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Anyone know if studying ancient Spartan training methods is a part of the West Point curriculum? The Spartan boy, learned only the basics, according to Plutarc
by keiferski 6y ago
Anyone know if studying ancient Spartan training methods is a part of the West Point curriculum?
The Spartan boy, learned only the basics, according to Plutarch, such as music and mathematics. Their principal training is a military one, often even crossing moral boundaries, such as learning how to steal without getting caught. The philosophy was that, in case of a war, a soldier might have to steal food in order to survive. The main key point here is that, when a boy was caught, he was not punished for his act of stealing, but for being caught! The Spartan youth had their favorite "game" of stealing food or other possessions from servants (Greek: είλωτες, helotes).
A well-known story that proves the Spartan training and loyalty is this: Once, a 13 year old Spartan boy stole a fox from a village near his camp. Alas, a trainer found him and asked him what he was doing off campus. The boy had seen the trainer and had hidden the fox beneath his cloth. As the boy said nothing, the trainer insisted. The fox, still alive, beneath the boy's cloth, started scratching him, in order to escape. While doing that, the boy continued to deny the stealing until the wounds suffered by the fox killed him.
https://www.ancient.eu/article/342/the-spartan-education/ https://www.ancient.eu/article/342/the-spartan-education/
- Balgair 6y agoACOUP had a very good bit on Sparta and it's 'mirage' here: https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/collections-this-isnt-sparta-part-i-spartan-school/ https://acoup.blog/2019/08/16/collections-this-isnt-sparta-p... As Devereaux puts it on Spartan child-rearing: "To sum up: far from being some ideal system of child-rearing, as Xenophon might have it, the Spartan agoge appears functionally identical to modern systems which use trauma to condition child soldiers." The whole series is a great and very deep dive into Sparta and the summation is clear: If Sparta still existed, we'd all invade to stop the horror.
- medium_burrito 6y agoOnly if they had diamonds and oil and other important resources. "Sparta, the new Angola!"
- sa46 6y agoThe helmet in the West Point emblem is the helmet of the Greek goddess Athena. I suspect any Spartan influence is incidental and superficial. > The committee began with the creation of an emblem that consisted of a sword, a universal symbol of war, and the helmet of Pallas Athena. Athena, a fully armed mythological goddess, is associated with the arts of war, and her helmet signifies wisdom and learning. http://usheraldicregistry.com/index.php?n=Registrations.20081014A http://usheraldicregistry.com/index.php?n=Registrations.2008...