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Sparta's not that great (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[-] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago

Athens? If those boy lovers and philosophers have the courage to stand up to Persia, then Sparta will not bend.

[-] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago

I know this came from 300 but

Homosexual attraction sometimes existed in the form of pederasty, which influenced ancient Greek and especially Spartan military practices.[17] This usually consisted in romantic relations and mentoring by adult men with male youths. Pederastic relations are thought to have played some role with Sparta’s overarching “contest-system” or the agoge, which aimed to shape male Spartans into soldiers.[18]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_the_militaries_of_ancient_Greece

[-] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Interesting! Thanks for that, had no idea the practice was in Sparta. Yes the quote is from 300, even though it's not exactly what he said in the movie. I was too lazy to look it up.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

For more interesting writing about the historical Sparta, check out the history blog A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry:

this post was submitted on 01 May 2025

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