Sparta is a small single city state in the southern end of Greece, and known for being the home of the great Spartan warrior. Founded in 900 BCE, it was almost a cult-like warrior society with a military of 10,000 men strong enough to contain the helots, the slaves in Sparta. The Spartan soldier was the most elite of the time. There military dominated Athens in the Peloponnesian War and famously held off the gargantuan Persian army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers with their measly 300 men for three days. Because they were a relatively small city state, if it weren’t for their extreme military training they would have been decimated by their opposition. While thought to be cruel and unethical, their violent ways were effective and beneficial by making their soldiers extremely tough and physical dominant, and teaching them the right morals to win.
The Spartan warriors relied on force, skill, and the ability to grind through the toughest of situations. Physically, the Spartans were unmatched, for they were phenomenally strong and sturdy. All of their astounding physical attributes were obtained by a unique and radical training regime called “agoge”. A baby Spartan boy was born to live the life of a warrior. When a baby was born it was inspected immediately by soldiers to see if it was strong enough. A baby who was of inadequate strength would be left to die, possibly thrown off a cliff or left in the wilderness. The infants that passed would be bathed in wine to harden them. The babies lived with their mother and one nurse. When the young Spartan boy reached the age of seven, he was taken from his mother to begin his course in the elite Spartan military “agoge”. The boys lived and breathed fighting from this point on. Once they were in training they received just one cloak and no shoes. The boys were fed a minimal amount of food and encouraged to steal more food from the helots, although if caught, they would be punished by the helot and then beaten by the older soldiers. The older boys in training were directed to beat the younger boys to toughen them up. The training soldiers were instructed to instigate fights between each other. Although they were told not to fight with anger, boys would die when they got beaten, while some ran away. When a boy became seventeen he entered his second stage. The boys were yet to be men, they continued living in barracks and at this point they were military reserve. Some were chosen to be police or city guards. Although age is disputed, this was most likely when the Spartan boys began practicing killing Helots the slaves in Sparta. By the time the boys were 20 they were considered men. They went through a series of rigorous and challenging tests and if they passed, they were considered part of the military. The men had gone through the most terrible circumstances, having to endure killing, stealing, beating, getting beaten, fighting, and having nearly no freedom. The Spartans were tough as nails and had a legendary work ethic. Spartan king Agesilaus noted, “Freedom is what we reap from this way of life, my friend” (Sayings of Sparta).The Spartans fought for a cause and trained for the same cause, this was knowing if they were not the toughest they would be decimated. Although the concept of this training and way of life seems dreadful, it was beneficial to a state like Sparta. The training wasn’t just physical education and pushing the human body to the limit. Boys and girls both were education in school as well.
The mental side of Agoge was civilized compared to many of the things the Spartans did. The Spartan boys and girls started this education at the age of seven. The children were taught to read, write, and learn the Spartan ways. The boys did not fight for themselves or their family, nor did they live for themselves or family. The Spartans lived for the state, they lived for the people. They were all living like war heroes, putting those who they were fighting for far before themselves. Honor was so very important in the Spartan society. Before a Spartan mother sent her son to battle she told him “Son, either with this or on this.” ( Sayings of Sparta). This was a very strong phrase. It meant that the mother wished her son to return with his shield after fighting and winning, or that he would fight to his death. But if he returned without his shield after he had fled from a fight he would become an outcast. But unlike some cultures whose soldiers went to fight expecting death, the Spartans fought to protect other Spartans, doing everything in their power to stay alive and protect their people.
However, can we even make the argument that this training was good? You may say “They were so cruel, from abandoning newborns to killing their slave helots” or “Could they have toughened themselves without abusing each other?” There is no doubt that in the present day these things would be considered unethical and over the top, but there is no good way to know what people living at the time thought of it. There is a great possibility that this was just an example of a city state with a military focus. The Spartans may have been able to live in peace if they did not pose a threat to their neighbors. In a similar way to Sweden during the World Wars, they could have been a peaceful people, letting foreigners pass through without trouble. Sparta wouldn’t have needed to fight and kill. However, Sparta was in a different position than Sweden. Sparta first created a military to contain the helots. After years they became extremely strong, and it was because of the intense training and simple way of life. And perhaps the idea that the Spartans were crazy, war-obsessed barbarians was introduced by Sparta, to intimidate their enemies. “When some diplomats visited from Athens they were given a black gruel for their meal, although this wasn’t standard Spartan fair, the Athenians returned home with tales about the Spartan’s disgusting food and obsession with warfare.”(AncientMilitary.com). The Spartans fought for the state, not for themselves. The Spartans were willing to go to the end of the world to contribute to their state.