It is said there was a time when the citizens of Sparta were not unlike any others in ancient
Greece.
After all, they shared a common culture, language, religion, and lifestyle, so there was really
no way of being superior in anything.
Herodotus even says Spartans were the worst governed people in all of Greece.
That is of course, until Sparta came under the influence of the legendary lawgiver, Lycurgus.
It was he who supposedly came up with the Spartan Constitution, among which was the
Agoge, a system of education and training to be completed by every Spartan citizen.
Most Greek cities also had a similar system in place, but it was Lycurgus’ that was
so revolutionary for the time, that it allowed the Spartans to dominate everyone who dared
meet them in the field, and in their prime, allowed them to stand undefeated for over
one hundred and fifty years…
In this video, we will reveal the fascinating methods behind lycurgus’ innovative training
system..
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As Lycurgus gazed upon the lazy mediocre citizens of Sparta, he decided that his people were
in need of a different concept of upbringing.
At the center of this idea was his belief that healthy, disciplined, able-bodied individuals
are integral to a successful and functioning society.
So his system was to be extended to every young Spartan citizen; male and female.
And though the girls were excluded from the more rigorous and extreme system of the Agoge,
they were still expected to perform the same exercises as the boys, like fighting and running,
as it was believed that both parents had to be in peak condition to produce the best possible
offspring.
To our modern eyes, Lycurgus’ system represents an interesting and extreme experiment that
can’t be replicated today - what would happen if an entire community was isolated from the
rest of the world and brought up through constant discipline, physical exercise, and resistance
to struggle, with these being held as a social norm and reason for existence for every individual.
In theory, this would produce a perfect society of tough individuals, with built in qualities
to show respect, endure the struggles of life and always strive for perfection.
Now let us see how Lycurgus implemented his idea into a real system, and if it achieved
the intended results he wanted…
For the boys, the system was divided into 3 age categories; children, adolescents and
young adults.
The first category was very similar in idea to a modern boarding school.
Young Spartans would leave their families to learn about letters, music, poetry, singing,
and sport.
Other Greek city states had a similar system, but relied on private pedagogues to teach
their children.
The Spartan system, on the other hand, was more communal, in which one man was chosen
to be in charge of the boys as their paidonomos, or supervisor.
This highly important role of bringing up the next generation of Spartans was only open
to those who were eligible for election to the highest offices…
It was the job of the Supervisor to make sure young Spartans became loyal, resourceful,
disciplined, and accustomed to extensive physical activity.
Most importantly though, as the writer Plutarch nicely puts it, the Agoge was a school of
Obedience.
The supervisor was given power to punish the boys as he saw fit, and always commanded a
group of older boys with whips to enforce his punishments.
And to make sure the boys were never left without a supervisor, he allowed every citizen
to take on his role when he wasn’t around and to order the boys to do whatever seemed
appropriate.
And yes, Citizens were also allowed to punish the boys if they did anything wrong.
For these reasons, the boys were accustomed to being respectful to everyone, and only
spoke when spoken to.
Xenophon even writes that the boys would always walk around with a gaze, so as to not provoke
anyone.
This instillment of heavy discipline and respect was the first step of their training.
When the boys of other Greek cities became teenagers, they were released by their pedagogues
and personal teachers into the world, and no one was in charge of them anymore…
Spartan teenagers however, only entered into their second stage of the Agoge.
Lycurgus recognised that it was in this age category, when going through puberty, that
boys are the most adventurous and troublesome.
In keeping with his system, he enforced even more hardships and labour on the boys.
They were to have only one cloak to stay warm and had to walk barefoot in order to strengthen
their feet.
Lycurgus believed that if their feet were properly accustomed, they could run faster
and jump higher than anyone in footwear…
At this age, they were taught to fight with weapons and march collectively in full silence,
under the rhythm of music.
These silent marches would be used as a psychological weapon in battle, as most armies did not have
the discipline to achieve this, and it would be offsetting for anyone to witness a seemingly
emotionless and confident army face off against them.
Interestingly, collective dancing, known as pyrrhichios, was also performed by the Spartans.
These war dances were essentially repetitive compound movements in full arms and armor,
which would strengthen countless muscles in the body and improve their overall balance
and cohesion.
As you can probably tell by now, Spartan training was not focussed on extensive muscle growth
of any sort.
