 418 BCE, the Spartans were said to have reformed their battle line directly in front of the dead. This tactic ensured that the only way Athens and their allies could retrieve their fallen soldiers was to request a truce, thus forcing them to admit defeat. At the Battle of Coronea in 394 BCE, Sparta took this tactic further by actively pulling the dead bodies behind their lines, ensuring that the only way their adversaries could reclaim them was by acknowledging defeat. The actions taken after a battle were almost as significant as the battle itself for Sparta and other Greek city-states.

Now, let’s examine what the Spartans did with their own fallen warriors after a battle. The post-battle cleanup was not solely focused on securing the bodies of their enemies; it also involved ensuring that deceased Spartans received proper funerary rites. Most Greek city-states would return their dead home after a battle for burial or cremation. This could involve returning the actual body to their family or cremating the warrior and bringing the ashes back home. The Spartans, however, were different in this regard. After a battle, they would gather their fallen soldiers and construct burial mounds directly on the battlefield.

Spartans took great care to create a final resting place for their comrades, even in foreign lands. To illustrate how militaristic Sparta was, it is rare to find Spartan burials in Laconia, where the city-state was located. This is likely because most battles fought by Sparta occurred outside their territory as they sought to expand their influence or assist allies. In 403 BCE, after securing a victory, the Spartan army created a tomb for their fallen soldiers atop an Athenian public cemetery. These Spartan burial mounds served as reminders to other Greek city-states that Sparta would support its allies and was unafraid to send its armies across Greece when necessary.

The underlying principle of Spartan military tactics was that the best defense is a good offense. The Spartan army could be dispatched to suppress uprisings or extend Sparta’s influence throughout Greece. The funerary mounds acted as constant reminders that the Spartans had been there and were prepared to return to protect their homeland and culture. Plutarch recounts an anecdote reflecting this Spartan mentality, which most historians believe likely never occurred but still illustrates their war culture. Plutarch states that a traveler from Argos once remarked to a Spartan warrior, “There are many Spartans buried in our land.” The Spartan replied, “But there are no Argives buried in ours.” This exchange highlights Sparta’s presence throughout the region while emphasizing that their homeland remained unconquered.

We now understand that the post-battle cleanup for the Spartans primarily involved securing their own dead for burial on the battlefield while also claiming valuable possessions from the corpses of their enemies before allowing them to recover the bodies after admitting defeat. To comprehend why these practices were so significant to the Spartans and other Greek cultures, we must delve deeper into their funerary practices. This exploration will illuminate the reasons behind the specific handling of post-battle cleanup.

The ancient Greeks believed that when someone died, the spirit departed the body with their last breath. It was a deeply held belief that failing to properly bury or conduct funerary rites was an affront to human dignity. Thus, even after a fierce battle, it was considered shameful not to allow both sides to reclaim their fallen soldiers to complete the necessary funerary rituals. This is why it was exceedingly rare for post-battle cleanup not to include securing the dead bodies by both victors and the defeated.

The rituals following death typically consisted of three parts. The first part, known as the prothesis, involved laying out the body, anointing it with oil, and washing it before dressing. Relatives and friends would visit to mourn and pay their respects. For Spartans, this part of the ceremony was modified, as the deceased would be buried directly on the battlefield, but it is generally agreed that their bodies still underwent prothesis in preparation for burial.

The second part of the ritual was called the ekphora, a funerary procession that took place just before dawn. The ekphora brought the body to its final resting place, where the third step, internment, would occur. It was uncommon for many objects to be placed in graves, but for the most prestigious Greeks, elaborate tombs or marble stelai and statues were erected to mark graves. Spartans did this on a smaller scale after a battle, always leaving some form of marker to commemorate their fallen brothers and their exploits.

The Greeks believed that immortality was achieved through remembrance. Therefore, erecting monuments or inscriptions to honor the dead was vital. Graves were visited, and gifts such as cakes and libations were left as offerings to honor the deceased. Again, this could only happen if bodies were secured after a battle and subjected to proper funerary rites.

Sparta would have continued to fight battles, secure dead bodies post-battle, and erect burial mounds for their soldiers if they had not overextended themselves and eventually faced a force they could not defeat. In 371 BCE, Sparta lost the Battle of Leuctra against Thebes, resulting in their absorption into the Achaean League and the subjugation of the once-mighty Sparta. Several centuries later, the Roman Empire expanded and invaded Greece, controlling most city-states in the region, including Sparta. Sparta had allied with Rome for a time to regain independence from the Achaean League, only to exchange one overlord for another.

Eventually, Rome allowed Sparta to regain its status as an independent city-state. However, this freedom meant little, as Sparta had been occupied by outside powers for so long that it had lost much of what made its militaristic civilization unique and powerful. To add insult to injury, in 267 CE, the Goths raided Greece from the north and sacked Sparta. Unlike in previous battles, the Goths had no intention of allowing the Spartans or any Greeks to carry out their traditional post-battle funerary rites, marking the end of the post-battle cleanup practices of ancient Greece and Sparta.