Importance Of Agoge In Spartan Society

The Agoge in Spartan Society
The agoge was a significant part of Spartan society which refers to the education system that the Spartans utilised to produce the strongest and most mentally tough citizens on earth. To do this, they created the agoge, a system of training that became the envy of the known world. The significance of this system of training was highly referred to ancient and modern historians that regarded the agoge as extremely intense. The agoge started from the birth of a young male to when a man was 60 years old and whether they wanted to be a part of the gerousia. The Spartans were taught eunomia from the agoge as it educated the soldier discipline and respect for the elders allowing them to know their role in society. The …show more content…
This system of training was supposedly implemented by Lycurgus. However various claims from modern historians have contradicted that theory, nevertheless, Plutarch instills the concept of the military army of Sparta to be superior than any other army at the time. Plutarch (440BC) exemplifies in his accounts the agoge by expressing the stages in which the young male needs to overcome. Plutarch goes on to demonstrate in his accounts the cruel nature of the agoge as it determines the strong from the weak by dunking the child in wine to see if it can endure the examination. This was believed to seek the strong from the weak as it helped to distinct the puny and deformed children from the well built and sturdy children that the spartans valued. In reference to the source provided, the krater depicts the Spartan’s training system acknowledging that the Spartan’s were physically fit, loyal, respectful to the elders and unflinching in battle. Therefore the agoge was significant part in Spartan society as Sparta aimed to have only the strong and robust …show more content…
It taught essential skills needed in battle as they would needed to be familiar with survival techniques such as scouting, tracking, spying and ambushing. The agoge developed strong morale in a man through association with peers and common experience. The agoge allowed for Spartan state to have direct control over the soldier as the agoge was as much a part of social and religious life of the Spartiates as it was their military practice. The agoge was overall an important part in a Spartan male’s life as it taught them discipline and built on the spartan physic as Sparta valued the strongest and most mentally tough

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