I beleive that Artemis was an important goddess in Spartan religion, but were there any patron deities that looked over Sparta as well (e.g. Athena in Athens)? There aren't many, if any, remnants of any grand sanctuaries around Laconia, so I'm assuming that Artemis was a major, or maybe patron, goddess of Sparta.

On another note, I'd like to mention that in Greek culture, warfare was part of life and one of the duties of citizenship. Even Aristotle admited that the two most important things a Greek must learn is how to eat and how to fight. Each one was equally as important as the other. Here's an explanation why: In order to eat, the Greeks needed to farm. It takes land to farm. You needed to protect this land from outsiders, who may wish to claim this land for their own. It was important that you, as a citizen and a landowner, to defend your land to keep your polis fed. And well fed citizens will mean healthy, strong soldiers to protect the land. Being a citizen-soldier was both a duty as well as an honor to fight for your polis. This form of mentality extended beyond the Greeks, and even affects western civilization today. If you would like to know more, read the book that I will be recommending in my next post.