JACT Teachers’ Notes AH 1.3 Politics and Society of Ancient Sparta Maria Preztler 1.Introduction ............................................................................................................... 2 1.1. Books and resources ...................................................................................... 2 1.1.1. Annotated list of books cited in the notes .......................................... 2 1.2. Introduction to the sources ............................................................................. 4 1.2.1. Tyrtaeus .............................................................................................. 4 1.2.2. Herodotus ........................................................................................... 5 1.2.3. Thucydides ......................................................................................... 5 1.2.4. Aristophanes ...................................................................................... 6 1.2.5. Xenophon ........................................................................................... 6 1.2.6. Plutarch .............................................................................................. 7 1.2.7. Other sources ..................................................................................... 7 1.3. Background Information ................................................................................ 8 1.3.1. Chronological Overview .................................................................... 8 2. Notes on the Specification Bullet Points ............................................................... 11 2.1. The social structure of Sparta: Spartiates, perioikoi and helots .................. 11 2.1.1. Spartiates (Full Citizens) .................................................................. 11 2.1.2. Perioikoi ........................................................................................... 14 2.1.3. Helots ............................................................................................... 15 2.2. The political structure of Sparta: kings, gerousia, ephors, assembly ........... 18 2.2.1. Kings ................................................................................................ 19 2.2.2. Ephors .............................................................................................. 20 2.2.3. The Gerousia .................................................................................... 21 2.2.4. The Assembly .................................................................................. 21 2.2.5. The Development of the System; the Great Rhetra. ........................ 22 2.3. Education and values in Sparta; the roles of men and women .................... 23 2.3.1. The Spartan Education System for Boys (agoge) ............................ 24 2.3.2. Young Men (Hebontes, Eirens) ....................................................... 26 2.3.3. Spartan Women ................................................................................ 27 2.3.4. Family Life ....................................................................................... 29 2.3.5. Spartan Values ................................................................................. 29 2.4. Sparta and the Peloponnese, 480–404 BC (Corinth, Tegea, Argos) ............ 31 2.4.1. The Peloponnesian League .............................................................. 31 2.4.2. Corinth ............................................................................................. 34 2.4.3. Tegea ................................................................................................ 36 2.4.4. Argos ................................................................................................ 37 2.5. Views of Sparta from other states (Athens) ................................................. 38 2.6. The Spartan mirage and the myth of Lycurgus ............................................ 41 2.6.1. The Spartan Mirage .......................................................................... 41 2.6.2. Lycurgus .......................................................................................... 44 3. Appendix: Some useful texts ................................................................................. 46 Plato, Alcibiades 1, 122e-123b: Spartan wealth ........................................ 46 Xen. Hell. 3.3.4-7: danger of a conspiracy in Sparta ................................. 47 Aristotle Politics 1269a-1271a: a critical discussion of Sparta ................. 48 1 JACT Teachers’ Notes 1.Introduction 1.1. Books and resources Spartan studies have changed significantly in recent years, especially since scholars have become more critical about the use of late sources to reconstruct the history and society of archaic and Classical Sparta. This means that there is actually a shortage of up-to-date textbooks, and older works have to be handled with some caution, especially any discussion of early Sparta. The most comprehensive overview of Spartan history is P. Cartledge (2002), Sparta and Lakonia 2nd ed. (Routledge) (first published 1979). P. Cartledge (2003) The Spartans. An Epic History, 2nd edition (Pan Books/Macmillan) is written for a non-specialist audience, but it presents Cartledge’s reaction to recent developments. There are no up-to date book-length treatments of Spartan culture and society. A. Powell (1988), Athens and Sparta. Constructing Greek Political and Social History from 478 BC (Routledge) offers a useful summary (ch. 4 and especially ch. 6). Most important aspects of Spartan life are also covered in M. Whitby (ed.) (2002), Sparta (Routledge), which is a collection of ‘classic’ articles on various Spartan themes. Since the discussion about Sparta is ongoing and in constant development, collections of articles or conference papers can include very useful material. Relevant additional literature is cited in the text; see the annotated bibliography below. There is also no source book specifically dedicated to Sparta, but a few works include relevant passages in translation. The most comprehensive collection can be found in P.J. Rhodes (2007), The Greek City States. A Source Book, Second Edition (Cambridge University Press). Chapter 4 (numbers 75-158) deals with Sparta; texts are grouped by theme. P. Cartledge (2000), Sparta and Lakonia, Appendix 4 (299- 307) offers a selection of sources for helots and their lives. The following works include useful quotations of relevant texts: P. Cartledge (2003), The Spartans. An Epic History, 2nd edition (Pan Books/Macmillan) T. Buckley (1996), Aspects of Greek History 750-323 BC. A Source-Based Approach (Routledge), see esp. chs. 4, 9, 12. S. Pomeroy (2002), Spartan Women (Oxford University Press). Internet resources: There is little reliable material available online. http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/sparta.html – some useful links and texts (J.P. Adams, California State University Northridge). Google Earth: useful to investigate the topography of Laconia and Messenia (note Mt. Taygetos!). www.Perseus.tufts.edu – access to most of the set texts; some information on Sparta; some images of the site (search for Sparta on the main page). 1.1.1. Annotated list of books cited in the notes Monographs and article collections on Sparta Cartledge, P. (2001), Spartan Reflections (Duckworth). Collection of articles; most on aspects of Spartan society: complements Sparta and Lakonia. Cartledge, P. (2002), Sparta and Lakonia 2nd ed. (Routledge) (first published 1979). This is still the definitive monograph on Sparta. The work is essentially a history of the 2 JACT Teachers’ Notes region. It includes a lot of material on Spartan culture and society, but does not cover these themes systematically. Note that this was written in 1979: some aspects need a more recent approach (cf. more recent works, incl. Cartledge’s own contributions). Cartledge, P. (2003) The Spartans. An Epic History, 2nd edition (Pan Books/Macmillan). Written for a wider audience; reflects Cartledge’s more recent perspective. Useful translated passages. Figueira, T.J. (2004), Spartan Society (Classical Press of Wales). Collection of articles (conference volume). Forrest, W.G. (1968), A History of Sparta 950-192 BC (Hutchinson) Historical overview; some of the narrative offers a useful analysis of sources and events. Note that parts of this book, especially the earlier chapters on archaic history, are outdated. Hodkinson, S. & Powell, A. (eds) (1999), Sparta. New Perspectives (Duckworth/ Classical Press of Wales). Collection of articles (conference volume). Powell, A. (ed.) (1989), Classical Sparta: Techniques Behind her Success (Routledge). Collection of articles (seminar papers). Powell, A. & Hodkinson, S. (eds) (1994), The Shadow of Sparta (Routledge/Classical Press of Wales). Collection of articles (conference volume). Powell, A. & Hodkinson, S. (eds) (2002), Sparta. Beyond the Mirage (Classical Press of Wales/Duckworth). Collection of articles (conference volume). Whitby, M. (ed.) (2002), Sparta (Routledge). Collection of useful articles chosen to cover a range of crucial aspects of Spartan society, history and politics. General Historical Context: Buckley, T. (1996), Aspects of Greek History 750-323 BC. A Source-Based Approach (Routledge). Fairly traditional treatment of Greek history (compare Hall, Osborne, Rhodes); useful discussion of ancient sources. Hall, J.M. (2006) A History of the Archaic Greek World, c. 1200-479 BCE (Blackwell). Survey of Archaic Greek history. Osborne, R. (1996), Greece