Ancient Greece

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             Each year, five ephors, or overseers were elected to administer public affairs. The Council of.
             Elders, a group of twenty-eight male citizens over the age of sixty acted as a supreme court and.
             proposed laws to The Assembly. They also assisted the ephors in supervising the citizens and.
             training the young.
             At birth, infants were examined, and those found to be unhealthy were abandoned and.
             left to die, in an effort to ensure "survival of the fittest." At age seven, young boys were.
             separated from their parents, and grouped with other boys to begin military training. Unlike the.
             boys in Athens, who studied literature and music, the youths of Sparta practiced gymnastics and.
             military exercises instead. They were taught to endure pain and hunger, and to follow orders.
             without complaint.
             Discipline increased further still, as a boy reached adulthood. All male citizens between.
             the ages of 20 and 60 were required to serve in the army and ate and slept at an army barracks. .
             Serving one's city in battle was considered a great honor and a means of becoming immortalized.
             as a hero. Retreat or surrender was considered a disgrace, and mother's often told their sons,.
             before they went off to battle, " Bring back this shield yourself, or be brought back upon it." .
             With such focus on a military lifestyle, Sparta was not only able to build a.
             well-disciplined army, but also to control the Helots, who frequently rebelled against the people.
             they were working for. Such a lifestyle did not come without consequences however. .
             Suspicious of outside influence, the Spartans were said to lag behind in cultural and intellectual.
             achievements.
             Unlike, the Spartans, the Athenians did not place such a great importance on their.
             military, although they too had an impressive army. The majority of male citizens were farmers,.
             merchants, and artisans who worked in the mornings, and were free to do what they wished in.
             the afternoons. There only obligation to the state was that they were expected to hold a public.