At the center of the Laconian plain next to the river Eurotas, the city-state of Sparta was the symbol of the most powerful and elite unite of the Greek military forces. Sparta’s political and social organization was structured in a specified way to support an extensive military training and efficiency. In this post, I embed the documentary The Spartans of the series Ancient Warriors by the History Channel.
The agoge (ἀγωγή) was a training and educational program which all Spartan males obligatory followed from their early years of life. In his eighth year of life, the Spartan male, will be entitled rōbidas (ῥωϐίδας) and enter as part of the agelae. His life will be a part of the broader community. He will learn to respect and leave under the Spartan constitution and law. Disobedience was severely punished.
In his twentieth birthday will become prōteĩras (πρωτεῖρας) and he will be able to marry, regardless the fact that had to remain a part of his sussitia (συσσίτια). They were common meals for men only – comparable with a military mess – and can be seen also in Crete, Corinth and Megara. The main meal of was a black broth, melas zōmos, (μέλας ζωμός), an after-meal the epaiklon (επαικλον) that had local fruits, poultry and other delicacies. As part of the sussitia, a Spartan is also a homoios (equal) and a member of the Spartan army.
