Children in Sparta
Posted on 25th December 2020
Spartan children were born to serve Sparta; they were in essence ‘children of the state’ not of the parents and Spartans would only raise babies they believed would grow up to be strong and healthy.
When born, the babies were washed in wine; it was believed that this would make them strong. Soldiers and elders would then visit the household and undertake tests on the baby to see if it had any weakness or infirmity. If these tests were not passed, the baby would be left out in the wild to die. Sometimes the babies were either left at the base of, or thrown off the cliff of Mount Taygetus.
Boys would leave the home at age seven and move into barracks to begin their warrior training.
Girls were raised at home to be strong and athletic, their education based on physical exercise and athletic competitions.
Tagged as: Junior Ancient Greece
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