Agoge Flashcards
What happened if a child was born weak or deformed
They were thrown off the Apothetae cliff
How did the Spartans justify this treatment of deformed children
They wanted the best soldiers for their army so their troops don’t fail them mid battle
Who decided the child’s fate
The ephors, five independent council members, whose roles were brought out after fears over monarchic ruling by the two kings of Sparta
What is our main source of information on the agoge
Plutarch and Xenophon
What age did the boys begin their training
7, not too young so that they could not be hardened effectively and had already gone through some development, but not too old that they had been ‘softened’ by their mother’s love
What clothing were boys allowed to wear and why?
One cloak meant to last them the entire year, it taught them the value of looking after their possessions but also hardened them against the cold.
How much food were the boys allowed to eat and why
They were always kept hungry, so they could survive for a long time on a march without food.
How were Spartan Boys allowed to alleviate their hunger
They were allowed to steal food, but would be punished severely if caught.
Why were boys who were caught stealing punished, if stealing was encouraged
Because they wanted to encourage stealth and trickery
Who were in charge of the boys
“The Child Rearer” - Paidagogos, though there were also Eirenes, whipping prefects
On what did the boys sleep
They were forced to sleep outside, and had to make beds made of reeds and they used the dark as cover
Cheese Competition according to Xenophon
The ceremony was as follows. A piece of cheese was place on the alter, and, in turn, the boys had to run up and take the cheese while getting flogged by people on the way there and back.
The Cheese Competition according to Pausanias
“The priestess stood by carrying the wooden statue of the goddess Artemis, and if the boys were not beaten hard enough either because they came from a good family or because they were too good looking, she would complain that the statue was getting heavy and that the goddess demanded more blood, and they should be beaten harder until they bled. It was thought that a long session of beating like this would toughen the boys up and make them into formidable Spartan warriors. It appears to have been an initiation ceremony, where you had to be flogged in order to be accepted as a Spartan warrior.”
Members of Spartan Society
Helots - Slaves
Perioeci - traders and manufacturers
Spartiates - Spartan soldiers who had access to society and were landowning
Gerousia - Elders, had to be over 60
Where was the cheese competition held
At the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia
