The Spartan Agoge

The Spartan Agogue

By Manny Oppong

At birth, ​Spartan boys would be inspected by a council of elders known as the Gerousia, to see if they were fit to undergo the Agoge. Any deformities found, and they were abandoned in the wilderness.

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First Impressions​

​After inspection by the Gerousia, the boys would live with their mothers until the age of 7, where they were taken from their homes and pushed into a rigorous military training regime known as the Agoge.

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Leaving Home​

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Boys competed in athletic events such as running and wrestling.

They were underfed to encourage stealing and cunning.

Boys did all training barefoot to toughen up feet and increase agility.​

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Early Stages- Paides

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This was the transition from a child to an adult. Each boy was assigned an erastes, meaning lover. Xenophon said this: about the relationship between a boy and his lover:

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'The relationship of lover and beloved [in the agoge] is like that of parent and child or brother and brother where carnal appetite is in abeyance.

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The idea was to instill sense​ of family in the boys to make up for the loss of their real family. Every boy had someone to admonish and chastise him when he went wrong, instilling further discipline in these young Spartan boys.

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Bigger boyi​- Paidiskoi

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​At this time, a man might marry, but most wouldn't until they graduated at age 30.

Maturity- Hebontes

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​At this time, the young men would want to be elected into a mess. This was a difficult process- just one "No" vote would stop you from getting elected into a mess.

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Those who had impressed the elders most during their time in the Agoge could be selected for the Crypteia, a secret police force tasked with keeping the Messenian helot population in check.