Spartan Training

Oxford First Ancient History
In the beginning of Spartan history, the people of this country were a very educated and civilized folk. They wrote poetry, exported goods, and were a part of civilization. However, after the Helot Rebellion the Spartans took a change of ways. They believed that if the Helots were to Rebel again perhaps they might not be strong enough to fight off their slaves. After all, for every Spartan there was seven Helots! In case the Helots did rebel, the Spartans wanted to be ready, therefore, they decided that all of their children would be sent to military school. The children must be well educated in the practice of fighting, there may be an extreme need one day. When the final laws of child training were set into place, you might have preferred to be a Helot! When a babe was born, if he was sick or weak he would be left outside in country, to die alone, by order of the government. If the babe did pass the test, when he was seven, he would be taken away from his parents and put into military school. Here they would stay for twenty-three years and be brought up by other older men. These military camps were really very awful. Not a holiday was allowed and their drills would only be stopped for short times when they were paraded around the older men and examined for excess fat. The Spartan boys were encouraged to steal food when it was necessary. This was considered good training for the time when they would be on the battle field. They were allowed one light toga for both winter and summer, no shoes at all, even in the snow! On top of this, they were allowed to show no emotion at all! Many times whipping contests would be held, the boy who could stand being whipped for the longest was the winner. Many boys were known to die rather than to cry out in pain. Yes, this was the training of Spartan boys. The beginning of their life was not a happy one, often painful, and lonely, however, the Spartans believed that fighting for your country and family was more important than pain, and the bravery that they showed in battle is still renowned today.