10 Popular History Myths (You Probably Believe)
3. Spartans Threw Their Babies Off A Cliff
If you've seen 300, you'll know that ancient Sparta was a realm of veritable supermen - warriors without equal. You'll also know that - in order to keep their society strong - they killed weak, sickly, or unsightly babies by chunking them off of a cliff.
Sparta was a hyper-masculine society where only the strong were allowed to survive, and the culling of weak blood was crucial to the maintenance of such a powerful society.
But was it, though?
This myth has been around for a very, very long time (dating back to historian, Plutarch), but there's been no evidence of it whatsoever. When an archaeological dig was conducted at the cliff in question, bones were indeed found, but they belonged to men between the ages of 18 and 35. These were likely criminals, traitors, and prisoners. Hardly the mass grave of weak children that classical narratives would have us believe.