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March 5, 2013
8 Reasons It Wasn’t Easy Being Spartan
By Evan Andrews
The Spartans may have built one of the finest militaries of the ancient world, but
their culture was so harsh that the word “spartan” has become synonymous with
an austere way of life. Spartan society was carefully constructed around a strict
moral code and sense of duty, and its people underwent extreme hardships and
deprivation on their way to becoming accepted as full citizens. From adolescent
military training to state-sponsored hazing, explore eight reasons why these
ancient Greek warriors had a rough go of it.
De Agostini/Getty Images
1. Spartans had to prove their fitness even as infants.
Infanticide was a disturbingly common act in the ancient world, but in Sparta this practice was organized
and managed by the state. All Spartan infants were brought before a council of inspectors and examined
for physical defects, and those who weren’t up to standards were left to die. The ancient historian Plutarch
claimed these “ill-born” Spartan babies were tossed into a chasm at the foot of Mount Taygetus, but most
historians now dismiss this as a myth. If a Spartan baby was judged to be unfit for its future duty as a
soldier, it was most likely abandoned on a nearby hillside. Left alone, the child would either die of
exposure or be rescued and adopted by strangers.
Babies who passed inspection still didn’t have it easy. To test their constitutions, Spartan infants were
often bathed in wine instead of water. They were also frequently ignored when they cried and commanded
never to fear darkness or solitude. According to Plutarch, these “tough love” parenting techniques were so
admired by foreigners that Spartan women were widely sought after for their skill as nurses and nannies.
2. Spartan children were placed in a military-style education program.
At the age of 7, Spartan boys were removed from their parents’ homes and began the “agoge,” a statesponsored training regimen designed to mold them into skilled warriors and moral citizens. Separated
from their families and housed in communal barracks, the young soldiers-in-waiting were instructed in
scholastics, warfare, stealth, hunting and athletics. At age 12, initiates were deprived of all clothing save
for a red cloak and forced to sleep outside and make their own beds from reeds. To ready them for a life
in the field, the boy soldiers were also encouraged to scavenge and even steal their food, though if
detected they were punished with floggings.
Just as all Spartan men were expected to be fighters, all women were expected to bear children. Spartan
girls were allowed to remain with their parents, but they were also subjected to a rigorous education and
training program. While boys were readied for a life on campaign, girls practiced dance, gymnastics and
javelin and discus throwing, which were thought to make them physically strong for motherhood.
3. Hazing and fighting were encouraged among Spartan children.
Much of the Spartan agoge involved typical school subjects like reading, writing, rhetoric and poetry, but
the training regimen also had a vicious side. To toughen the young warriors and encourage their
development as soldiers, instructors and older men would often instigate fights and arguments between
trainees. The agoge was partially designed to help make the youths resistant to hardships like cold,
hunger and pain, and boys who showed signs of cowardice or timidity were subject to teasing and
violence by peers and superiors alike.
Even Spartan girls were known to participate in this ritualized hazing. During certain religious and state
ceremonies, girls would stand before Spartan dignitaries and sing choral songs about the young men of
the agoge, often singling out specific trainees for ridicule in order to shame them into stepping up their
performance.
4. All Spartan men were expected to be lifelong soldiers.
As grueling as Sparta’s martial education system could be, the soldier’s life was the only option for young
men who wished to become equal citizens, or “Homoioi.” According to the edicts of the Spartan lawmaker
and reformer Lycurgus, male citizens were legally prevented from choosing any occupation other than the
military. This commitment could last for decades, as warriors were required to remain on reserve duty until
the age of 60.
Because of their preoccupation with the study of warfare, Sparta’s manufacturing and agriculture were left
entirely to the lower classes. Skilled laborers, traders and craftsmen were part of the “Perioeci,” a class of
free non-citizens who lived in the surrounding region of Laconia. Meanwhile, agriculture and food
production fell to the enslaved Helots, a servile class that made up the majority of Sparta’s population.
Ironically, constant fear of Helot revolts and uprisings was a major reason why the Spartan elite became
so devoted to building a strong military in the first place.
5. Spartan youths were ritualistically beaten and flogged.
One of Sparta’s most brutal practices involved a so-called “contest of endurance” in which adolescents
were flogged—sometimes to the death—in front of an altar at the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia. Known as
the “diamastigosis,” this annual practice was originally used as both a religious ritual and a test of the
boys’ bravery and resistance to pain. It later devolved into an outright blood sport after Sparta went into
decline and fell under control of the Roman Empire. By the third century A.D. there was even an
amphitheater constructed so that scores of tourists could cheer on the grisly ordeal.
6. Food was intentionally kept scarce, and poor fitness was cause for ridicule.
When a Spartan man completed the main phase of the agoge at around age 21, he was elected to a
“syssitia”—a military-style mess where citizens gathered for public meals. To prepare soldiers for the
strain of war and discourage poor fitness, the rations doled out at these communal dining halls were
always bland and slightly insufficient. Spartans were renowned for their devotion to physical fitness and
proper diet, and they reserved a special loathing for overweight citizens, who were publicly ridiculed and
risked being banished from the city-state.
Wine was a staple of the Spartan diet, but they rarely drank to excess and often cautioned their children
against drunkenness. In some cases, they would even force Helot slaves to get wildly inebriated as a way
of showing young Spartans the negative effects of alcohol.
