Tours: Spartan Education

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Immerse yourself in Sparta's intense training program, and follow a Spartan youth's journey from boy to soldier.

Opening RemarksSpartaThe Importance of EducationStatue of LeonidasThe First Stage of Education

• Leonidas: Welcome, visitor, to where Spartan boys became Spartan men.

("Who are you?")

• Leonidas: My name is Leonidas. I am a king of Sparta, but do not think me some idle aristocrat softened by luxury. When Spartans go to war, I stand alongside them shield to shield, and my spear tastes the same blood as those of my men.

("What do you think of this place?")

• Leonidas: I can't help but be reminded of the boy I used to be. I wonder what that boy would think if he saw me today. Would he be proud? Intimidated? Or would he pity the tired old man standing in front of him? But such thoughts are meaningless. Let us move on.

("Let's begin the tour.")

• Leonidas: The agoge was Sparta's strict education system. The strenuous regimen took in the young boys, and then reshaped them until nothing was left but the strength, intelligence, and resolve of a perfect Spartan citizen. I will find you once your visit has ended, and we will talk further. Until then, visitor.

The plain of Sparta and the Taygetos mountains, view from the Menelaion / 2016

Sparta was a Greek city located in the Peloponnese.

It differed from other cities of the time in that it had no walls.

Sparta originated as four neighboring villages: Pitane, Limnes, Mesoa, Cynosura—all of which shared the same political, military, and religious life.

After two wars with the Messenians, the city's territory expanded even further.

By the 5th century BCE, they allegedly controlled almost half of the Peloponnese.

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The Dorians inhabited the valley of Eurotas in the 12th century BCE and founded Sparta by the 10th century BCE.

In Greek mythology, Sparta was the daughter of King Eurotas of Lakonia and the wife of King Lakedaimon. The city of Sparta was named after her, although the city was also called Lakedaimon. But Sparta was the capital of the Lakedemonians.

Presentation of a new-born to the gerousia of Sparta, painting by Jean-Pierre Saint-Ours (1752-1809) / 1785

The agoge was the military training and education program undergone by Sparta's male youth.

Grooming men for war was one of the city's main priorities.

Boys began their training at the young age of seven, and completed it when they were thirty.

It has been said that Spartan infants were inspected for weakness shortly after birth.

If they were deemed too sickly, they were thrown into chasms. However, this information remains unproven.

The healthy boys were considered suitable for training.

When they came of age, they were removed from their families and were placed into service of the state.

Their education included subjects like reading, writing, and even music, but was mostly focused on tough military exercises meant to turn the boys into efficient soldiers.

The agoge was divided into three cycles:

One for boys aged seven to twelve, one for adolescents aged twelve to twenty, and one for men aged twenty to thirty.

Each cycle included different exercises for refining the boy and mind.

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The organization of Sparta's education system is attributed to Lykourgos, the mythical Sparta lawgiver.

The agoge system not only educated and socialized Spartan youth; passing the agoge was a political requirement to become a Spartan citizen, and failing the program or refusing to participate resulted in complete exclusion from Sparta's citizenry.

Modern statue of Leonidas in Sparta / 2014

Sparta played a large role in defeating the Persians during the Greco-Persian Wars in the 5th century BCE.

They held their king Leonidas' glorious death at the Battle of Thermopylae in particularly high esteem.

Because Leonidas was killed in battle, Sparta believed he died a good death and showed incredible bravery—qualities to be held as a model for all Spartans.

This idealized bravery was embedded in the city's collective memory, and was the main quality people strove for in the agoge.

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According to Pausanias, Leonidas' tomb was located near the Chalkioikos sanctuary. The tomb contained Leonidas' bones which were collected from their original resting place in Thermopylai before being returned to Sparta.

To honor Leonidas' heroic death, the Spartans held annual speeches and competed in special games reserved only for citizens.

Lead figure of a woman dedicated to Artemis Orthia / 7th-6th cent. BCE (Archaic Greece)

The first cycle of the agoge focused on boys aged seven to twelve.

Each of the boys had shaved heads and wore light clothing.

They walked everywhere barefoot, swam in the Eurotas river all year long, slept on reeds, and participated in cult rituals for Artemis Orthia.

The boys were grouped into "herds", or agelai, and were supervised by older adolescents.

Once they reached the age of twelve, they entered the second cycle of the agoge, which aimed to integrate them into the society of citizen-soldiers.

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The young girls of Sparta participated in a system that was similar in some ways to the agoge, but less severe. They were trained in music and dance, but also running and wrestling. They avoided wearing jewelry and perfume, and in general, had much more freedom compared to women in the rest of the Greek world.

BarracksSyssitionClosing Remarks

Combat between hoplites from the Nereid monument / 4th cent. BCE (Classical Greece)

The agoge's second cycle included boys aged twelve to twenty.

When they reached the age of twenty, the young men were dubbed eirenes and could officially serve as hoplites in the Spartan army.

Until the age of thirty, Spartan men lived in communal mess halls called syskenia.

From the age of twenty-two onward, they were permitted to start a family, but thirty was viewed as a more appropriate age to get married.

Spartan men served in the military until they turned sixty, when they were designated as elders, or gerontes.

However, many were known to continue serving anyway, such as king Archidamos III, who fought in the army until he was killed in battle at the age of sixty-two.

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The agoge encouraged the education of many peculiar practices, one of which was theft. Young Spartans were encouraged to steal food to supplement their meals, and if they were caught, they were severely punished.

Another unique educational practice was the krypteia, in which elite eighteen year old Spartans were sent off on their own with only a knife and basic equipment. During this time, their main goal was allegedly to hunt down and exterminate helots. Plutarch believed this practice was Sparta's reaction to the helot revolt of 460 BCE, but it's also possible that it existed as far back as the 7th century BCE. Plato, meanwhile, said that the krypteia was meant to teach Spartan youth how to conduct clandestine operations and survive under difficult conditions.

Progress in the agoge was also tied with the growing of hair and facial hair. At the age of 20, Spartan men were permitted to grow their hair long, and at 30, they were finally allowed to grow mustaches.

Lakonia lakaina (drinking vase) / 600-575 BCE (Archaic Greece)

All adult male Spartans participated in communal meals called syssitia.

The attending Spartans contributed different kinds of food on a monthly basis, in addition to a small sum of money to pay for meat.

Each man was entitled to one portion of a meal, with the exception of the kings, who received two portions.

Syssitia attendance was mandatory for every Spartan fortunate enough to be part of the group.

According to Xenophon and Plutarch, the syssitia was designed to foster a sense of equality between citizens.

It also demonstrated the self-restraint and moderation of Spartan society.

But in reality, the syssitia only increased the differentiation between the rich and the poor.

Those who could not afford to contribute to the communal food not only missed their meals, but also lost their right of citizenship.

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Although communal meals were common in other Greek cities, syssitia were unique in that were a key part of both Lakedamimonian ideology and Spartan citizenship. Syssitia took place three times a day. Spartans started the morning with a breakfast (akratisma) of bread and wine, then ate lunch (ariston), and dinner (aiklon) later on in the day.

The communal meal's menu included flour, wine, cheese and figs, but the most popular food in Sparta was mealas zomos (black broth), a soup made with meat and pig's blood.

("I'm ready for the quiz.") ("Take on the next suggested tour.") ("Take me on a random tour.") ([LEAVE] "That's all for now.")

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