The Spartan army was the toughest in the world. Every Spartan man was enlisted, and they were feared around the world. Sparta did away with city walls, believing its men strong enough to make walls useless. It was the only country that Alexander the Great saw and left unconquered—and he never even had the courage to march his men into their land.

Spartan men were warriors because Spartan boys suffered through some absolutely incredible experiences. A child raised in Sparta wasn’t raised by his mother. He was raised by the state, and he was put through an education unlike any other in history.

10 Half Of All Spartan Babies Were Left To Die

In Sparta, weak children weren’t given a chance. If they were born weak, ill, or deformed, they were left to die—and that happened a lot.

When a baby was born, the father would carry the newborn to the town’s elders. The elders would examine the child, looking for weaknesses and deformities. If any were found, the father was ordered to leave the child defenseless and alone in a pit called the Apothetae, where it would starve to death.

Even if a child passed inspection, though, there was no guarantee it would live. When the father returned home, the mother would wash the baby in wine as an early epilepsy test. If the child was epileptic, the wine would make it break into a fit . . . and tell the mother that it wasn’t worth raising.

If a baby could survive all this, it was promised a free plot of land, but the odds were pretty low. It’s estimated that about half of all babies born in Sparta died from either neglect or murder.

9 Boys Lived In Military Barracks From Age Seven

Mothers didn’t get to take care of their children for long. As soon as a boy turned seven, he was considered ready for education, known as the agoge, and he left his parents for the care of a teacher called a “warden.”

Life in the agoge wasn’t easy. The children would be actively encouraged to haze and provoke each other and even to challenge each other to fights. This wasn’t a school where teacher maintained the peace; if two kids were bickering, the warden would goad them into resolving it with their fists.

The warden also carried a whip at all times, and if a boy misbehaved, he would use it to beat him. The beating would be hard, but that wouldn’t be the end of it. If the child’s father found out he was beaten, then he was obliged to beat his child a second time. Anything less was considered spoiling the child.

8 They Had To Steal Food To Eat

During the agoge, boys only received the barest necessities. Shoes were considered a luxury, so the boys trained barefoot. Clothing made one weak against the elements, so the boys wore a single, thin cloak. And food made people fat, so the boys were only given the bare minimum they needed to survive.

That didn’t mean that they couldn’t get more. The trainees were encouraged to steal food if they were hungry. The catch was that they weren’t allowed to get caught. If a boy was spotted stealing food, he would be beaten and deprived of rations, but if he was stealthy enough to get away with it, the wardens figured he had earned a second course.

7 Starved Trainees Were Ordered To Fight Over Cheese

The Spartans had weird ways to pass the time. They held an annual festival in which cheese would be placed upon an altar to the god Artemis. Starving trainees would then be set loose, fighting each other in a desperate battle to grab as much cheese as they possibly could.

While they fought each other, older men would also be beating them with whips—sometimes even to death. It was the duty of the boys to keep strong faces throughout and to grin as they were beaten and clawed at while they fought for cheese.

To the audience, this was hilarious. Great rows of people would gather to watch the show and would laugh while they watched boys brutally maim each other. The one who left with the most cheese would also be honored with the title of “Bomonike.”

6 Spartan Food Was Terrible

When Spartans did eat, it wasn’t exactly the meal you’d get at a five-star restaurant. A man from Italy who sat down with a Spartan army and joined in one their meals famously said, “Now I know why the Spartans do not fear death.”

He was talking about “black broth,” a dish made by cooking meat in a mixture of blood, salt, and vinegar. Spartans ate together, with everyone sharing the same food under the same tent, and the black broth was considered the highlight of the meal. It was the only meat they served, and everyone only got a small portion.

The only way to get more meat was to hunt. If a hunter took down a deer, he had to share it, but he was allowed to take a little bit of the venison home for a second course. This was the only time a Spartan could eat at home; anything else was strictly forbidden.

5 If Trainees Failed Oral Quizzes, They Were Bitten

When supper was over, an under-master would sit down with the trainees and ask them questions. These questions were sort of like modern essay prompts: They’d be asked questions like, “Who is the best man in the city?” and would be expected to support their answers with reasons.

