They were allowed to walk around in the city and transact their own affairs. Since they were living alone most of the time, Spartan women enjoyed a much greater freedom and independence than women in other Greek city-states. Men and women did not live together but met occasionally for procreation. To prepare for the wedding night, their hair was cut short and they were dressed in male clothing.Īfter spending their wedding night together, the Spartan man then returned to his all-male barracks, where he often had lovers. If they did so successfully, they were assigned a husband. Women in Sparta also had to pass the citizenship tests at 18-20.

Spartans believed that strong mothers produced strong children, so women were allowed to exercise and were even given the same portions of food as their male counterparts, something unheard of in Athens. Here they learned wrestling, gymnastics, and fighting. Girls were also taken from their home at seven and sent to school. Girls and women were given freedoms in Sparta The income supported them as full-time soldiers.Īt the age of 30, they were allowed to live with their families but they continued to train until the age of 60, when they retired from military service. The state gave them a piece of land which was farmed by slaves. If the young men passed, they continued to live in the barracks and train as soldiers and were also required to marry - in order to produce new young Spartans. If they failed their tests, they never became citizens but became perioeci, the middle class. Once they turned 20, young Spartan men had to pass a rigorous test to graduate and become full citizens, as only worthy soldiers gained the aristocratic citizenship. The older boys willingly participated in beating up the younger boys to make them tough. They marched without shoes and went without food.īoys in Sparta learned the art of battle, to endure pain and survive through their wits. The boys went through harsh physical training and deprivation to make them strong. A mother’s softening influence was considered detrimental to boys’ education, so a Spartan boy would be taken from his mother at the age of seven and soldiers would put him in a dormitory with other boys to train them to become soldiers.

Sparta and athens for kids