7. Spartan men were not allowed to live with their wives until age 30.
Spartan society didn’t discourage romantic love, but marriage and childrearing were both subject to some
peculiar cultural and governmental constraints. The state counseled that men should marry at age 30 and
women at 20. Since all men were required to live in a military barracks until 30, couples who married
earlier were forced to live separately until the husband completed his active duty military service.
The Spartans saw marriage primarily as a means for conceiving new soldiers, and citizens were
encouraged to consider the health and fitness of their mate before tying the knot. In fact, husbands who
were unable to have children were expected to seek out virile substitutes to impregnate their wives.
Likewise, bachelors were seen as neglecting their duty and were often publically mocked and humiliated
at religious festivals.
8. Surrender in battle was the ultimate disgrace.
Spartan soldiers were expected to fight without fear and to the last man. Surrender was viewed as the
epitome of cowardice, and warriors who voluntarily laid down their arms were so shamed that they often
resorted to suicide. According to the ancient historian Herodotus, two Spartan soldiers who missed out on
the famous Battle of Thermopylae returned to their homeland disgraced. One later hanged himself, and
the other was only redeemed after he died fighting in a later engagement.
Even Spartan mothers were known for their do-or-die approach to military campaigns. Spartan women are
said to have sent their sons off to war with a chilling reminder: “Return with your shield or on it.” If a
Spartan trooper died in battle, he was viewed as having completed his duty as a citizen. In fact, the law
mandated that only two classes of people could have their names inscribed on their tombstones: women
who died in childbirth and men who fell in combat.
ANCIENT ATHENS FACTS
The ancient Greeks (mainly the Athenians) were a unique people. They believed that individuals should be free as
long as they acted within the laws of Greece. This allowed them the opportunity to excel in any direction they chose.
Individuality, as the Greeks viewed it, was the basis of their society. The ability to strive for excellence, no matter
what the challenge, was what the Athenians so dearly believed in. This strive for excellence was the method from
which they achieved such phenomenal accomplishments. These accomplishments astound us to this day. They also
believed in the balance of mind and body. Although many of them strove to become soldiers and athletes, others
ventured into philosophy, drama, pottery and the arts. The two most important concepts which the ancient Greeks
followed were found inscribed on the great shrine of Delphi, which read "Nothing in excess" and "Know thyself".
This philosophy greatly impacted the Greek civilization.
Athens was the intellectual center of Greece. It was one of the first city-states of its time, and is still world renowned
as one of the most famous cities in the world. It was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the city's
patron. In 508 BC, Athens became one of the first societies in ancient times to establish democracy. Democracy
came from the Greek words, demos, meaning people, and kratein, meaning to rule. This form of government was
used at a meeting place which the Greeks called the Assembly. Here the citizens of Athens met monthly and
discussed the affairs of state. There were no decisions made by government without first asking the Assembly.
The Acropolis, dedicated to Athena, was the religious shrine and high fortress for the Athenian people. Its walls
were built on a layer of limestone rock overlooking the city. Within these walls, the people of Athens built temples
and buildings, the most famous, of which, being the Parthenon.
Athenian art is some of the most unique in the world. They were not only master builders and architects, they were
also great lovers of art. Their artistic talents can be viewed through many different forms which have survived for
centuries, such as architectural designs, sculptures, pottery, and fine jewelry.
At the Theater of Dionysia, named after the god of wine, one of the greatest events of the year was performed. It
was a religious festival held in honor of the gods. For ten days, Athenians filled the theatre to watch plays performed
by their favorite poets and playwrights. They consisted of either three tragedies or three comedies followed by a
short satyr farce. The actors were all men. Women were not allowed to participate. They wore large masks and
elaborate costumes while performing both male and female roles. The cost for entrance to the theatre was
two obols. Those who did not have the money to pay were allowed in at no cost.
The Olympic Games were the greatest national festival for the Athenians. Held every four years, athletes came from
all regions of Greece to compete in the great Stadium of Olympia and honor their supreme god, Zeus. The most
important of the competitions was the pentathlon, where an athlete competed in five different events. At the
conclusion of The Games, the winners were presented garlands and crowned with olive wreaths.
Athenian soldiers were required to serve two years in the military, one in the garrison and one in a border fort. After
the first year, they were given a sword and a shield with the state's emblem on it. Although they served only two
years, they could be called at any moment up to age sixty. The army consisted of horsemen
and hoplites, footsoldiers. They were armed with swords, shields, and extremely long lances. Most wars between
city-states were due to problems concerning harvests or livestock, sometimes only lasting a day or so. There was a
truce called every four years in Greece in order for representatives of various city-states to compete in the Olympic
Games.
Ancient Greece was one of the largest contributors to present-day civilization. Democracy, philosophy, astrology,
biology, mathematics, physics, and the theatre are only a few of its contributions to us. Words and thoughts from
great men such as Plato, Socrates, Pythagoras, and Aristotle are still taught in universities to this day. Cities which
have withstood the powers of nature for thousands of years still stand for us to view in awe. This was a great
civilization far ahead of its time, whose beauty and knowledge will live on for many generations to come.
NAME: ______________________________________________________________________ DATE: _____________________ PERIOD: ______
ATHENS & SPARTA
FACT SHEET
Write down five facts about each ancient Greek city-state, using complete sentences.
ATHENS
SPARTA
1.
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6. (extra credit)
6. (extra credit)
7. (extra credit)
7. (extra credit)