How did the agoge and the syssitia shape Spartan citizens, and what kind of society did the Spartan way of life produce?
The Spartan way of life: the agoge (the state upbringing and military education), the syssitia (common messes) and their role in citizenship, the ideals of obedience, endurance and equality among the homoioi, and how the sources present the Spartan system.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to Spartan society. Covers the agoge state upbringing and military education, the syssitia common messes and their link to citizenship, the ideals of obedience, endurance and equality among the homoioi, and how Xenophon, Plutarch and Aristotle present and judge the Spartan way of life.
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What this dot point is asking
This part of the Sparta depth study covers the Spartan way of life: the institutions that made a Spartiate. This page covers the agoge (the state upbringing and military education), the syssitia (common messes) and their link to citizenship, and the ideals of obedience, endurance and equality among the homoioi (the "similars" or "equals"). The prescribed sources, Xenophon, Plutarch and Aristotle, present the system very differently, and weighing their praise and criticism is the heart of the topic.
The answer
The agoge
The agoge is usually seen as the engine of Spartan military quality: it produced soldiers conditioned to obey, endure and fight as a unit. But, as the essays demand, this was one part of a system that also rested on the helots and the constitution.
The syssitia and citizenship
The link between the syssitia and citizenship shows how Spartan society fused the military, the social and the political: to be a full citizen was to train in the agoge, to dine in a mess, and to fight in the phalanx, all underwritten by helot labour.
The Spartan ideal and the source debate
The Spartan ethos prized obedience to law, endurance, austerity and equality among citizens (the homoioi). This ideal impressed many Greeks and is the core of the "Lycurgan" image of Sparta. But the prescribed sources present it very differently, which is where evaluation matters:
- Xenophon (near-contemporary, pro-Spartan) praises the agoge and the system as the source of Spartan success.
- Plutarch (much later) gives vivid, idealising detail but at a great distance in time.
- Aristotle (fourth-century critic) attacks the rigidity, the concentration of land and the position of women as causes of decline.
The picture we inherit is therefore substantially an idealisation, and good answers say so.
Examples in context
A model answer treats the agoge and syssitia as parts of an integrated system and weighs the admiring and critical sources against each other.
Try this
Q1. Assess the importance of the syssitia in Spartan society. [20 marks, depth essay style]
- What the marker wants. An argument from the sources that the common messes bound citizens together, reinforced the ideal of equality among the homoioi, and gated full citizenship through the food contribution, with a judgement on their importance set against the agoge and the helot economy.
Q2. At what age did a Spartan boy enter the agoge? [2 marks]
- Cue. At about seven, when he left home to be raised communally in age-groups under the harsh discipline of the state upbringing.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR H407/11 201820 marks'The agoge was the foundation of Spartan success.' How far do the sources support this view? [shown at the 20-mark cap; the depth essay is worth 36 in the full paper]Show worked answer →
A Section B depth-study essay (AO1, AO2 and AO3), shown at the 20-mark cap (worth 36 in the full paper).
For the view. The agoge produced disciplined, obedient, physically hardened soldiers and bound citizens into a cohesive military elite; Xenophon attributes Spartan military quality to the system; the syssitia reinforced equality and solidarity.
Against. Military success also rested on helot labour (freeing citizens to train), on the constitution and on numbers; the agoge's rigidity may have contributed to the later decline (Aristotle); idealised "Lycurgan" accounts exaggerate.
Judgement. Argue from Xenophon and Plutarch that the agoge was central to producing the Spartan soldier, but as one part of a system resting on the helots and the constitution. The top level argues from the sources and judges.
OCR H407/11 202312 marksHow useful is Xenophon's Constitution of the Lacedaemonians for understanding the agoge? [shown at the 12-mark source-utility style]Show worked answer →
A source-utility evaluation (AO3) on a prescribed source.
Value. Xenophon is a near-contemporary who knew Sparta well (his sons were educated there), valuable for a detailed, admiring account of the upbringing, training and ethos of the agoge and the syssitia.
Limitations. His admiration is itself a limitation: he writes to praise the Spartan system (a pro-Spartan, idealising agenda), and a late chapter admits decline, so his picture may be of an ideal rather than the everyday reality.
Judgement. Highly useful for the structure and ideals of the agoge, but its laudatory purpose means it must be balanced against Aristotle's criticism and read as praise. Top answers judge usefulness for the enquiry.
Related dot points
- The Spartan constitution: the dual kingship, the gerousia, the ephors and the apella (assembly), the Great Rhetra, and how the prescribed sources (Xenophon, Aristotle, Plutarch, Thucydides) present and judge the system.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to the Spartan constitution. Covers the dual kingship, the gerousia, the ephors and the apella assembly, the Great Rhetra, the mixed-constitution debate, and how the prescribed sources (Xenophon, Aristotle, Plutarch, Thucydides) describe and evaluate the Spartan system of government.
- The helots and Spartan control: the status and role of the helots, the perioikoi, the krypteia and the methods of repression, the great revolt after the earthquake of 464 BC, and how dependence on and fear of the helots shaped Spartan society and foreign policy.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to the helots and Spartan control. Covers the status and role of the helots, the perioikoi, the krypteia and methods of repression, the helot revolt after the 464 BC earthquake, and how dependence on and fear of the helots shaped Spartan society and foreign policy, with evaluation of Thucydides and Plutarch.
- The position of Spartan women: their upbringing and physical training, their roles in marriage and the household, their control of property, their public freedom compared with other Greek poleis, and the differing and often hostile or admiring source traditions.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to the position of women in Sparta. Covers the upbringing and physical training of Spartan girls, marriage and household roles, the control of property, their unusual public freedom compared with other Greek poleis, and how the sources (Xenophon, Plutarch, Aristotle) present them with admiration or criticism.
- Sparta in the Peloponnesian War 431 to 404 BC: Spartan strategy and aims against Athens, the role of Brasidas in the Archidamian War, the decisive part of Lysander and the Persian alliance, and the final defeat of Athens in 404 BC.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to Sparta in the Peloponnesian War 431 to 404 BC. Covers Spartan strategy and aims, the role of Brasidas in the Archidamian War, the decisive contribution of Lysander and the Persian alliance, and the final defeat of Athens in 404 BC, with evaluation of Thucydides and Xenophon.
- AO4 interpretation skills: analysing and evaluating the differing interpretations of modern scholars, understanding why historians disagree (evidence, method, emphasis), and weighing interpretations to reach a reasoned position.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History skills guide to analysing modern interpretations for AO4. Explains how to evaluate the differing views of modern scholars, why historians disagree (different evidence, methods and emphases), and how to weigh interpretations against the ancient evidence to reach a reasoned position, with examples from the Greek and Roman topics.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level Ancient History H407 specification — OCR (2017)
- Xenophon, Constitution of the Lacedaemonians; Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus; Aristotle, Politics Book 2 — Perseus Digital Library