350 



SPARTA SPAWNING OF FISH. 



were called boys (a-^rtijif), and thence to the age 

 of thirty, youths (ip|3) In the thirtieth year the 

 Spartan entered the period of manhood, and en- 

 joyed the full rights of a citizen. At the age of 

 seven, the boy was withdrawn from the paternal 

 care, and educated under the public eye, in com- 

 pany with others of the same age, without distinc- 

 tion of rank or fortune. If any person withheld 

 his son from the care of the state, he forfeited his 

 civil rights. The principal object of attention, 

 during the periods of boyhood and youth, was the 

 physical education, which consisted in the practice 

 of various gymnastic exercises running, leaping, 

 throwing the discus, wrestling, boxing, the chase, 

 and the pancratium. These exercises were per- 

 formed naked, in certain buildings called gymnasia. 

 Besides gymnastics, dancing and the military exer- 

 cises were practised. A singular custom was the 

 flogging of boys (diamastigosis') on the annual fes- 

 tival of Diana Orthia, for the purpose of inuring 

 them to bear pain with firmness: the priestess 

 stood by with a small, light, wooden image of 

 Diana, and if she observed that any boy was spared, 

 she called out that the image of the goddess was 

 so heavy, that she could not support it, and the 

 blows were then redoubled. The men who were 

 present exhorted their sons to fortitude, while the 

 boys endeavoured to surpass each other in firmness. 

 Whoever uttered the least cry during the scourging, 

 which was so severe as sometimes to prove fatal, 

 was considered as disgraced, while he who bore it 

 without shrinking was crowned, and received the 

 praises of the whole city. According to some, this 

 usage was established by Lycurgus; others refer it 

 to the period of the battle of Plataeae. To teach 

 the youth cunning, vigilance, and activity, they 

 were encouraged, as has been already mentioned, to 

 practise theft in certain cases ; but if detected, they 

 were flogged, or obliged -to go without food, or 

 compelled to dance round an altar, singing songs 

 in ridicule of themselves. The fear of the shame 

 of J>eing discovered sometimes led to the most ex- 

 traordinary acts. Thus it is related that a boy 

 who had stolen a young fox, and concealed it under 

 hig clothes, suffered it to gnaw out his bowels, 

 rather than reveal the theft by suffering the fox to 

 escape. Swimming was considered among the 

 Spartans to be so indispensable, that it was a 

 proverb among them, to intimate that a man was 

 good for nothing He cannot even swim. Modesty 

 of deportment was also particularly attended to; 

 and conciseness of language was so much studied, 

 that the term laconic is employed to signify a short, 

 pithy manner of speaking. The Spartans were the 

 only people of Greece who avowedly despised 

 learning, and excluded it from the education of 

 youth. Their whole instruction consisted in 

 learning obedience to their superiors, the en- 

 durance of all hardships, and to conquer or die 

 in war. The youth were, however, carefully 

 instructed in a knowledge of the laws, which, 

 not being reduced to writing, were taught orally. 

 The education of the females was entirely different 

 from that of the Athenians. Instead of remaining 

 at home, as in Athens, spinning, &c., they danced 

 in public, wrestled with each other, ran on the 

 course, threw the discus, &c. This was not only 

 done in public, but in a half-naked state. The ob- 

 ject of this training of the women was to give a 



vigorous constitution to their children See Miil- 



ler'g History and Antiquities of the Doric Race, 

 translated, with additions, from the German (Lon- 



don, 1830}. The Mainots have been supposed to 

 be the descendants of the ancient Spartans. See 

 Mainots. 



SPARTACUS; a Thracian gladiator, the insti- 

 gator of the servile war or revolt of the slaves in 

 Italy. He had been compelled, like ether barbarians, 

 to serve in the Roman army, from which he had 

 deserted, and, at the head of a body of chosen com- 

 panions, had carried on a partisan war against the 

 conquerors. Being made prisoner, Spartacus was 

 sold as a slave ; and his strength and size caused him 

 to be reserved as a gladiator. He was placed in a 

 gladiatorial school at Capua, with two hundred 

 other Thracian, German and Gaulish slaves, among 

 whom a conspiracy was formed (B. C. 71) for ef- 

 fecting their escape. Their plot was discovered ; 

 but a small body, under Spartacus, broke out, and, 

 having procured arms, and gained some advantages 

 over the Roman forces sent against them, they 

 were soon joined by the slaves and peasantry of the 

 neighbourhood, and their numbers amounted to 

 10,000 men. By the courage and skill of Spartacus, 

 several considerable battles were gained ; but his 

 authority was insufficient to restrain the ferocity 

 and licentiousness of his followers, and the cities of 

 the south of Italy were pillaged with the most re- 

 volting atrocities. In a few months, Spartacus 

 found himself at the head of 60,000 men ; and the 

 consuls were now sent, with two legions, against 

 the revolted slaves. Mutual jealousies divided the 

 leaders of the latter, and the Gauls and Germans 

 formed a separate body under their own leaders, 

 while the Tbracians and Lucanians adhered to 

 Spartacus. The former were defeated ; but Spar- 

 tacus skilfully covered their retreat, and successively 

 defeated the two consuls. Flushed with success, 

 his followers demanded to be led against Rome ; 

 and the city trembled before the servile forces. In 

 this crisis, Licinius Crassus, who was afterwards a 

 triumvir, was placed at the head of the army. His 

 lieutenant, Mummius, whom he despatched with 

 two legions to watch the motions of the enemy, 

 was defeated by a superior force, and slain. Cras- 

 sus, after having made an example of the defeated 

 legions, by executing every tenth man, surrounded 

 Spartacus, near Rhegium, with a ditch six miles in 

 length. Spartacus broke through the enemy by 

 night ; but Crassus, who did not doubt that he 

 would march upon Rome, pursued him, and defeated 

 a considerable part of his forces, who had abandoned 

 their general from disaffection. Spartacus now re- 

 treated ; but his followers compelled him to lead 

 them against the Romans. His soldiers fought 

 with a courage deserving success ; but they were 

 overcome, after an obstinate conflict, and Spartacus 

 himself fell fighting on his knees, upon a heap of 

 his slain enemies. According to the Roman state- 

 ments, 60,000 rebels fell in this battle (A. D. 71), 

 6000 were made prisoners, and crucified on the 

 Appian way. A considerable number escaped, and 

 continued the war, but were finally destroyed by 

 Pompey. 



SPASMODIC CHOLERA. See Cholera. 



SPAWNING OF FISH. In the oviparous 

 fishes, with distinct sexes, the eggs are impregnated 

 externally, and arrive at maturity without the aid 

 of the mother. The spawn being deposited by the 

 female, the male then pours upon it the impregnating 

 fluid. In the ovoviviparous fishes, sexual inter- 

 course takes place, and the eggs are hatched in the 

 uterus. In the oviparous fishes, which are herma- 

 phrodite, the spawn is impregnated previous to de- 



