When war loomed, the Gerousia, the council of elders, decided when to draw from this ... From age seven, a Spartan boy was sent to the military academy known as the agoge, where he would be ...

Spartan boys were taken from their families at age 7—not to play, but to be forged into warriors. This is the story of the agoge, Sparta’s unforgiving system of military training. China asks ...