The ephebeia (Gk ἐφηβεία; “ephebate”) was a state-controlled institution of citizen education and military training for young men in the ancient Greek world. The institution continued to play a significant role in the culture of cities in the Greek East during the Roman imperial period.

The origins of the institution in the form that became widespread in later periods can be traced to the Athenian ephebeia, which was formalized in t…