At age 60, a Spartan soldier could retire and live in their home with their families. Military service did not end until a Spartan male reached the age of 60. They ate, slept, and continued to train in their brotherhood barracks.Įven if they were married, they did not live with their wives and families. Spartan soldiers spent most of their lives with their fellow soldiers.
Spartan citizens were not allowed to even touch money as that was considered to be the job of the middle class.
#Ancient wars sparta ebay full#
If they passed, they became a full citizen and a Spartan soldier. The Perioikos, or the middle class, were allowed to own property, have business dealings, but had no political rights and were not citizens. Between the ages of 18 to 20, Spartan males had to pass a difficult test of fitness, military ability, and leadership skills.Ī Spartan male who did not pass these examinations became a Perioikos. On attaining 20 years of age, they joined the state militia, which was a standing reserve force available for duty in time of emergency in which they served until they were 60 years old. At the tender age of 18, Spartan boys became military cadets and learned the art of warfare. They were subjected to strict discipline and harsh physical punishment and were taught to take pride in the amount of pain they could endure. They were also subjected to strict discipline and harsh physical punishment indeed, they were taught to take pride in the amount of pain they could endure. Lifestyle of Greek PeoplesĪpart from this, they were made to walk barefoot, sleep on hard beds, and work at gymnastics and perform other physical activities such as running, jumping, javelin and discus throwing, swimming, and hunting. Such kind of brutal training was given to them. The boys had to march without shoes to make them strong. School courses were very hard and often painful.Īlthough students were taught to read and write, those skills were not very important to the ancient Spartans. At school, they were taught survival skills and other skills necessary to be a great soldier. Spartan boys were sent to military school at age 6 or 7 where they lived, trained and slept in their barracks of their brotherhood. From age 7 to 18, they underwent an increasingly rigorous training. The Spartan boys had to leave home at the age of 7 in order to join disciplined groups under the supervision of a hierarchy of officers. Babies who passed this examination were assigned membership in a brotherhood or sisterhood, usually the same one to which their father or mother belonged. If the baby did not appear healthy and strong, the infant was taken away and left to die on a hillside, or taken away to be trained as a slave (a helot). Spartan soldiersĪs a matter of fact, when babies were born in ancient Sparta, Spartan soldiers would come by the house and check the baby. Part of their training involved gymnastics. Boys attended elementary school from the time they were about age 6 or 7 until they were 13 or 14. Other than requiring two years of military training that began at age 18, the state left parents to educate their sons as they saw fit. On the other hand, the goal of education in Athens, a democratic city-state, was to produce citizens trained in the arts of both peace and war. Every Spartan, irrespective of whether he was a male or a female, was required to have a perfect body. They were very loyal to the state of Sparta. Spartans believed in a life of discipline, self-denial, and simplicity.
0 kommentar(er)
