Agoge
As the Agoge ( ancient Greek ἀγωγή agogé "management, leadership, education"), the Spartan educational system, which is known for its rigor and which was an important part of the Spartan state, is referred to. All male Spartan citizens , with the exception of those descended from the king, had to complete a physically demanding training. Ancient authors like Plato , Xenophon or Isocrates saw in this education the reason for Sparta's military success.
This education mainly comprised the military-structured training in hunting, dancing and social interaction, but also the separation of families and the cultivation and cultivation of loyalty within a group. It was supposedly introduced by the semi-mythological Spartan legislature Lycurgus , but it was not introduced until later, between the 6th and 7th centuries BC. BC, used to train boys between the ages of seven and twenty.
The aim of this educational system was to provide the Spartan army with physically and morally stable men. Every young man in Sparta, the only city without defensive walls who wanted to belong to the "Wall of Sparta", had to adhere to the hard rules of Lycurgus. The young men also nurtured each other by encouraging each other and also fighting each other to determine who was the strongest in the group.
Sources
When attempting a precise representation of the Agoge, two things should be observed: Firstly, most of the sources on the Agoge are later representations that were written when Sparta had already lost its importance. They are therefore ideal representations that stand for the glorious past. On the other hand, the Sparta of the classical era was not known for its willingness to provide information to strangers, so that there is only sparse and imprecise information about the life of the Spartians.
As is the case with ancient history and in particular the “ Dark Ages ”, the sources on the subject of Spartan upbringing have been incompletely handed down and preserved. Because "heroic deeds, in which as a rule rivers of blood have to flow, are passed on far more than the everyday, the monotony, the experiences of any human existence accessible to all." written works from antiquity that have been handed down only in fragments .
Xenophon's constitution of the Spartans is of great importance for the interpretation and representation of the Spartan state and its educational system . In it he describes central elements of the Spartan cosmos and individual fragments of its educational system. This work played a large part in the creation of the Spartan myth. The Athenian writer and historian was born around 430 BC. BC and is thus a contemporary witness of the eventful history of classical Greece of its time. Xenophon was a great sympathizer of the Spartan political model and an admirer of Sparta's educational system, so that his subjective view of the Spartan state must always be taken into account in an analysis.
Another major source for the study of the Spartan political system and education system, the biographical representation of Lycurgus , by living in the Roman Empire, the Greek writer Plutarch (about 45 to 125 AD..) Is herein is found a detailed description of AGOGE.. He did not write his biographies purely for the purpose of researching the past, but rather as a character study and the exploration of the moral intentions of his chosen personalities.
It can be assumed that the traditional sources dealing with Sparta, in particular those reporting on the "Sparta of Lycurgus", reflect an idealized version of Spartan society rather than the one that actually existed. This point of view must be taken into account when interpreting.
The structure of the agoge
After the birth of a child, the father took it to the council of elders, who examined it for its physical fitness. If the check was positive, the child was accepted into the group of Spartians. If the child was judged to be weak and unfit for life, it was abandoned to die in the Apothetai , a poorly accessible ravine in the Taygetos mountains .
The children spent the first six or seven years of their lives in the care of their parents, after which the girls continued to be prepared for their tasks at home, while the boys were brought up by the state.
In archaic times
To this day, research hardly knows anything about the beginnings of Sparta's state education, both its content and the exact beginning. The few sources give no indication of the time. The first more precise information can be found in Xenophon's " Constitution of the Spartans ", but they do not apply to the archaic period.
In classic times
The upbringing of the boys was divided into three ages: Paides, Paidiskoi and Hebontes.
The Paides (male children)
The boys between the ages of 7 and 14 were referred to as Paides. During this time they went through some kind of basic training. Their bodies should be trained and hardened through fighting games. Another essential point of training was unconditional obedience. Reading and writing were also taught, but the intellectual training lagged far behind the physical. However, this intellectual training also included the formulation of short and concise answers, which became a trademark of the Spartians ( laconic expression). All year round, the boys allegedly ran barefoot and were scantily clad. In addition, they were given little food, which should encourage them to steal additional food. Only those caught were punished. These clauses were intended as an exercise for war.
The Paides were under the supervision of a Paidonomos, a respected man. This Paidonomos was supported by whip-bearers, the Mastigophoroi. In addition, the boys could be punished by any adult in town if they were guilty of wrongdoing.
The Paidiskoi (male youth)
At the age of 14, the boys switched to the Paidiskoi group, in which they stayed until they were twenty. During this time the endurance and hardening of the body were further promoted. In addition, the boys were now taught the combat and weapon techniques that were important for the war. The skills learned have been demonstrated in many different competitions. This was intended to encourage ambition and competition among one another. In addition, the Paidiskoi were sometimes allowed to take part in the syssitia (communal meals ; the participants were also called that way).
The Hebontes (young men)
At twenty the boys joined the Hebontes group. Now they were supposed to put what they had learned into practice, either by helping with the upbringing of the younger ones or by taking part in the hunt for helots in the so-called crypt . They only became full citizens when they were thirty. Until then they remained an all-male community who did not sleep at home. A marriage didn't change that. After reaching the age of thirty, the Spartans had an extensive network of relationships and a multitude of skills that were necessary in order to be part of the Spartan citizenship successfully.
In Hellenistic times
Under Cleomenes III. the "New Agoge" was divided into seven age groups: Rhobidas (meaning unknown), promikizómenos ("pre-" young boy), mikizómenos (young boy), própais ("pre-" boy), pais (boy), melleiren (future boy) eiren ), eiren.
In Roman times
The agoge was also continued in Roman times, but limited to the last five years.
literature
- Ernst Baltrusch : Sparta. History, society, culture . Munich 2003.
- EB Castle: Education in ancient times and its effect in the present . Gunzburg 1965.
- WK Lacey: The Family in Ancient Greece . Mainz 1968.
- Henri-Irénée Marrou : History of Education in Classical Antiquity . Freiburg / Munich 1957.
- Waltraut Reichert: Educational Concepts of Ancient Greece. Theory and practice of education in their dependence on the change in culture . Reinfelden / Berlin 1996.
- Lukas Thommen : Sparta. Constitutional and social history of a Greek polis . Stuttgart / Weimar 2003.
Individual evidence
- ^ Manfred Clauss: Sparta. An introduction to its history and civilization. Munich 1983, p. 8.
- ↑ Xenophon: The Constitution of the Spartans. Ed., Trans. u. ext. by S. Rebenich (= texts on research. 70). Darmstadt 1998, 15.
- ↑ Cf. Xenophon: The Constitution of the Spartans. Ed., Trans. u. ext. by S. Rebenich (= texts on research. 70). Darmstadt 1998, 3.
- ^ Cf. Manfred Clauss: Sparta. An introduction to its history and civilization. Munich 1983, p. 9.
- ↑ Cf. WK Lacey: The family in ancient Greece (= cultural history of the ancient world, world. 14). von Zabern, Mainz 1983, ISBN 978-3-8053-0543-3 , p. 184.