NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY LIBIRORY 089 54952 1. 3ksq PLUTARCH'S Life of Agesilaos., response to sources in- the presentation of character (In Two Volumes) Volume One by Donald Richard Shipley, M. A. Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Newcastle upon Tyne_ Department of Classics April 1990 To my wife and son CONTENTS VOLUME ONE Foreword vi Abstract vii INTRODUCTION 1 PART ONE: FROM EARLY YEARS TO ACCESSION. The qualities of leadership CHAPTER 1: Ancestry and training: verbal patterning 8 CHAPTER 2: Moral and physical qualities - lameness 19 CHAPTER 3: Alkibiades at Sparta: the disputed succession 29 PART TWO: THE CHARACTER OF AGESILAOS AND OF SPARTA. Developing a cohesive constituency CHAPTER 4.* Courting favour among the powerful Spartans 49 CHAPTER 5: Courting favour among the Spartan citizens: the danger of tyranny 58 PART THREE: THE CAMPAIGNS IN ASIA MINOR CHAPTER 6: Assembling the expedition: an ill-omen 73 CHAPTER 7: A question of protocol 85 CHAPTER 8: Differences settled: Spithridates arrives 94 CHAPTER 9: The ýfirst campaign: recruiting of cavalry 103 CHAPTER 10: The campaign against Tissapheýnes 118 PART FOUR: DIPLOMACY IN ASIA MINOR CHAPTER 11: The influence of personal relationships 128 CHAPTER 12: PCJPL0G15Vn 140 CHAPTER 13: Agesilaos' equivocal attitude to the obligations - of friendship 148 CHAPTER 14.- Agesilaos exemplifies Lykourgan principles 156 CHAPTER 15: Obedience: the supreme Lykourgan virtue 161 iii PART FIVE: THE RETURN TO SPARTA CHAPTER 16: Verbal stratagems backed by force 171 CHAPTER 17: To the Boiotian border 179 CHAPTER 18: A disputed victory 185 CHAPTER 19: (1) After the battle 194 VOLUME TWO PART SIX: 'CHARACTER CHAPTER 19: (2) Agesilaos at home 2 CHAPTER 201 Agesilaos' influence at Sparta 5 PART SEVEN: THE CORINTHIAN WAR CHAPTER 21: Games at Corinth contrasted with those at Sparta 20 CHAPTER 22: Retribution at Corinth: rehabilitation in Akarnania 27 PART EIGHT: THE PEACE OF ANTALKIDAS; PHOIBIDAS AND SPHODRIAS CHAPTER 23: Failures of Spartan justice: the Peace of Antalkidas and the Kadmeia 37 CHAPTER 24: Spartan interventions in Thebes and Attika 54 CHAPTER 25: Negotiating the acquittal of Sphodrias 64 PART NINE: THEBES CHAPTER 26: Growing unpopularity of Agesilaos 70 CHAPTER 27: The weakness of Agesilaos and Sparta: the Theban influence emerges 76 CHAPTER 28, Confrontation in conference and in battle 85 PART TEN: SPARTA CHAPTER 29: Spartans great in adversity 95 CHAPTER 30: A failure of nerve 102 iv PART ELEVEN: LAKONIA AND EPAMEINONDAS CHAPTER 31: Crisis in Sparta 110 CHAPTER 32: Epameinondas threatens Sparta 115 CHAPTER 33: The eclipse of Lykourgan standards 120 CHAPTER 34: Epameinondas again threatens Sparta 130 CHAPTER 35: Mantineia: Sparta isolated 139 PART TWELVE: EGYPT AND DEATH CHAPTER 36: The humiliations of mercenary service in Egypt 145 CHAPTER 37: Agesilaos is accused of betrayal 152 CHAPTER 38: Agesilaos' generalship is not recognized 158 CHAPTER 39: Agesilaos ' reasserts his military superiority 161 CHAPTER 401 The final honours for Agesilaos 165 CONCLUSION 168 ENDNOTES 1: A survey of events leading to the choice of Agesilaos as king of Sparta (Chapters 1-3) 177 2: The proposed Karian expedition (Chapter 9) 182 3: The battle of Sardis (Chapter 10) 186 4: Sparta and the north (Chapter 16) 198 5: Narthakion (Chapter 16) 200 6: 06 IJAY 6,\Xdl KQE (Chapter 23.4) 204 7: The trial of Sphodrias (Chapters 24 5) 205 8: Casualty figures at Leuktra. (Chapter 28) 210 BIBLIOGRAPHIES (1) Works cited or of central importance 212 (2) Other works consulted 218 V FOREWORD The work done for this thesis was begun after I retired from teaching Classics at the end of 1983. For five of the six years of study I was enrolled as a part-time student in the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, spending seventeen months in Greece as an Associate Student of the British School at Athens from July 1986 until December 1987. While the Library of the British School was closed for extensions to its building, the American School of Classical Studies gave me very generous hospitality in the use of all its Library accommodation and facilities. During this time in Greece I continued my study of Plutarch, but also undertook topographical work in the relevant areas of Boiotiaq Peloponnese, Thessaly, and the Attic frontierg as well as visiting Asia Minor to explore routes from Ephesos and between the valleys of the Rivers Maiandros and Hermos. In Newcastle I have been privileged to use the University Library and thank the Library Staff for their prompt and willing help in locating and obtaining the books I needed. The members of the Classics Department have very kindly allowed me to take up their time on occasions when I needed help and advice on their specialist subjects and I am grateful for their encouragement. I thank also the University's clerical and administrative staff and those