Their answer had to be clever, well thought-out, and prompt. If it wasn’t, they were punished—in an extremely weird way. According to Plutarch, anyone who gave a weak answer was bit on the thumb.

Life wasn’t much better for the under-master. When the question session was over, the under-master was taken out back and reviewed. If his masters felt he’d been too strict or too kind, he was beaten.

4 All Other Forms Of Education Were Banned

If you were a Spartan, you were a soldier. You weren’t an accountant or a merchant or a farmer; you were just a soldier. Your education made sure you stayed that way.

Spartans were taught to fight, to be tough, and—only as a necessity—to read. Everything else was strictly forbidden from the education system. Extracurricular education was considered a dangerous luxury. Spartan students weren’t allowed to spend their spare moments learning how to add and subtract or contemplating life’s philosophical mysteries.

Soldiers had to obey any order without delay, so traditional education was viewed as something that would make them weaker. If a Spartan soldier was considering a career as a lawyer or the complexities of free will, he wasn’t focusing on fighting and listening to his commander—so he was kept from learning anything else.

3 Boys Were Publically Whipped For An Annual Festival

The Spartans had a annual festival they called the “Diamastigosis,” and it was brutal. In this one, the boys were taken in front of a crowd and beaten with a whip until they couldn’t stand it anymore.

It sounds like torture, but for the Spartans, it was a great honor. They would eagerly volunteer to be whipped in front of a crowd, wanting to prove to their city that they could withstand the abuse for longer than any other person.

This was such a novelty to other cultures that, when the Romans found out about it, they started vacationing in Sparta just so they could watch it. By AD 300, the Spartans had even set up a theater and sold tickets, buying into a little commercialism to profit from the Roman Empire.

2 They Murdered Slaves For Sport

The Spartans kept Palestinian slaves whom they called “Helots,” and they were absolutely terrible to them. Among the many atrocities committed against them was a ritual called “Crypteia,” meant to strike terror in the slaves and to get boys ready for battle.

Spartan boys would be given daggers and small rations of food and then sent out on a mission to ambush and murder as many helpless slaves as they could. They would hide until night and then jump out and attack Helots walking on highways and working in the fields.

The slaves would be brutally murdered, giving the boys a little practice on the field and reminding the Helots where their place in society really was.

1 Spartans Only Got Tombstones If They Died In Combat

If a Spartan died of old age, he wasn’t given any honors. He’d be buried in an unmarked grave, essentially being shamed for living out a full life.

They only way to get a tombstone was to die in combat. If a Spartan died in battle, he’d be buried where his body laid, and, as a special honor, he’d be given a tombstone with his name and the words “in war” written below it.

Women, who didn’t fight in the wars, could still get tombstones, but only under one circumstance: If a mother died in childbirth, she was given a warrior’s honors. To the Spartans, she had died fighting a battle of her own—and creating more boys to become the soldiers of Sparta.

+Further Reading

Let’s face it—you can never read too much about the Ancient world. So here are a few more lists from the archives to satisfy your cravings:

10 Amazing Facts About Ancient Sparta
10 Common Misconceptions About the Ancient Greeks
Top 10 Greatest Historical Warriors
Top 10 Badass Female Warriors

Ancient warfare was dominated by men, who have natural advantages when it comes to wielding a sword, drawing a bow, or dying of dysentery in some squalid camp. But every so often a powerful woman would come along to shock the ancient world by leading her armies into battle. Proud male warriors often underestimated these women, usually with fatal results.

10Cynane

Cynane was the daughter of Philip of Macedon and the half-sister of Alexander the Great. Her mother was from Illyria, a region with a tradition of female warriors, and she taught Cynane to ride, fight, and shoot. In fact, as a teenager, Cynane supposedly accompanied a Macedonian invasion of Illyria and killed the Illyrian queen in single combat.

