“The laws of Sparta were reformed by the king Lycurgus (l. c. 9th century BCE). Girls were given the same physical fitness regimen as boys (though they were not trained in arms or Greek warfare) and were educated at the same level at home (while boys would attend a public school). The subjugated class of people known as helots took care of menial labor, including weaving of clothes, allowing a female Spartan to concentrate on what Lycurgus believed their most important role: motherhood.”