Sparta was a warrior society in ancient Greece that reached the height of its power after defeating rival city-state Athens in the Peloponnesian War B. Spartan culture was centered on loyalty to the state and military service. At age 7, Spartan boys entered a rigorous state-sponsored education, military training and socialization program. Known as the Agoge, the system emphasized duty, discipline and endurance. Although Spartan women were not active in the military, they were educated and enjoyed more status and freedom than other Greek women. Because Spartan men were professional soldiers, all manual labor was done by a slave class, the Helots.
Homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece
Sparta - HISTORY
The extent to which the Greeks engaged in and tolerated homosexual relations is open to some debate. For a long time the subject was taboo and remains controversial even today. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that relationships we would call homosexual, especially between men and youths, played an important role in Ancient Greek society. Traditionally these relationships involved an older man and a youth and lasted until the youth reached full adulthood.
Were the Spartans Gay? Homosexuality in Sparta, Ancient Greece
Homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece was regarded as contributing to morale. Some Greek philosophers wrote on the subject of homosexuality in the military. In Plato 's Symposium , the interlocutor Phaedrus commented on the power of male sexual relationships to improve bravery in the military: . However, the Symposium is a dialectical exploration of the nature of true love, in which Phaedrus' views are soon found to be inadequate compared to the transcendent vision of Socrates, who:.
Pederasty, or the sexual love of adolescent boys, was a strong part of Ancient Greek culture. It was age-defined and kept within strict social norms. The lover, or erastes, was a man in his twenties.