That may not be true, but Cynane was certainly a power player at the Macedonian court. Alexander tried to marry her to a distant chief to get her out of the way, but the chief mysteriously dropped dead before the wedding. Rumors of poison ensured that nobody else would try to marry Cynane against her will.

After Alexander died, his mentally disabled brother succeeded him as Philip III and there was a scramble to see who would become the power behind the throne. Cynane raised an army and marched on Babylon, intending to marry her daughter to Philip. This alarmed the regent Perdiccas, who sent an army under Antipater to stop her. But Cynane defeated Antipater at Strymon and continued toward Babylon.

In desperation, Perdiccas sent Cynane’s old friend Alcetus to assassinate her at a meeting. But the plan backfired. The Greek army was so horrified at the murder of Alexander’s sister that they demanded that Cynane’s daughter marry Philip as she had wished. Even in death, Cynane got her way.

9Mavia

During the reign of the Emperor Valens, an alliance of seminomadic Arab tribesmen burst across the border and invaded Roman Palestine. The Arabs were led by a woman named Mavia, who personally led her troops into battle. The Romans thought this was hilarious. In fact, when the commander of Palestine summoned reinforcements, he was effectively dismissed from his post for needing help to fight a woman.

Mavia soon taught them a lesson, crushing the Roman forces in battle. According to the historian Sozomen, the dismissed Roman commander actually redeemed himself by charging into the fray and rescuing the general who had fired him.

In any case, the Romans decided that Queen Mavia had to be taken seriously and sent negotiators to reach a diplomatic solution. Mavia’s main demand was that a monk named Moses be appointed to replace the current Arab bishop, suggesting that her invasion was religious in nature.

8Lu’s Mother

Lu’s mother didn’t even leave us her name, but she certainly made her presence felt in Ancient China. Around AD 14, a minor official named Lu was unjustly executed by the local magistrate.

Lu’s mother was heartbroken at the death of her son and became determined to get her revenge. Since she came from a family of wealthy wine merchants, she was able to build up support by generously offering gifts and credit to the local peasants.

By the time she was in her sixties, Lu’s mother had built up a loyal network of several hundred local youths. She recruited more supporters from the outlaws who had taken refuge on a nearby island.

Once her forces were strong enough, she launched an outright rebellion and took control of the entire district. The magistrate who had executed her son begged for mercy. But she responded that her son had died for a petty crime, so it was only fair that his murderer should also get the death sentence.

After Lu’s mother died, her supporters joined the Red Eyebrows, a group of rebels who painted their faces and played an important part in overthrowing Emperor Wang Mang.

7Rhodogune

Rhodogune was a Parthian princess in the second century BC. According to the Greek historian Polyaenus, the fearsome Rhodogune was taking a bath one day when she heard that a local tribe was revolting. She immediately jumped out of the water and vowed not to bathe or wash her hair until the rebels were defeated.

Unfortunately, the war that followed was “tedious,” but the revolting Rhodogune eventually led her forces to victory against the revolting rebels. She immediately retired to her bath and thoroughly washed her hair. However, Polyaenus says that her statues and seals always depicted her with unkempt hair from that day on in honor of her great and smelly victory.

6The Trung Sisters

The Trung sisters are considered heroes of Vietnam for leading the resistance against the invading Chinese Han dynasty. Trung Trac was married to Thi Sach, a Vietnamese nobleman who organized a secret plan to rise up against the Chinese. When the Han got wind of this and murdered Thi Sach, Trung Trac took over as leader of the movement.

Together with her sister, Trung Nhi, Trung Trac gathered an army and put the Chinese forces to flight. In AD 39, the sisters declared themselves joint queens of an independent Vietnamese state. However, the Han empire struck back, sending a huge army which overwhelmed the Trung forces. Refusing to be captured, the sisters drowned themselves in a river around AD 43.

5Lady Trieu

When asked why she never married, Lady Trieu famously declared, “I wish to ride a strong wind and tame fierce waves, kill sharks in the Eastern sea, force back the Chinese armies, and throw off the chains of slavery. How could I possibly accept to be some man’s servant?”

