4.18 Spartan Life Lesson for Kids

Spartan life was full of challenges and discipline for children on up to becoming a fighting machine as an adult. This lesson talks about the life of a citizen of Sparta and what it would have been like to grow up there.

Spartan Life

You fight in war after war, trained for battle against the toughest of conditions, as part of one of the greatest fighting forces the world has ever seen! You are a Spartan.

The term ”spartan” has become known for meaning a simple life without a lot of comforts, such as free time or getting to eat treats. But in ancient Greece, the Spartans were a group of people who lived in a valley next to the river Evrotas in southern Greece. Sparta came to power around 650 BCE and finally came to an end around 396 CE. The Spartan people were very militaristic, meaning that they focused on having a military force to defend the people and trained their people from when they were very young to be soldiers.

1. Main points:

The text describes the Spartans as a highly militaristic society from ancient Greece, known for their simple lifestyle and rigorous military training from a young age.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What were the main characteristics of the Spartan lifestyle?
• Contextual Analysis: When did Sparta become a powerful state, and when did it end?
• Thematic Analysis: Why is the term "Spartan" associated with a simple life without many comforts?

3. Further Discussion:

• How do you think living like a Spartan would be different from your life today?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: "The Spartan people were very militaristic, meaning that they focused on having a military force to defend the people and trained their people from when they were very young to be soldiers."
• Contextual Analysis: "Sparta came to power around 650 BCE and finally came to an end around 396 CE."
• Thematic Analysis: "The term ‘spartan’ has become known for meaning a simple life without a lot of comforts."

Life for Boys

| |

A Spartan mother giving her son a shield!

Spartan boys left their families at the age of seven, around second grade in today’s schools, to head to a military training school, where they lived in barracks with other boys.

• Boys from ages seven to seventeen learned to read and write, had a tough physical education to keep them healthy, and also studied singing and dancing!
• Boys ages eighteen to nineteen were trained for the military and were taught survival techniques, such as how to find food and water in the wild.
• Boys from ages 20 to 29 had intense military training and became part of the army.

When a boy turned 30, he was called an Equal and was able to marry and leave the barracks with full rights of citizenship.

Cowardice was considered a crime, and many men were punished for when they were afraid or would back down from a fight. The men were not fed well and were almost encouraged to steal food, but they had to do it well, because they were punished if they were caught! The life of a Spartan man was one full of difficulty and courage. He had to earn a place as a man in Sparta, unlike in places like America where you earn full citizenship rights as soon as you are born.

A Spartan picture of their code of honor
||

1. Main points:

The text outlines the rigorous and disciplined life of Spartan boys, who underwent extensive military training from a young age, emphasizing physical strength, survival skills, and courage, with full citizenship rights granted at age 30.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What kind of training did Spartan boys receive from ages seven to seventeen?
• Socio-cultural Analysis: How was the concept of cowardice viewed in Spartan society?
• Comparative Analysis: How did earning citizenship in Sparta differ from that in America?

3. Further Discussion:

• If you were a Spartan boy, what part of the training do you think would be the most challenging for you?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: "Boys from ages seven to seventeen learned to read and write, had a tough physical education to keep them healthy, and also studied singing and dancing!"
• Socio-cultural Analysis: "Cowardice was considered a crime, and many men were punished for when they were afraid or would back down from a fight."
• Comparative Analysis: "The life of a Spartan man was one full of difficulty and courage. He had to earn a place as a man in Sparta, unlike in places like America where you earn full citizenship rights as soon as you are born."

Life for Girls

Growing up as a girl in Sparta was similar to being a boy. Around second grade, girls were sent to school to be trained in athletics and fitness so that they would grow up strong and healthy. They did this so that the girls would have strong and healthy children.

The girls were also taught singing and dancing. This was a large part of their religion, and they were often found singing and dancing in worship, or to a god or gods according to what they believed. The women were actually very competitive about their singing voices and trained to sing the best. They also learned many instruments to play at ceremonies. The use of music was supposed to be a relaxing way to break out of their training and difficult life.

At around the age of eighteen, when American girls graduate from high school, Spartan girls married soldiers and began having healthy babies. Men could secretly get married as early as age 20, but they would not be able to live with their families until age 30.

Spartan soldiers defending their home
||

1. Main points:

The text describes the life of Spartan girls, who, like boys, were trained in athletics and fitness from a young age for strong and healthy offspring, and also learned singing, dancing, and playing instruments as part of their religious practices, marrying and starting families around the age of eighteen.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What were the main aspects of training for Spartan girls?
• Socio-cultural Analysis: How did religion influence the education of Spartan girls?
• Comparative Analysis: At what age did Spartan girls typically start families compared to American girls?

3. Further Discussion:

• Do you think the focus on physical fitness and music would make life as a Spartan girl enjoyable or challenging?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: "Girls were sent to school to be trained in athletics and fitness… They were also taught singing and dancing."
• Socio-cultural Analysis: "This [singing and dancing] was a large part of their religion, and they were often found singing and dancing in worship."
• Comparative Analysis: "At around the age of eighteen… Spartan girls married soldiers and began having healthy babies."

Lesson Summary

The life of a Spartan was based on building a strong military for their country, and there was no place for cowardice, as they were expected to be brave. Boys and girls were both trained to worship through song and dance, and trained to fight and be healthy. Does that sound like a place you’d want to live?