Lycurgus – The Mess (community meals)
In addition to the Agoge, Lycurgus brought “The Mess” back from Crete. In Crete the common meal was called andrei; in Sparta phiditia, meaning place of friendship.
Spartiates were required to eat all evening meals together in groups, and were not allowed to dine with their families. They were required to eat specified meat sauces, cereals, and the famous black broth as part of a practice of moderation. This production of non-wealth was a leveling force among rich and poor. A rich man dining with a poor man could not put on an expensive display, nor could he eat first at home and then attend the mess, because others would be watching for anyone trying to defeat a system designed for all. Eating with one’s fellow soldiers prevented the men from spending too much time at home as Plutarch puts it,