Like the Trung sisters, Trieu was a Vietnamese woman who led a rebel army against the Chinese. Her rebellion was smaller and more localized that the Trung sisters’ uprising, but Trieu was every bit as fierce. In later years, she took on mythological characteristics, including yard-long breasts which she threw back over her shoulders so they wouldn’t get in the way during battle.

The brief accounts of her life indicate that she was eventually defeated and took her own life around AD 248.

4Amanirenas

In classic sitcom style, Amanirenas was a tough woman who had to fix a disaster caused by her idiot husband. The warrior queen was the wife of King Teriteqas of Nubia, who had foolishly attacked Roman Egypt. When the Romans struck back, Teriteqas died of disease, leaving Amanirenas ruling Egypt as regent for their young son.

Fortunately, Amanirenas was more than up to the challenge. Roman sources describe her as a giant of a woman, blind in one eye and tough as nails. After escaping a Roman siege of Napata, she raised an army and marched on the fortress of Premnis. The legions soon arrived, but neither side was keen on a pitched battle. Instead, Amanirenas sent ambassadors to Emperor Augustus, who agreed to her demands and signed a lasting peace treaty.

3Princess Pingyang

Princess Pingyang was the daughter of Li Yuan, who founded the Tang dynasty. When Li Yuan launched his rebellion, Pingyang was sent to the family estate for safety. Instead, she built a peasant army, known as the Woman’s Army in her honor. (Later legends claiming that it was an army of women seem to be incorrect.)

With this force, Pingyang seized control of Huxian County and defeated a Sui dynasty army sent to stop her. She then marched north with 10,000 men, destroying the Sui forces in Shaanxi. In AD 617, she combined with her father to capture the Sui capital. She became the first woman to take the title of Marshal but then suddenly died at age 23.

2Hydna

Hydna of Scione was the daughter of a Greek professional diver who taught her to swim from a young age. After defeating the Spartans at Thermopylae, the Persians marched on Athens while their navy sailed down the coast. When a storm blew up, Hydna and her father volunteered to cut the Persian anchors.

To complete this feat, father and daughter had to swim 16 kilometers (10 mi) across a storm-tossed bay and then dive down and saw through the Persian cables, all while avoiding detection. Amazingly, they succeeded and the Persian fleet was wrecked. The grateful Greeks erected a statue of the divers, which was later stolen by Nero.

1Fu Hao

Fu Hao might be the oldest and greatest female general in ancient history. She was the wife of Wu Ding, who ruled Shang dynasty China from around 1250 to 1190 BC.

While such ancient history can often be mixed with legend, it’s certain that Fu Hao served as a general because many inscribed oracle bones dated to her lifetime ask questions related to her military campaigns. Her tomb has also been found and contains weapons and other martial trappings.

According to the archaeologists who have unearthed her story, Fu Hao was her husband’s main general. Her greatest victory came against the Tu-Fang, ancient enemies of the Shang whom she defeated so thoroughly that they were never a threat again.

She led three other confirmed military campaigns, all of them great successes. It seems that she was a cunning strategist, luring the Bafang army into a deadly ambush. She died of exhaustion shortly after this triumph and was buried with great honor.

Anyone who has heard of Japan must have heard about Samurai as well. The Samurai were the group of warriors belonging to various elite classes, who were famous for their ferocity and loyalty. They have an indelible place in the history of Japan, having shaped up the civilization. The Samurai are the symbols of Japanese culture, and their code of honor is ingrained into it. There have been a myriad of warriors who wrote history with their courage and nobility. Here is the list of 10 most famous Samurai warriors in history.

The 10 Most Famous Samurai Warriors:

10. Shimazu Yoshihisa

One of the most famous warlords from the Sengoku period, Shimazu Yoshihisa hailed from the Satsuma Province. He was married to his aunt for a brief time. He launched a campaign to unify Kyushu, and tasted many victories. His clan ruled a major part of Kyushu for many years, but was eventually defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After the defeat, Yoshihisa is believed to have retired and become a Buddhist monk. He died a peaceful death.

