The Spartan army. So many things have been said about them, so many historians and influential writers have praised them, but are they really the ultimate fighting force so many have told us to be? Well, through recent research and studying of sources, we can tell you that they were the ultimate fighting force, and during this speech, you will see exactly how they were.
The Spartan citizens devoted their lives to training for the army, from even when the boys were born; they were either killed if they thought the boy wouldn't be fit enough or make it through the first stage of their training for the army. At the age of seven, the boys would be taken from their mothers, a truly harsh thing for a mother to go through and then from there on in, they would train day in and day out to make sure that they could fulfil a role in this legendary and fearful Spartan army.
This undergoing of training emphasized their physical, mental and spiritual toughness which could quite get a bit brutal. They were taught to endure hardship and pitted against each other in fights by their instructors. This duality between these boys was severe by the upbringing nature of Sparta which instilled fear and alertness into these young boys. It also promoted scepticism and independence to the boys rather than unity and working together.
This militaristic influence impacted greatly on Spartan education, essentially aiming to mass produce the perfect solider. However the agoge was not the first step in selecting boys to become fierce warriors, these boys were in fact selected at birth by the Spartan elders, their future was determined to become a Spartan solider from their day of birth. Babies found unfitting or with impurities were exposed to the...