\'Gates of Fire\' By Steven Pressfield

[PMBardunias]

Ahhh, now that makes much more sense to me.

Thanks for helping me clarify. There were elite units in many states such as the 1,000 picked argive hoplites or the more famous Sacred band of Thebes.

There was the Hippeis, 300 Spartaites were could be termed an elite unit of an elite class. (Not to be confused with the Hippies, who were peace-loving and made poor hoplites- though just as dirty and unshaven).

Spartiates inculcated the type of reserve and manners we associate with Samurai, etc. This is perhaps a means of dealing with the fact that so many of your society are highly trained and well armed killers, not the place for casual insults. The young men were described as almost feminine in the way they averted their eyes as adults passed- sounds like a wolf pack.

Where things must have loosened up is within the syssitia, men's messes. This education function of this institution for young men is often wrongly overlooked in comparison to the agoge for boys. This would have been much like the more familiar Symposia of other states. Remember that the Spartans were a "nation of philosophers".