From Son to State Property: Spartan Training

POV. You are a child. Today you stop being a son and start being state property.

At seven, Spartan boys were taken from their families and thrown into the agoge.

No toys. No privacy. Almost no softness. You sleep on a hard bed,

on reeds you had to cut yourself. Food is always “not quite enough.” They want you hungry

so you learn to steal. If you get caught, you are beaten. Not for stealing,

but for being bad at it. Older boys and trainers hit you, humiliate you and

force you to fight. You walk barefoot, through heat and cold. You are taught to

speak little, endure much and never show fear. So here is the question. What does this training