The Spartans were called homoioi (alike) because they had equal political rights. They were the first professional warriors in history.
For the Spartans, retreating from the battlefield was not an option. They would rather die than retreat.

Very nice painting. Lots of Bronze and Red, just like it is supposed to be! :) I miss the inverted V that Spartan shields have, but maybe that is another age?

Thank you Claus. I was waiting for your comment. Λ (Lamda) is a symbol derived from the Greek word Lacedaimon and was used by the Spartans after 450 b.c., during the Peloponnesian War.

During the time I am presenting, the Spartans carried on their shields some specific symbols depending on the unit they belonged to, such as the bull's head, the scorpion, the snake, the two snakes, the bird and others.

Ah, yes "Lamda". Sorry for not remembering it's name. I did describe it though :) Thank you for your explanation as to when it is appropriate.

A question though. Could the shields have been black or Red, and the colors on it different too, like white? Or would that make them non-Spartans.

... And I am always willing to learn, and want to learn, hence the many questions :)

Good question Claus. Yes they could have a background of another color like for example red, black or white. I preferred bronze for two reasons. Firstly because I wanted to present a uniformity of bronze, red cloth and flesh and secondly I will paint another unit with Spartans no citizens (perioikoi), in which the background on the shields will be white, red and black.

Claus I am really very happy to answer these questions.

I enjoy units, and therefore uniformaty of them. Of course I would like these figures.

Do you know of any other city states that used specific symbols. I've seen owls for Athens, and Clubs for Thebes. But since there have been more than 1000 different city states, I am not expecting a full list :) Maybe it even deserves a subject of its own :)

tolle griechen
gefallen mir sehr gut auch die base weiss zu gefallen

Thank you figurenmaler.

That's a good question though. It definitely needs a separate topic. Yes, what you said is correct. I can also remember without looking on the internet, the winged horse for Corinth, the anchor for the Athenian marines, the dolphin for Syracuse, the threefoots for both Athens and Syracuse, the eye for Argos. Many of these symbols were used simultaneously by different cities. Also after 450 b.c. almost all cities (except Thebes which preserved the club of Hercules) replaced the symbols with the initial letter of the city or territory they belonged to. Like for example A for the Athenians and Λ for the Spartnans (Λ-ακεδαίμων=Lakedaemon, is the Greek name of the territory of Sparta).