Editing Sparta (section)

===Citizenship===
{{main|Spartiate}}
The Spartan education process known as the ''[[agoge]]'' was essential for full citizenship. However, usually the only boys eligible for the ''agoge'' were [[Spartiates]], those who could trace their ancestry to the original inhabitants of the city.

There were two exceptions. ''[[Trophimoi]]'' or "foster sons" were foreign students invited to study. The Athenian general [[Xenophon]], for example, sent his two sons to Sparta as trophimoi. Also, the son of a helot could be enrolled as a ''syntrophos''<ref>{{harvnb|Liddell|Scott|1940}}. {{LSJ|su/ntrofos|σύντροφος}}.</ref> if a Spartiate formally adopted him and paid his way; if he did exceptionally well in training, he might be sponsored to become a Spartiate.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Greek World|first=Anton|last=Powell |date=1987|publisher=[[Routledge]]}}</ref> Spartans who could not afford to pay the expenses of the ''agoge'' could lose their citizenship.

These laws meant that Sparta could not readily replace citizens lost in battle or otherwise, which eventually proved near fatal as citizens became greatly outnumbered by non-citizens, and even more dangerously by helots.