They were also frequently ignored when they cried and commanded never to fear darkness or solitude. To test their constitutions, Spartan infants were often bathed in wine instead of water. Left alone, the child would either die of exposure or be rescued and adopted by strangers.īabies who passed inspection still didn’t have it easy. If a Spartan baby was judged to be unfit for its future duty as a soldier, it was most likely abandoned on a nearby hillside. The ancient historian Plutarch claimed these “ill-born” Spartan babies were tossed into a chasm at the foot of Mount Taygetus, but most historians now dismiss this as a myth. All Spartan infants were brought before a council of inspectors and examined for physical defects, and those who weren’t up to standards were left to die. ![]() Infanticide was a disturbingly common act in the ancient world, but in Sparta this practice was organized and managed by the state. ![]() ![]() Spartans had to prove their fitness even as infants.
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