The Spartan education and training system that prepared boys for adult citizenship and military life was the agoge.
The agoge was the state-directed education and upbringing system of ancient Sparta. Spartan boys entered it in childhood and lived under strict discipline, learning physical endurance, combat skills, obedience, communal responsibility, and aspects of Spartan cultural training. The system was intended to produce citizens capable of serving the Spartan state.
The agoge was a prolonged institution rather than one isolated coming-of-age ceremony. Its stages included separation from the household, group living, supervision by older youths and adults, and progressively demanding responsibilities. Ancient accounts often emphasize hardship, but descriptions written by outsiders can reflect idealization or criticism.
The agoge is sometimes incorrectly treated as a universal ancient Greek practice. It was specifically associated with Sparta and differed from Athens’ ephebeia, which focused on the civic and military preparation of young Athenian men.