and war with foreign invaders was a way of life

and Greeks were considered premier warriors

Most Greek city-states surrounded themselves with massive defensive walls

for added protection

Sparta in its prime was a different story

finding walls unnecessary

when it had an army of the most feared warriors in the ancient world

So what was Sparta doing differently than everyone else

to produce such fierce soldiers?

To answer that question, we turn to the written accounts of that time

There are no surviving written accounts from Spartans themselves

as it was forbidden for Spartans to keep records

so we have to rely on those of non-Spartan ancient historians

like Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch

These stories may be embellished

and depict Sparta at the apex of its power,

so take them with a grain of salt

For Spartans, the purpose for their existence was simple:

to serve Sparta

On the day of their birth

elder Spartan leaders examined every newborn

The strong healthy babies were considered capable of fulfilling this purpose

and the others may have been left on Mount Taygetus to die

Every Spartan, boy or girl, was expected to be physically strong mentally sharp and emotionally resilient.

And it was their absolute duty to defend and promote Sparta at all costs

So in the first years of their lives

children were raised to understand that their loyalty belonged first to Sparta

and then to family

This mindset probably made it easier for the Spartan boys

who upon turning seven, were sent to the agoge

a place with one main purpose:

to turn a boy into a Spartan warrior

through thirteen years of relentless, harsh, and often brutal training.

The Spartans prized physical perfection above all else

and so the students spent a great deal of their time learning how to fight

To ensure resilience in battle

boys were encouraged to fight among themselves

and bullying, unlike today, was acceptable

In order to better prepare the boys for the conditions of war

the boys were poorly fed

sometimes even going days without eating

They also were given little in the way of clothing

so that they could learn to deal with different temperatures

Spartan boys were encouraged to steal in order to survive

but if they were caught

they would be disciplined

not because they stole, but because they were caught in the act

During the annual contest of endurance

in a religious ritual known as the diamastigosis,

teenage boys were whipped in front of an altar at the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia

It was common for boys to die on the altar of the goddess

Fortunately, not everything was as brutal as that

Young Spartans were also taught how to read

write

and dance

which taught them graceful control of their movements

and helped them in combat

While the responsibilities for the girls of Sparta were different

the high standards of excellence

and expectation to serve Sparta with their lives remained the same

Spartan girls lived at home with their mothers as they attended school

Their curriculum included the arts

music

dance

reading

and writing

And to stay in peak physical condition, they learned a variety of sports

such as discus

javelin

and horseback riding

In Sparta, it was believed that only strong and capable women

could bear children that would one day become strong and capable warriors

To all Spartans, men and women

perhaps the most important lesson from Spartan school

was allegiance to Sparta

To die for their city-state was seen as the completion of one's duty to Sparta

Upon their death

only men who died in battle and women who died in childbirth

were given tombstones

In the eyes of their countrymen, both died so that Sparta could live