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The Spartan Saga

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The Spartan Saga Sparta Sparta Atlas = Pleione Taygete = Zeus Sparta = Lacedaemon • Lacedaemon • Founded Sparta (named for his wife) • The people are called Lacedaemonians • The lambda Λ is always on their shields Perieres = Gorgophone Descendant of Lacedaemon Daughter of Perseus Leucippus Tyndarius = Leda = Zeus Clytemnestra Castor Polux Helen • Althernative: – Zeus raped Nemesis and she lay an egg – Leda found the egg and when Helen hatched Leda raised her as her own daughter Menelaus and Helen Heraclidae • Sons of Heracles conquered the Peloponnese ca. 1100 BC • Tyndaridae overthrown • Aristodemus king of Sparta • Twins: – Eurysthenes and Procles The Heraclidae Agids Eurypontids • Eurysthenes • Procles • 3 kings • 12 kings • Eunomus – Lycurgus • Leon [590- 560] • 8 kings? • Anaxandrides [560-520] • Ariston [550 – 515] • Cleomenes [520 – 490] • Demaratus [515 – 491] Lycurgus • Semi-mythical Lawgiver, early 8 cent. – Dated to 804 BC by Thucydides • Eunomus made the people weak • Lycurgus reformed the constitution: – Banned gold and silver – Sumptuary laws – Spartiates barred from labour or commerce Constitution • Two Kings – One from each line. – Leaders of the Army • Gerousia – Twenty eight men plus the two kings – Elected from the aristocracy • Ephorate – Five elected each year from the Spartiates • Spartiates – The original Spartans – +/- 9000 families – Ecclesia of Spartiates elected the magistrates Spartan Communism • Sparta – Divided into 9000 Spartiate parcels • Laconia – Divided into 30,000 Perioici parcels • Property was private but truck was used in common (Arist. Pol. 1263a) • The individual was wholly subsumed to the common good. Perioici and Helots • Perioici – Those who “lived around” – Free but not citizens – Served in the army as auxiliaries • Helots – Slaves – Worked the lands of the Spartiates Militarism and Communism • Agoge – Unfit babies were killed – All boys trained from seven years of age – Sleep, eat and train in groups – Enrolled in Syssition at 21 • Syssitia – Barraks – Men eat, sleep and work together Communism and the Family • Women – Also trained in physical and mental fitness – Healthy women = healthy babies – Women managed most affairs • Marriage – Men only ‘visited’ their wives – Could ask permission to ‘visit’ another – Takes a village… Society and Economy • Spartan economy based on slavery – Slave labour freed the Spartiate to pursue military life • Spartan militarism: – Was the main purpose of Spartan militarism the suppression of slave populations? The Messenian Wars • First Messenian War – ca. 730 BC – Sparta conquers parts of Messenia – Population reduced to Helot status • Second Messenian War • ca 660 BC – Messenian revolt aided by Argos and Arcadia Limits of Conquest • Argos – Defeated Spartans at Hysiae in 669 • Tegea – Arcadians defeat Spartans in 550 BC – Both dates are disputed – Sparta adopts policy of alliances Peloponnesian League ca. 510 Spartan Stemmata House of Eurysthenes House of Procles Demaratus (515 – 491) = Anaxandrides (560-20) = Cleomenes (520 – 490) Leutychides II (491-68) Gorgo = Leonidas (490 – 80) Cleombrotus (480-79) The Spartan Myth • The Spartans left it to others to record their history • Sparta became the exotic ‘other’ of the Greek world • The farther removed from the actual event, the more fabulous the stories get. • Anti-Democracy Icon.
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