At seven Aristodemos was admitted to the state school, the Agoge. From now on his life was dedicated to war.
The young ones learned to read and write only as much as it seemed appropriate, the rest of the training was aimed at teaching them to follow orders exactly, to endure privations and to defeat the enemy in battle. Young Aristodemos was forbidden to wear underwear and shoes. As clothing he was given a single cape which was worn all year round. He was barefoot and naked during all exercises.
Aristodemos was not given a bed, he had to prepare his camp out of rushes, picked by himself and braided by his own hands. His rations were deliberately sparse. He was encouraged to steal supplementary food. The day may come when his life depends on feeding on what nature has to offer. But if he was caught stealing, it would strike. First by the stolen one and then by his educator, because he got caught.
At the age of twelve, Aristodemos began his weapon training with sword and spear and shield, the bulwark of the spartan army. It was a simple metal disc nailed to a wooden core. The warrior pushed his left arm through a loop to a handle attached to the edge.
A line of soldiers formed a phalanx, a whole wall of shields where the right side of each war was protected by the shield of its respective next to man. The shield was so important that the warrior was told that there was only one way to return from the battle: either with the shield or on the shield, so dead.
At the age of 20 Aristodemos received the privilege to belong to a table community in a ceremony. The table mates contributed one bushel of barley a month, 8 gallons of wine, 5 of tea, two and a half of figs and a small amount of money for such tasty things as meat and fish. For the spartan warrior, belonging to a table community was not just a status symbol, it was a status in itself. A man without a table community was like a soldier without a sign. The food itself, however, was as simple as the Spartans were frugal.
A foreign visitor disliked the food so much that he said: "Now I know why the Spartans don't fear death."
In the table community and in the barracks those gangs were forged, which held on the battlefield. They were trained together and slept together. Comrades became friends and lovers. A man could not strive for greater glory than to fall in battle for someone he loved.
Aristodemos could now also take a woman but the marriage did not change the routine of his day. After he had dinner with his table community in public as usual, he sneaked secretly to the room where his bride was lying, loosened her virgin's robe and carried her on his arms to the marriage bed. After spending a short time with his bride, he went back to his usual place to sleep with the other young men.
With the reaching the age of 30 years Aristodemos, he get the last stage of Spartan education. He was now a full citizen. The rest of his life was devoted to state affairs and the art of war. He could now live with his family, if he had one, but he was not allowed to farm or trade, others were intended for that purpose. The result was an army that outperformed every other due to its better education, persevering marching performances and greater fighting qualities.
Part 3