Sparta was a city state in the southern part of ancient Greece separated from the mainland by the Gulf of Corinth. Being a Spartan was tough, but that’s how the citizens wanted it. Spartans conquered a lot of land and people around their city state. Each Spartan had a portion of land farmed for him by slaves known as helots. To keep the helots in check, the Spartans created the best military in ancient Greece.

They kept their military strong by raising boys to become warriors. When a male child was born, Sparta’s elders demanded to see him. If he seemed unhealthy in any way, the elders took the boy to the woods and left him there to die. If, however, the child had no obvious flaws, he continued to live with his parents until the age of 7.

Spartan helmet exhibited at British Museum. Photo by John Antoni, April 24, 2012.

At 7 years old, boys were enrolled in a state run school. The school didn’t require the students to learn how to read and write or do math. Instead, the students spent all of their time playing sports and learning military skills, such as how to use weapons. This might sound like fun, but the constant competition often became exhausting. Boys were forced to compete in wrestling and boxing matches. If a student lost, he was humiliated. Though they were young, they were being toughened up to serve in the military.

Another way of making the boys tougher was by not feeding them much food. Without enough food, the boys had to creep out at night and either find and kill wild animals or steal from the kitchens. The experience gave them skills needed in warfare, like how to move around stealthily in the dark and how to live off the land. Students also were not allowed to wear shoes, even in the winter.

During the last couple of years at school, students joined the Krypteia, Sparta’s intelligence agency. The goal of the Krypteia was to spy on the helots in case they were planning an uprising.

To complete their education, each student was sent out at the age of about 20 to assassinate a helot in the Spartan conquered land of Messinia. The young Spartan was sent out unarmed and without food. If he was successful, he was judged ready to be a full Spartan citizen. At this point, the young man joined a men’s club called the Syssitia where he would continue to practice warfare.