The Ethos: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity

The Lycurgan Reforms and Laws addressed more than the political and economic basis of Spartan society.

The Laws of Lycurgus embraced many aspects of life from education to health care.

These laws laid a foundation for a society that was markedly different from the other Greek city-states of the time.

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In a fascinating parallel to the French Revolution, the key values that dominated Spartan society were Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. The ethos of Liberty and Equality came naturally from the early introduction of democracy and the land reform described above. Fraternity was no less vital to this society—and it was enforced in a way the French Revolution did not dare.

All adult male citizens were bound together through three distinct and separate institutions. First, the sons of citizens were required to attend the public school system, the "agoge," from the age of 7 through the age of 20. Second, all male citizens between and including the ages of 21 and 60 had to serve in the army. A distinction was made between the first 10 age-cohorts, who were required to live in barracks and were in effect on "active service," and the elder age-cohorts, who lived at home but could be called upon to serve at any time, similar to "reserve" status today. Third, all male citizens were required to join a "syssitia" or dining club and to eat at this club every night, providing set amounts of food from their estates to support the common meals. Although every citizen had to belong to a syssitia (also known as "phiditia"), the choice of which club a citizen joined was left to the citizen and the existing members. One veto from an existing member was sufficient to prevent a new member from joining.

The bonds of school, military and club were designed to keep the society closely knit and not divided along family and clan lines. The commentary of contemporaries suggests that the system worked remarkably well—with the negative side effect that Spartan society was insular and hostile to all outsiders.