(M151) Plutarch's evidence, late as it is, of the ancient customs among the Spartans is worthy of further consideration.
In his _Life of Agis_ he states that the { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} passed in succession from father to son--{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH VARIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH VARIA~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH VARIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}--until the Peloponnesian war.
"When a child was born, the father was not entitled to maintain it ({ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH OXIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}), but he took and carried it to a place called 'lesche,' where the _elders of his tribesmen_ were sitting, who, if they found the child pretty well grown and healthy, ordered its maintenance ({ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH OXIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}), allotting to it one of the 9,000 kleroi ({ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH OXIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA WITH PERISPOMENI AND YPOGEGRAMMENI~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA WITH PERISPOMENI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} { ~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{ ~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~})."(328)