in the book-binding department for their helpful co-operation and assistance. To Dr H. W.Catlingq until recently Director of the British School at Athens, to Mrs Catling, to all the School staff in the academic, Library, administrative and domestic departments, to the members of the Finlay Roomf I offer my warmest thanks for making me welcome and ensuring that my stay and travels in Greece were comfortable and profitable. I express my sincere thanks, too, to the American School and the Gennadion Library for their many kindnesses. My greatest debt is to my supervisor, Mr John Lazenby. He has guided me throughout the years in every aspect of the study with practical advice and perceptive criticism, and has with unfailing energy and generosity read my many progress reports and the draft versions of this thesis. My contacts with him have been most valuable. Finally. I am grateful to my wife and to my son, without whose patience and encouragement my studies would not have been possible, and to them this thesis is dedicated. April 1990. vi Plutarch's Life of Agesilaos- response. to sources in the presentation of character. By D. R. Shipley, M. A., University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Ph. D. Thesis, April 1990. ABSTRACT ýttempts This commentary to elucidate Plutarch's authorial intention in this Lffe by studying his response to source material, using topography where necessary. 2 Plutarch admired Sparta and the Spartans in so far as they were loyal to the Lykourgan rules for an ordered society, but identified shortcomings that marred their interpretation of its principles: (i) They neglected abstract values, mistakenly defining justice as "the best interest of Sparta", and lacking safeguards against I excesses. (ii) They misinterpreted the purpose of their training, using military superiority to control others, not for their own security. 3 Plutarch used manifestations of Agesilaos' character to indicate and explain the decline of Sparta during his reign. 4 Agesilaos received training in accordance with Lykourgan rules and inherited and acquired favourable characteristics. He exemplified the admirable qualities of king and Panhellenist general, and remained a worthy model for the true asceticism of a Spartiate, for devotion to the service of Sparta, and for self-denying obedience to the state and its laws; -. 5 but his accession was irregular and his conduct of affairs was guided by contention, excessive competitiveness, a distorted sense of justice and limited political judgement. 6 His hatred of Thebes was a personal excess which involved the city excessively in war. Leuktra brought defeat, loss of power and unprecedented humiliation. 7 Sparta declined because of failure to understand and follow the most important Lykourgan principle, which forbade military imperialism (Lyk. 28-31). 1 Plutarch followed Xenophon and other sources selectively for historical events, but imposed his own organization, interpretation and moral judgements on the selected material. 2 Two rhetorical aspects of the Life are: the intention to explain Sparta's decline, and the exposition of an ideology. Plutarch has identified unnecessary pitfalls and commends the Spartans' way of life, properly understood. 3 This rhetoric does not entail the falsity of his work. vii Corrigenda Please read: Volume One Volume Two Page: Page: 5.20 signposts 20.11 Peisandros 47.6 ý--, Leotychidas, 21.3 organization 56.12 (P. A. Cartledge (1987) p. 109) 22.17 announcement 56.21 G. E. M. de Ste Croix 24.8 incompatible 57.11 explicitly 11 1^-, i,. I ý!", , ""27.29 "'peninsula 61.29 G. E. M. de Ste Croix r 33.31- eastern- Arkadia 65.13 pace 34.16 The Achaians 70.1 Mor. 470C 38.1 Peisandros 70.2 , Mor. 824C ", 'f", """`44.6 1Isaiah 92.21 response ,-_ýý, 49.1, seize hPC)V 99-19 qualities 67.14 EVEKEV 103.11 interpretation 67.18 since 103.26 inflicting 7 0.,16, 'acquittal 108.23 interpretation expression 370.27., 109.29 Agesilaos 1.10-12 71.11 initiative 113.3 Nectanebis 72.1 the innovatory strategy 120.31 7 3' Lykourgan account .8 125.23- Peisandros 77.19 themselves, may be 134.15 and character-centred" 78.17 Erasistratos 134-18 anticipates 104.30 Apophth. 137.21 Dioskouroi 117.17 (cf. P. A. Caitledge (1987) 140.21 (HeR IVAM) 164)., P. ý- 142.6 Herodotos 118.30 reliability , 145.14 Herodotos 133.15 p. 10 n. ). 156.21 "'A.Weizsiicker 134.27 EOOt5vo_u 168.4 141.6 (Diodoros XV. 89). praiseworthy - 171.6 in northern Greece 145.14 non-military 176.16 Panhellenism 145.15 Ariobarzanes 182.7 Phokis 146.27 Herodotos 182-19 Peisandros [passim] 153.14, support --- 197.17 Diod. XIV. 83.1 156.9 apparently 197.19 Diod. XIV. 82.9 180.8 Cunaxa 198.11 medizers 218.24 Phoenix 39 220.5 Harris 222.34 Travlos V III . INTRODUCTION This is not a commentary in the sense of a set of annotations designed to assist a reader in the understanding of manuscripts, grammar, text, prosopography and general antiquities.