Spartan girls were allowed to remain with their parents, but they were also subjected to a rigorous education and training program. Much of the Spartan agoge involved typical Greek 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. This was partially designed to help make the youths resistant to hardships like cold, hunger, and pain. Boys who showed signs of cowardice or timidity were subject to teasing and violence by peers and superiors alike (Plutarch). 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
Spartan girls were allowed to remain with their parents, but they were also subjected to a rigorous education and training program. Much of the Spartan agoge involved typical Greek 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. This was partially designed to help make the youths resistant to hardships like cold, hunger, and pain. Boys who showed signs of cowardice or timidity were subject to teasing and violence by peers and superiors alike (Plutarch). 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