Spartan Society

• Spartan society was geared towards breeding and raising the finest soldiers.
• Every citizen was forced to devote their life to meagre and strict living in order to breed tough warriors
• Boys were taken from their mothers at the age of 7 and put through a brutal training regime called the agoge
• Reading and writing were considered unimportant and so were taught at a minimum.
• Education was all about physical endurance.
• Spartans lived in communal barracks until the age of 30 to promote comradery and obedience.
• They lived in almost a communist society. Food was rationed equally between citizens and equality was a major focus. Money and luxuries were outlawed and each citizen was given an equal plot of farmland.
• Men and women were considered to be equals.
• Spartan society was built on the back of slaves who were taken from neighbouring Greek land. These slaves were called Helots
• The Helots were treated brutally in order to keep them in line. This meant that the Spartans and the Helots hated each other. As the Helots outnumbered the Spartans 20:1, the Spartans lived in constant fear of a revolution. This, in turn, made Spartans hostile towards all outsiders, just in case they were to convince the Helots to revolt.