LESSON 4.12 Inquiry: Did the Spartans really kill their weak babies?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to: • compare sources • ask questions to clarify facts.
Background Many people believe the image in SOURCE1 , that Spartan warriors were tough and strong. A common story says that weak or sick babies were killed to make sure Sparta had strong warriors. This idea is often seen as shocking.
SkillBuilder discussion 1. What characteristics are attributed to the Spartan warrior in the image? 2. What is the warrior depicted as doing in the source? 3. Describe the warrior’s outýt and accessories and explain why they were important.
SOURCE1 A common image of a strong, fearless Spartan warrior attacking in battle dress
There are two main versions of this story. One says weak babies were thrown off a cliff on Mt Taygetus, while the other says they were left in the wild to die. Plutarch, a writer who lived much later, said that a lawmaker named Lycurgus made these rules in the eighth century BCE. But Plutarch lived between 46 CE and 120 CE. By reading the sources below, you can learn more and think about different opinions. You can also look online or in your library for other information.
SOURCE2 From Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus
[If] they found it [a child] stout and well-made, they gave orders for its rearing . . . but if they found it puny and ill-shaped, ordered it to be taken to what was called the Apothetae, a sort of chasm under Taygetus; as thinking it neither good for the infant itself, nor for the public interest, that it should be brought up . . .
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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