Instead, it was aimed at improving speed, agility, and muscle memory.
So we could expect the average Spartan body to not be overly muscular, but instead nimble
and lean, carrying just enough weight and muscle for optimal physical performance.
Complementing this point is the fact that spartan youths were never fully sated, and
were always hungry to some degree.
Xenophon explains it was to encourage them to steal.
But, if they were caught stealing, they received a beating, not so much for the act of stealing,
but for being caught doing it...
This was all part of the second stage of their training, which ensured they were resourceful
and had a high resistance to hunger and pain.
Even their resistance to the cold was constantly tested, as they would bathe in the cold waters
of the Eurotas river, under the concrete opinion that bathing in hot water made one a coward.
The recurring theme in Lycurgus’ system of rationing, training and clothing Spartan
youths was to make them more self-controlled in regard to their needs.
It made the boys more contempt and indifferent with having less food, clothing, and personal
possessions.
This was in hopes that when a difficult situation inevitably presents itself, Spartan soldiers
would be more likely to recover and care for themselves, in comparison to other Greeks,
who were accustomed to being provided with minor comforts and luxuries.
To further discipline them, they were ordered, when in public, to hide their hands under
their cloak, walk silently, and keep their eyes fixed on the ground.
Xenophon even says you would be more likely to see a stone speak or a bronze statue turn
its eyes than them, who would reserve their words only for when spoken to.
When the boys grew into young men, Lycurgus focussed the most time and effort on them,
because he believed they were the city’s greatest asset.
He especially focussed on bringing out their sense of competitiveness and team work, for
he believed this was the best way to have the men push themselves to the limit of their
abilities.
In today's world, this can be seen in professional sports, and Lycurgus did a great job of replicating
them for the purpose of war.
Xenophon explains how he did this:
Out of all the young men, he would assign 3 strong leaders to each handpick the best
100 among themselves to be in their team.
The 3 leaders would also have to give a reason for each choice and rejection.
Then, these leaders and their chosen groups would be pitted in various activities and
battles against the very men they rejected.
This resulted in a lot of competition, as each selected man wanted to prove that he
belonged there, and each rejected one wanted to prove he was underestimated.
We are told the contests that ensued were always fierce, with each man pushing himself
to the limit for victory.
Such competition even resulted in fist fights between the members of the groups, but were
to be separated and punished to remind each man that their inner contests should never
be above their obedience to the law…
We can imagine that their contests would extend even onto the battlefield, where although
the groups stand side by side, each would strive to outperform the other, and be the
last to flee…
Unlike with the recruitment of the Roman legions, where men were selected based on stature and
strength, it can be said that each Spartan, male or female, would be in great shape as
they enter adulthood.
And anyone who was slightly shorter or slimmer would know how to compensate in speed and
vigor..
Lycurgus’ system made sure that EVERY citizen was a worthy recruit when the need for it
arose..
When the men grew out of their young adulthood, they were finally relieved of physical training,
but Lycurgus ensured through social norms that their readiness for battle and pursuit
of excellence carried on.
For example, hunting remained the most popular leisure activity, as it simulated a lot of
the military hardships and gave them an urge to stay physically fit and mentally aware.
Marriage was also a motivator, as only when Spartans were in peak condition were they
allowed to marry and have children, as Lycurgus believed this would produce the strongest
offspring.
He took it even further by making it frowned upon for couples to spend too much time together,
as it would affect their competitive spirit.
The last social norm, and by far the most brutal, was put in place to discourage cowardice.
Anyone who fled from a battle was subject to live in constant disgrace in all aspects
of life.
In any gathering, they would have to give up their seats to younger men.
In the streets, they would have to give way to everyone, and even in their own families,
they would have to raise the women, and were not allowed to marry and have a family of
their own.
On top of this, they would have to pay a fee for being a coward for as long as they live,
and could be beaten if they ever tried to act as though they were innocent in public.
And so, cowards had to endure the most dishonorable lives, which motivated most to rather die
in battle than take their place…
Do you think Lycurgus’ system achieved his goal of molding perfect citizen soldiers,
or were his methods a bit excessive and brutal?
Let us know in the comments below!
And if you think the Spartans were tough, check out the impressive training of the Roman
legionaries, who would eventually conquer even the Spartans.
And let us know which ancient training program produced the toughest of warriors.
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