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Leigh Young
History 134
Dr. Thomson
20 May 2016
A Day in the life of a Spartan
The sun shined on Amara, engulfing her naked body in its light. Her
beautiful blonde hair cascaded down her back, bright green eyes sparkling
like emeralds. Sweat dripped down her beautifully tanned face, as she looked
upward into the morning light. At 19, Amara was in her prime, her long body
lean and muscular from her daily workouts with the other Spartan women; a
group of beautifully privileged young women of the Sparta aristocracy. Every
morning Amara rose at dawn, and made her way, nude, to the clearing for
her daily workout. Fitness was an essential element in a Sparta womans life;
just like the men, Amara kept herself ready for anything.
The steam bath was fragrant, the smell of lavender seeping into the
morning air, as Amara lowered herself into the hot water. Bathing was an
important part of a Spartans daily life, keeping the body pure and cleansed.
As Amara stretched her legs into the water, she saw Adonis, the man she
would soon wed. Adonis was older than her, 25 to her 19, and was a
respected and mighty warrior. They would soon join as man and wife, when
her dowry was finalized. Amara liked Adonis, he was attractive and strong,

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and would make a good lover and protector for her and their eventual
children, although it would be a number of years before they would spend
any real time together; Spartan men werent permitted to live at home with
their wives until they had reached the age of 30.
Feeling her toes start to prune, Amara pulled herself out of the water,
and prepared to make the short journey back to the home she shared with
her parents. An hour later, dressed in her peplos, Amara fitted her tiny foot
into its sandal and made her way into the kitchen for a glass of wine. A
member of the privileged class, Amara was one of the lucky Spartan women
who was free to spend her day as she pleased; her family had enough money
to employ the helots in the way of domestic duties. Her favorite servant,
Alexa, was in the kitchen preparing for tonight; Adonis and his family were
coming to finalize the details of their upcoming nuptials. Bored to death
waiting for the excitement of tonights festivities, Amara followed Alexa
around as she tended to the household duties, chattering away excitedly.
As the evening approached and the sun started to lower in the sky,
Amara listened to the sounds that announced the arrival of her guests.
Hearing her mother call, she made her way downstairs and sat with her
family to eat. As excited as she was to make the union with Adonis, she was
nervous for the change that would come. Listening to her father discuss the
final preparations with her soon to be father-in-law, Amaras mind wandered
to the future. After the wedding, Adonis would immediately go back to the
barracks with his military brothers, and leave her, possibly with child, all

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alone. When they did have children, she would only have her son for the first
seven years of his life, before he too would leave her for the army training all
Spartan boys were required to have. When Adonis turned 30, he would be
allowed to finally live with her in their marital home, but what if he didnt
love her? Although it wasnt spoken on, Amara head heard the whispers of
the men who made love with their fellow army brothers. Would that be the
case with Adonis?
Amara pulled herself back to the present just in time to hear her father
announce the date of her marriage: one week from today. The two men
shook hands, and said their goodbyes as the sun finally disappeared into the
night. Amara, not quite sure how she was feeling about the future her father
had decided for her, raced back to her bedroom, anxious to fall into a deep
sleep. Pulling her peplos off in one swift movement, Amara fell naked into her
bed, and relaxed into a dreamful sleep, full of hope and fantasies of the new
path her life would take.