When a boy was born, he was washed with wine in the belief that this would make him strong. Every infant was then examined by members of the "Gerousia" (a council of leading Spartan elders) from the child's tribe to see whether he was fit and healthy enough to be allowed to live. In the event that the baby did not pass the test, he was placed at the base of Mount Taygetus for several days in a test that ended with death by exposure, or survival. At the age of seven, the male child was enrolled in the "agoge" under the authority of the "paidonómos" (), or "boy-herder", a magistrate charged with supervising education. This began the first of the three stages of the "agoge": the "paídes" (about ages 7–17), the "paidískoi" (ages 17–19), and the "hēbōntes" (ages 20–29). Some classical sources indicate that there were further subdivisions by year within these classes.