Did the Spartan boys steal?

At age 12, initiates were deprived of all clothing save for a red cloak and forced to sleep outside and make their own beds from reeds. To ready them for a life in the field, the boy soldiers were also encouraged to scavenge and even steal their food, though if detected they were punished with floggings.

Were Spartan boys taught to steal?

Such harsh punishment was a prominent part of the Spartan training system. The Spartans even turned it into an annual ritual, in which boys tried to steal cheeses from a temple altar, which required them to evade guards armed with whips. “Whipping was a test of courage and stoicism,” Reiter says.

What did the Sparta boys do?

They were taught boxing, swimming, wrestling, javelin-throwing, and discus-throwing. They were trained to harden themselves to the elements. At the age of 18, Spartan boys had to go out into the world and steal their food.

Were Spartans encouraged to steal?

This military camp was known as the Agoge. They became inured to hardship, being provided with scant food and clothing; this also encouraged them to steal, and if they were caught, they were punished – not for stealing, but for being caught.

What was the reason for encouraging Spartan boys to steal?

Boys were encouraged to steal to become more resourceful and better fighting men.

How Sparta Manufactured Super-Soldiers - The Spartan Agoge

What was the main lesson of all Spartan children?

Lesson Summary

The life of a Spartan was based on building a strong military for their country, and there was no place for cowardice, as they were expected to be brave. Boys and girls were both trained to worship through song and dance, and trained to fight and be healthy.

Who snitched on the Spartans?

pass by the Greek traitor Ephialtes, outflanked them. Sending the majority of his troops to safety, Leonidas remained to delay the Persians with 300 Spartans, their helots, and 1,100 Boeotians, all of whom died in battle.

Did someone actually betray the Spartans?

The historical Ephialtes of Trachis, whose name is synonymous in Greek with "nightmare," was a Malian Greek who betrayed the Spartans for Persian gold, showing them a secret path in the mountains through which a contingent of archers were able to flank and ultimately destroy the Spartans.

What was the purpose of having the boys steal?

Before graduation each boy had to steal some food without getting caught. The purpose of this exercise was to prove that the boy could take care of himself if he had to while living life as a soldier. If he was caught, he was not punished for stealing, but he was punished for getting caught.

Were the Spartans really that good?

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.

What did Spartan boys steal from the temple?

When young boys came of age, their ceremonial initiation into Spartan society involved some sort of ritual where they were flogged at the temple of Artemis Orthia. The Athenian scholar Xenophon said that the ritual included a race that required stealing cheese for the altar and a whipping.

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.

What did Spartan boys sleep on?

The Spartan government wanted to make the boys tough. To do this they were given little clothing and no shoes. They slept on hard beds made of reeds and were not given any covers.

What did Spartan boys do at age 20?

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

Were Spartan boys taught to endure pain?

Spartan boys were taught to suffer any amount of physical pain without complaining. They marched without shoes. They were not fed well, and they were encouraged to steal food as long as they didn't get caught. If they were caught, they were beaten.

What did Spartans do with weak babies?

Spartans had to prove their fitness even as infants.

If a Spartan baby was judged to be unfit for its future duty as a soldier, it was most likely abandoned on a nearby hillside. Left alone, the child would either die of exposure or be rescued and adopted by strangers.

How were Spartan boys taught stealth?

Young boys were taken from their homes at the age of 7 to live in the state barracks. Once there, they were given a minimum amount of clothes and food. The cold and hunger often compelled the boys to steal. Stealing was actually encourage as it taught stealth.

How long did Spartan training last?

The Spartan agoge included these stages both on a macro and micro level; the entirety of the thirteen-year training course was one long rite of passage that transitioned a young Spartan male from childhood to puberty to youth, and finally into manhood, while smaller passages progressed him from one age to the next.

What killed off the Spartans?

In fact, the Spartan state was eventually brought down by a number of factors, including internal strife, economic decline, and foreign invasion. Sparta's military dominance came to an end with its defeat at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC.

What did Leonidas say before he died?

No retreat, no surrender; that is Spartan law. And by Spartan law we will stand and fight... and die.

How did Sparta get wiped out?

Spartan political independence was put to an end when it was eventually forced into the Achaean League after its defeat in the decisive Laconian War by a coalition of other Greek city-states and Rome, and the resultant overthrow of its final king Nabis, in 192 BC.

Who did the Spartans hate?

The Peloponnesian War is the name given to the long series of conflicts between Athens and Sparta that lasted from 431 until 404 BC. The reasons for this war are sometimes traced back as far as the democratic reforms of Cleisthenes, which Sparta always opposed.

Did any of the 300 Spartans survive?

Yet there was another man, one of Leonidas' 300, namely Aristodemus of Sparta, the only survivor of the epic battle. According to the historian Herodotus, there were only three men out of Leonidas' elite army who did not fight in the epic battle.

What happened to Sparta after Leonidas died?

(Leonidas was approximately 60 years old when he died, and he was succeeded by his son, Pleistarchus.) The Spartans defended themselves to the very last soldier, until they overwhelmed by spears and arrows. There were no Spartan prisoners.

Why were Spartan children especially boys treated so harshly?

Why were Spartan boys treated so harshly? One factor was the agoge, the Greek city-state's educational and training system, which used harsh, extreme and sometimes cruel methods to prepare boys to be Spartan citizens and soldiers.