Most of the wars in Greece were caused by the Spartans, who were ill at ease when they were not fighting. The Spartans specialized in pain; they considered it heroic to be stoic. Spartan life bagan early. If a Spartan baby was unathletic and had narrow shoulders, he was taken into the mountains and exposed to the elements. If he crawled back home, he was taken out and exposed again. Double exposure was usually sufficient. A Spartan citizen reclined at night on a bed of boards (see the expression "room and board"), from which he arose in the morning refreshed and full of splinters. Two hours of calisthenics and a cold shower worked up an enormous appetite for breakfast, which he skipped. The day was given over to toughening exercises, such as sitting on spears and munching nails. Immediately after an uneaten lunch there were breath-holding contests. The man who held his breath longest was promised the top spot on the funeral pyre. In the evening the Spartan families gathered convivially around the fire and occasionally stuck in a hand or foot for a couple of minutes. From time to time they felt each other's muscles. Children listened attentively to father's account of how he won the finger-flexing championship when he was a boy. So the days passed, full of wholesome fun and whole-wheat bread. It was a hard life, and that was the way they liked it. The Spartans allowed themselves only one luxury. That was being carried around on their shields when they were dead. After a hard day of fighting, this was the life. -from It All Started with Europa by Richard Armour. {Signature}