That’s right, Spartans dated in secret

Dating The Spartan Way of Life

canada goose uk shop What comes to your mind when you think of Spartans? War, perhaps? Battle? Terrible movies? Epic leaders? Short sentences? canada goose uk shop

Few would deny that Spartans exude toughness and badassery, but one must keep in mind that these people had to. erm. reproduce at some point. This means that Spartan ladies and gents had to engage in at least some rudimentary form of guy girl relations.

Canada Goose Jackets It gives me immense pleasure to report that canada goose outlet jackets Spartan courtship is not only beyond rudimentary, but exciting, surprisingly feminist friendly, and utterly fascinating. Canada Goose Jackets

What follows is a basic overview of Spartan courtship and marriage. Soon you will agree that, when it comes to romance, these war loving citizens do not disappoint.

canada goose factory sale Basic Background on a Spartan Soldier's LifeBefore we canada goose stockists uk can explore the delicious details of Spartan dating protocol, one must have a basic canada goose kensington parka uk understanding of a Spartan soldier's life. canada goose factory sale

canada goose clearance sale Until age seven, Spartan canada goose outlet price boys and girls played and trained together. Compulsory training included racing, riding, swimming, and various sports, and was apparently enjoyed in the nude (just imagine their tasteful absence of tan lines!). canada goose clearance sale

canada goose coats on sale From ages seven to 21, Spartan boys left home to train in an agoge (essentially, a compulsory military school) and live with a syssition (pronounced sis sis tee on, often defined as a "dining club" or a Spartan soldier's cohort) with fellow Spartan younglings (not an ancient Greek term). Girls continued to live at home, but were still expected to live rigorous, disciplined lives (supposedly directed by their rigorous, disciplined, and rather empowered mothers). canada goose coats on sale

From ages 21 to 30, young Spartan men transitioned from the agoge to formal military barracks. At age 30, Spartan soldiers who survived training and war were canada goose factory outlet given a kleros (land alotted to all Spartan soldiers who had survived thus far without leaving military training) and allowed to live on it. Though allowed to live at home, Spartan soliders over 30 were canada goose outlet nyc still expected to canada goose outlet england train and eat with their peers.

Clearly Spartan men spent very little time hanging out at home. You might be wondering where quality time with the gals factored into all of this, right? Don't worry. They had a solution, and I think it's quite elegant.

buy canada goose jacket cheap Spartan CourtshipWhile Spartan soliders were required to live in military barracks throughout their twenties, they weren't discouraged from marrying or even having children! It was considered absolutely fine for a twenty something Spartan man to have a wife and kids just so long as it didn't keep them from being badass killing machines. buy canada goose jacket cheap

Ensuring such conditions was easy given Spartan courtship guidelines:

Spartan 20 something husbands could not live at home with their wives

Spartan couples in their 20s were only allowed to meet in secret

Don't believe me? That's fine. But here's what Plutarch himself says in his Life of Lycurgus:

"The Spartan husband took care to visit his wife in secret, ashamed and canada goose outlet store uk anxious, in case he was seen by someone in his house. His wife came up with all sorts of intrigues and schemes about how they could meet up with each other and no one would see them."

You may be asking yourself, "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE??"

Ninja dating is going on, my friend. That's right, Spartans dated in secret. Like ninja. Because they are canada goose outlet magnificent.

Boy sneaks out after curfew

Canada Goose sale Couple GETS IT AWN! Canada Goose sale

There were no dowries, so marriage resembled elopement more than any traditional ceremony. Now, ladies. Before you get in a huff about the whole head shaving and cross dressing thing, remember that Spartan gals did all of this by choice. Both parties had to put a lot of effort in all this sneakiness and secrecy. Girls were not arbitrarily foisted off on random men. Considering how marriage worked in other Greek city states during this time period, I'd argue that elcortezlv.com this arrangement is quite progressive.

The Married Life of a Spartan Twenty SomethingAfter marrying, a young Spartan couple was expected to continue to see each other in secret.

Romantic Spartan assignations were required to be:

Only at night

Only in secret

Only on nights when there is no moon

Theoretically speaking, a Spartan father might not spend quality time with his children by the light of day until they were ten years old though if canada goose outlet in usa they were boys, they would have left for the agoge by then!

So far as the Spartans were concerned, this was a small sacrifice to make. This system had several theoretical benefits. Some suggest the marriage ritual was designed to ward off the evil eye, but the subsequent sneaking around had much more to it than simple superstition.

buy canada goose jacket The secrecy required that they sharpen their skills as cunning warriors. Spartan soldiers were also encouraged to steal on military training exercises. If they were caught, they would be whipped. Not for stealing, mind you, but for being caught! Stealth was considered very important. buy canada goose jacket

canada goose uk black friday What's more, it was thought that the less one had sex, the the more likely one would be to bear strong children, and that was the entire point of marrying in the first place! It should also be noted that Spartan soldiers did not drink very much, as there was a general concern that being tipsy would contribute to impotency (and generally make one sluggish, which is a big no no in Spartan life) canada goose uk black friday.