Sparta's Brutal Baby Test

Your teacher never told you the real reason for Sparta’s baby test, and yes,

this was an actual Spartan practice. In ancient Sparta, your first exam happened the day

you were born. Elders inspected every newborn. They looked at your body,

how you moved, how you reacted to touch and cold. If you seemed strong and healthy,

you were accepted as a future citizen and fighter. You have heard the story that Spartans

threw babies off cliffs. That part is mostly a dramatic exaggeration. The real custom

was different and still chilling. Newborns judged “too weak” were sometimes taken

outside the community and simply not brought back. Left alone on the wild slopes,