At what age did a Spartan become a man?

A Spartan man was considered to have graduated from the agōgē at age 30, at which time he was expected to have been accepted into a syssition and was permitted to have a family. He would also receive a kleros, an allotment of land farmed by helots.

What age did Spartans become men?

At the age of 7, Spartan boys were removed from their parents' homes and began the “agoge,” a state-sponsored training regimen designed to mold them into skilled warriors and moral citizens.

What did Spartan boys do at age 20?

Girls also learned Spartan values, but their upbringing was less strict. All male Spartan citizens became soldiers at age 20. Men retired from soldiering at age 60 and could then become elders.

What happened to Spartan boys at age 30?

They were allowed to take a wife, but they weren't allowed to live with her. At age 30, they became full citizens of Sparta, provided they had served honorably. They were required to continue serving the military, however, until age 60.

At what age did Spartans become full citizens?

A Spartan warrior became a full citizen, a homoios, meaning 'one who is equal' at the age of 30, meaning he could live in his own home and the helots or slaves would work on his land.

Spartan Warriors began training at this age

How old was the average Spartan warrior?

At age 20, Spartan males became full-time soldiers, and remained on active duty until age 60.

At what age did Spartans stop fighting?

“No man was allowed to live as he pleased, but in their city, as in a military encampment, they always had a prescribed regimen,” he wrote. As Cartledge writes in Spartan Reflections, it wasn't until age 60 that Spartans finally were allowed to retire from the army—provided that they lived that long.

What did Spartan men do after age 60?

A man could not live at home with his wife and family until he was 30 years old. At the age of 60, Spartan men could retire from the army.

Why were Spartan boys starved?

The reason for this strange custom was this: the Spartans were often engaged in war, so they had to depend entirely upon the provisions they could get on their way. If the Spartan soldiers had not been trained to steal, many of them would have starved during campaigns.

Were Spartan men allowed to retire?

Spartan men who managed to survive their years of compulsory military service were allowed to retire at 60, at which point the elders of noble families could join the Gerousia.

How did Spartans treat their wives?

Women could inherit property, own land, make business transactions, and were better educated than women in ancient Greece in general. Unlike Athens, where women were considered second-class citizens, Spartan women were said to rule their men. The Greek philosopher Aristotle (l.

What did Spartan boys eat?

The Spartans, noted among ancient writers for their austerity, prepared a black broth of blood and boiled pig's leg, seasoned with vinegar, which they combined with servings of barley, fruit, raw greens, wine and, at larger dinners, sausages or roasted meat. Spartan boys were sparingly issued barley cakes.

How did Spartans sleep?

They slept on hard beds made of reeds and were not given any covers. They were not given enough food.

What age did Spartans marry?

While Athenian women might have expected to marry for the first time around the age of fourteen to men much older than them, Spartan women normally married between the ages of eighteen and twenty to men close to them in age.

How fit were Spartans?

Yes very strong. Their physique would resemble the physique we see today on star athletes at the Olympics. It wasn't only their crazy training and their way of life, but also their nutrition which was basically almost 100% protein.

Were Spartan boys not allowed to wear clothes?

The young Spartans were not allowed to wear anything but one cloak. No shoes, no underwear, and no additional clothes were permitted -- even in winter. They slept in their military groups, on reeds they plucked out of the river with their own hands.

What was considered the biggest disgrace to a Spartan soldier?

They were of such great importance in the Spartan army that while losing a sword and a spear was an exception, to lose a shield was a sign of disgrace.

What happens when a Spartan boy turns 7?

Stealing for food

Mothers took care of their babies for only seven years. Once a boy turns seven, the Spartan army welcomed him. The education starts in an institution known as “agoge”, where a teacher is assigned to take care of the children. But life was not easy.

Did Spartans lift weights?

The Spartans were famous for their rigorous training, which included lifting heavy weights to gain the strength needed for victorious battles.

How long did the average Spartan live?

A Spartan 4 will hit at least 100 years active front line duty. Thats over 3 times longer. So if the pre military life being 18 years and the 120 year life expectancy hold true, being another 50 years on top of the fighting years, then a Spartan 4s average life expectancy should be nearly 170 years old.

What did Spartan men do daily?

Spartan men spent their days either fighting in wars or training for battle. All fit males spent the majority of their lives in the army. Newborn sons were examined to determine their strength. If a baby boy was seen as weak, he was either abandoned and left to die or raised as a helot, or enslaved person.

What did Spartans do for fun?

Granted, Spartan citizens also pursued rugged pastimes such as equestrianism, but their love of poetry and dance belies a contempt of pleasure.

Were the Spartans really that tough?

Sparta became famous for its ability in warfare, and the Spartans were considered invincible warriors. Their ability to fight was only a part of why Spartans were exceptional soldiers. The most important reason was their specific ethics and training instilled in them since childhood.

Why were Spartans so strong?

A lifelong dedication to military discipline, service, and precision gave this kingdom a strong advantage over other Greek civilizations, allowing Sparta to dominate Greece in the fifth century B.C.