Spartan marriage customs Flashcards
In Sparta would young men and women have opportunity to interact?
Yes, they would have plenty of opportunity.
How would boys and girls exercise in Sparta?
In full view of each other.
What were girls actively encouraged to do with the boys?
Heckle them. If a boy was seen to be lazy or inept, they would insult him. If another boy excelled in his training, they would loudly praise him to motivate others.
Would Spartan brides be strangers to their grooms?
No, it is highly unlikely.
In Sparta, who would have a hand in arranging a suitable match for marriage of girls?
The girl’s parents
Was there a dowry in Spartan culture?
No, there was no financial aspect to Spartan marriages.
What was the main purpose of marriage in Sparta?
To produce strong children.
Where would a Spartan bride be waiting for her husband on her wedding night?
Lying on the floor of her bedroom.
At around what age would Spartan girls get married and why?
In their late teens or early twenties. Because older girls who were in their physical prime were thought to produce stronger children and were more likely to survive childbirth.
What is a syssition?
A communal mess hall in which warriors dines and for which each man had to contribute food.
Would would a Spartan bride look like on her wedding night?
She would have her hair cut short, like a man’s, and wear a man’s clothes and sandals.
What would the groom do while the Spartan bride would be waiting for him?
he would have dinner as normal in his syssition and have gone to bed in his military barracks. At some point in the night, he would sneak out, trying to avoid being caught.
What would the groom do after sneaking out?
Go to his brides house, carry her to the bed and they would consummate the marriage. he might stay with her for a while , but before morning he would return to his barracks to sleep alongside comrades.
What are some suggestions as to why Sparta’s wedding ritual took the form that it did?
-By sneaking around, the couple would be exited to see each other, as a result sex would be more energetic ( belived that vigorous sex led to healthier offspring)
-Prevented husbands and wives from spending to much time together, so first allegiance was always to comrades and not to family.
At what age would a Spartan man retire from the full-time army?
When he reached the age of thirty. he would then move out of his barracks and into his wives home to live with her and his children.
