Were these braids historically accurate and how do they work? Were they little hair pieces and what did they stand for?
Now, I’ll admit that I’m not an expert on this subject but I might know some things that help answer your questions. From what we know, Spartans wore their hair long. This is mentioned, for example, by Herodotus in his Histories:
“He saw some of the men exercising naked and others combing their hair. […] This is their custom: when they are about to risk their lives, they arrange their hair.”
Hdt. VII, 208-209 (transl. by A. D. Godley source)
and by Xenophon in his Consitution of the Lacedaimonians:
“He [=Lycurgus, a mythical Spartan lawgiver] also permitted men who were past their first youth to wear long hair, believing that it would make them look taller, more dignified and more terrifying.”
So as far as I know, the hairstyles from 300andAssassin’s Creed: Odyssee are not historically accurate.
But we do have evidence of hairstyles similar to this, just not from Sparta. Look, for example, at the hair of the so called God of Cape Artemision (thought to depict either Poseidon or Zeus) from the 5th century BCE:
(source) now at the National Archeological Museum at Athens)
If I had to guess, this is where the people behind 300andAssassin’s Creed got their inspiration from. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you more about this hairstyle or what it represented. It might just have been popular around the time this sculpture was made.
Former Michigan State star Adreian Payne was shot and killed in Orlando, Florida, early Monday morning, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Payne, who was the 15th pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2014 NBA draft, was 31.
What was Sparta up to during Alexander the Great’s Conquests?
During Alexander the Great’s conquest of what was then the known world, the Spartan’s contributed nothing to the conquest. Rather, when Alexander the Great marched off to war, the Spartan’s refused to participate unless they were leaders of the army. So what was Sparta up to all the while Alexander was conquering the world?
According to legend Alexander’s father, King Philip II sent the following message to Sparta, “You are advised to submit without delay, for if I bring my army on your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people and raze your city.” The Spartan’s responded with a single word, “If”.
Most likely this exchange didn’t happen, if it did then the Spartan’s were extremely naïve and stupid. Sparta during the times of Alexander was not the same Sparta as was during the Persian Wars or the Peloponnesian Wars. Spartan weapons and tactics had become outdated and quaint. A number of military defeats followed by a few slave revolts had sapped Sparta of it’s power, leaving Sparta a secondary power at best whose glory days were far behind. The Macedonians could have easily conquered Sparta, however, there were many members of the Corinthian League who hated Sparta, thus it was decided it was best to leave Sparta out of the league because of politics.
In 338 BC Agis III became King of the Spartans, and his number one goal was to make Sparta great again. In 333, with Persian military and financial support, Agis was able to raise a 20,000 man army and defeat a small Macedonian army in Greece. Agis and his men then sailed to Crete with the intention of capturing the island and adding it to Spartan territory. With Alexander the Great’s attention focused on conquering the Persian Empire, Agis and his army was easily able to overrun the island and lay siege to it’s largest city, Megalopolis, in 331. Finally the Spartan’s had become enough of a thorn in Alexander’s side that something needed to be done about them. Alexander sent his trusted general Antipater with a force of 40,000 men to deal with the Spartans. The two armies met outside of Megalopolis for a brief battle. The Macedonian’s outnumbered the Spartans 2 to 1, and in the subsequent battle they were easily able to break Spartan lines and send the Spartan army into full retreat, killing around 5,300 Spartans in the process. Agis III died in battle, supposedly staying behind to fight to the death in order to buy his army time to escape.
After the disastrous Battle of Megalopolis, the Spartans were forced to surrender to Macedonia and join the Corinthian League, lest the Macedonians send an army to destroy Sparta. The conquest of Crete was Sparta’s last hurrah, and from here Sparta would continue to decline until conquered by the Romans in 146 BC.
