Spartan Warrior
When babies were born in Sparta, Spartan soldiers would come by the house to examine them. If the baby did not look healthy, it was taken away and left to die or trained as a slave. If the baby was healthy, it was assigned membership in a brotherhood or sisterhood. The boys in Sparta were sent to military camps of their brotherhood when they turned 7. They learned how to read and write until they were about 14. 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. They were not given enough food. They were trained in survival skills and how to be a good soldier. Reading and writing were taught as secondary skills.
The Life of a Spartan Warrior
Can you imagine being taken away from your family and your home when you were just seven years old? And then spending the rest of your life learning how to fight and then fighting your country’s enemies?
In the 5th century B.C., this was the life of a Spartan boy. It was Spartan law that boys must become warriors. And not just good warriors, but they had to be the best in the world!
What was Sparta and where was it?
Ancient Greece, or Hellas as it is called in the Greek language, was divided into many states and city-states. A city-state, or polis in Greek, was actually just a city with such power that it controlled the entire state in which it was located. For example, Sparta was the city-state in the state of
Lakonia, but because Sparta was such a major power in its state, it was common to use the city name to refer to the whole area.
At the time, Sparta had a population of 100,000 citizens and slaves. Because it was located in the center of the Peloponnese peninsula (the southern half of Greece), Spartans knew that any battles would have to be fought on land. Their city-state would need expert warriors on the battlefield.
Why did Sparta need such strong warriors?
Sparta was located
The Life of a Spartan Warrior
Can you imagine being taken away from your family and your home when you were just seven years old? And then spending the rest of your life learning how to fight and then fighting your country’s enemies?
In the 5th century B.C., this was the life of a Spartan boy. It was Spartan law that boys must become warriors. And not just good warriors, but they had to be the best in the world!
What was Sparta and where was it?
Ancient Greece, or Hellas as it is called in the Greek language, was divided into many states and city-states. A city-state, or polis in Greek, was actually just a city with such power that it controlled the entire state in which it was located. For example, Sparta was the city-state in the state of
Lakonia, but because Sparta was such a major power in its state, it was common to use the city name to refer to the whole area.
At the time, Sparta had a population of 100,000 citizens and slaves. Because it was located in the center of the Peloponnese peninsula (the southern half of Greece), Spartans knew that any battles would have to be fought on land. Their city-state would need expert warriors on the battlefield.
Why did Sparta need such strong warriors?
Sparta was located