9. Date Masamune

Known for his affinity for violence and lack of mercy, Date Masamune was one of the most feared warriors of his era. Having lost the sight in his right eye in childhood due to smallpox, he had to make extra effort to be recognised as a fighter. After a series of defeats in early days, he slowly built his reputation and became one of the most efficient warriors of the time. When his father was kidnapped by the enemies of his clan, Masamune retaliated with slaughtering all of them, killing his father during the mission. He later served Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, as the head of Date clan.

8. Uesugi Kenshin

Known as the Dragon of Echigo, Kenshin was a fierce warrior and the leader of Nagao clan. He was famous for his rivalry with Takeda Shingen. The two fought each other for many years, engaging in one-on-one combats several times. He was also one of the warlords who resisted the campaigns of Oda Nobunaga. He was a reputed administrator as well. There are various stories surrounding the cause of his death.

7. Tokugawa Ieyasu

Initially an ally of Oda Nobunaga and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu was more agile with his brain than his sword. After the death of Hideyoshi, he gathered the enemies of Toyotomi clan and fought against it to take over the rule. He defeated the Toyotomis in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and became the first Tokugawan Shogun in 1603. The Tokugawa shogunate ushered a new era of peace in Japan, and ruled till 1868.

See Also: 10 Truly Bizarre Services from Japan.

6. Hattori Hanzo

The leader of Iga clan, Hattori Hanzo was one of the rare samurai who were also ninja warriors. He was a loyal servant to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who saved his master a few times from certain death. His primary weapon was a spear. In his older years, Hanzo became a Buddhist monk. He is one of the most famous warriors in Japanese pop culture, and inspired many a fictional warrior.

5. Takeda Shingen

Often called as the Tiger of Kai, Takeda Shingen was a fearsome warrior as well as a poet. He fought in numerous battles. In the fourth battle of Kawanakajima, he met his rival Uesugi Kenshin in a one-on-one fight as well. He was one of the very few warriors who tasted any success against Oda Nobunaga and had power to stop him. However, Shingen died in mysterious circumstances in 1573, after which Nobunaga consolidated power.

4. Honda Tadakatsu

Often known as ‘The Warrior who surpassed Death,’ Honda Tadakatsu was one of the fiercest warriors Japan has produced. One of the Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa, he took part in more than a hundred battles, to be never defeated in any of them. His major weapon was a spear known as Dragonfly cutter, which inspired fear in every opponent. Tadakatsu fought in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara which led to a new era in Japanese history.

3. Miyamoto Musashi

Perhaps the most celebrated samurai warrior over the years, Miyamoto Musashi was one of the greatest swordsmen Japan had ever had. His first duel was in the age of 13. He fought in the battle between the Toyotomi clan against the Tokugawa clan, on the side of former, ending up defeated. He later travelled along Japan, winning numerous duels against powerful opponents. Musashi’s most famous duel was in 1612, in which he fought against master swordsman Sasaki Kojiro and killed him. In later years, he spent more time for writing, and authored The Book of Five Rings, which details various sword-fighting techniques.

See Also: 10 Interesting Creatures from Japanese Folklore.

2. Toyotomi Hideyoshi

The successor of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi was a powerful ruler and warrior. Born in a peasant family, he slowly ascended to power with his skills off and on the battle field. He ruled over a major part of Japan from 1585 until his death in 1598, although he never attained the title of Shogun. Hideyoshi constructed the massive Osaka Castle, and waged battles to conquer Korea and China, albeit unsuccessfully. Soon after his death, his clan was obliterated.

1. Oda Nobunaga

One of the most recognizable warrior in Japanese history, Oda Nobunaga was a charismatic leader as well. In 1560, he killed Yoshimoto Imagawa who attempted to take over Kyoto and set the foundation of the unification of Japan. He made use of firearms in battles, a novel idea at the time. His death was from an act of betrayal by one of his own generals, Akechi Mitsuhide, who set fire to the temple he was resting at. However, Nobunaga committed suicide, a more honourable way to die.

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