Blue Team (led by the Master Chief) pose alongside their mentor and friend, Sgt. Johnson. Tragically, after 25+ years of camaraderie, Johnson fell in battle in the final days of the War. His last words were witnessed by the Chief
In the next couple of days the Spartans will be headed down to Rock Hill, South Carolina to compete in World Cup 8. This will be Michigan State’s fifth World Cup appearance and we’re looking to make it count! We may have had players come and go over the years, but one thing will never change: we are Spartans and Spartans Will!
Check out this cool video made by our friends from the Ohio University Quidditch Club back when the Spartans invaded Athens for the Dobby Memorial Tournament!
Michigan State had a good showing at the Dobby Memorial Tournament hosted by Ohio University! We definitely enjoyed the luxury of competing indoors! Dobby Memorial Tournament Results: MSU vs. Ohio University: 120*-80 MSU vs. Falcon Warriors: 200*-90 MSU vs. Ohio State: 60-130* MSU vs. Central Michigan: 110*-60
We’ve got a busy day planned tomorrow and we want YOU to be a part of it! We will be hosting our second annual Midwest Winter Fantasy Tournament at Burchfield Park from 9am-6pm so stop by and watch! Then join us again from 9pm-12am for our fourth annual Yule Ball, which is being held in the Demonstration Hall ballroom! It’s going to be a fantastic day!
We were very excited to have two teams competing in this year’s Midwest Regional Championship! Both the Michigan State Spartans and the Spartan Spitfires played hard this past weekend in Allendale, MI and we are very proud of both teams’ performances.
The Michigan State Spartans had a very successful run at Midwest Regionals. They won a bid to World Cup VIII and progressed through the bracket all the way to the Elite Eight!
The Spartan Spitfires played against the odds with a short bench but turned heads with their chemistry, spirit and joy for the game. Unfortunately they were unable to secure a game slot for the second day and instead cheered for their brothers and sisters in Green and White on day two.
Took several of our newbies to Michigan’s unofficial mini-tournament this past weekend to give them some experience playing against other teams. Everyone played hard and had a lot of fun!
After a full weekend of tryouts, the preliminary roster for Michigan State’s A-team has been decided! Congratulations to everyone who made it!
Michigan State Quidditch Fall 2014 Roster
Keepers: Jacob Heppe, Evan Wilkins
Chasers: Nic Dziadosz, Kevin Fennell, Bobby Casler, Matt Whelan, Kyle Judkins, Niko Banks, Lyle Dew, Katie Kierczynski, Sara DeLongchamp, Meyessa Mansour
Beaters: Jim Richert, Jacob Bobeldyk, Brandon Ollio, Ian Hoopingarner, Shelby Atkinson, Maria DeNunzio, Kiera Fisher
The Midwest Fantasy tournament was an absolute blast! These eight Spartans had a fun couple of days camping and playing quidditch in Kankakee, Illinois this weekend!
The 2014 Midwest Fantasy tournament is this weekend and–as is tradition–there will be several of our players in attendance! So…who’s ready to face the power of the Spartans?
Our Spartans have been busy conquering the world! Sophomore beater Lauren Kelley just got back from a study abroad corporation tour that took her through England, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Italy!
Several of our players have kicked off the summer by traveling down to Maryland for a quidditch tournament! Off-season? What off-season? Our Spartans can play year round!
Congratulations to all of our seniors who are graduating this weekend!!! You have all helped shape our club into what it is today and we can’t thank you enough for it! All of you will be dearly missed and we hope that you guys succeed in all of your future endeavors! Spartans will!
Meet our returning coach, Ian Hoopingarner! Ian is majoring in Comparative Cultures and Politics within the James Madison College. Next year will be his third year with MSU quidditch and his second as head coach! Under Ian’s leadership, MSU will reappear next year even stronger than before! For information regarding team practices and joining the traveling team, contact Ian! Photo Credit: Meghan Kautman
Meet our new tribune, Jake Hall! Next year will be this Pre-Nursing major’s second year with MSU quidditch! As tribune, it will be Jake’s duty to be the liaison between club members and our E-Board. Members can direct any questions and concerns that they have to Jake! Photo Credit: Hilary Valentine
