Institutions in theory Flashcards
(20 cards)
Demaratus to xerxes
What does Hdt. 7.104 tell us about Spartan obedience?
They obey their laws and never run from battle - Spartan mirage, death over surrender
What does aristotle say about the spartan constitution before he criticises it?
Lakedaemonian and Cretean constitutions are among the “best arrangement”
The great rhetra
How does Plut. Lyk. 6 illustrate decision making in sparta?
On who’s authority is this implamented and were there any ammendments?
States the ‘founder leaders’ (kings) should tribe the tribes, obe the obes, set up temples to zeus and athena, from time to time have an apella to accept or reject a motion.
The ‘crooked choice’ was added Lyk. recieved this from apollo via the oracle, but Theopompus and Polydorus got the rider ratified.
What does Plut. say in Lyk 13 was the reason for Lygourgus not writing down laws - why did they still have authority?
what else does the passahe say about spartan simplicity?
Believed that the spartan education and morals suffivient to maintain order, and he didn’t want to obstruct business with legal red-tape.
although not written, spartiates believed laws acme from apollo - Lyk. also supposedly called his audience ‘rhetri’, as if given by god.
Emphasising this simple life, passage also cites Lyks. laws about curbing luxuries ofthe person or home.
“in loco parentis”
How does Xen. lak pol 6 show community?
States all spartans were parents to all spartan children - could discipline as if they were their own and the parents would reinforce their punishment.
they had communal resources; horses, dogs, food caches etc. - all replaced once borrowed. reinforcing spartan values of equality, although only applied to male spartan citizens (the elite)
What does Xen lac pol 10.4 say about spartan civic values?
what were the worst crimes?
Spartans were always actively concious of their morals, theft and individual harming crimes were frowned upon but; treason and cowardice harmed the state - the punishment for this was to lose citizenship (land, food, rights, etc.)
shows the spartans saw the only ‘real’ crimes were against the state (stealing was encouraged in the agoge)
What does Thuc. 1.6.4 offer regarding how spartans lived?
They dressed simply with the rich living like ordinary people.
What does Xen lac pol 7 day about wealth creation? How did Lyk. stop people lusting over currency?
Lyk. dissalowed moneymaking activities of any type (through goods/services or illegitimacy). he told citizens to exercise to make their bodies wealthy, paractise virtue for their morals and offer physical labour as gifts instead of posessions.
Put across that wealthy quality of life was better than money so he outlawed gold/silver - in an equal state, there is no need for money.
Instituted random spot searches of property for gold/silver and introoduced a currency of cumbersome, worthless, rusty iron - rest of greece thought it was a joke.
What does aristotle say about unequal wealth distribution (land)?
Spartan inheritence practices (had lots of children, women could own) land ended up split scarecely in some cases (citizenship would be lost if could not sopply food quota for mess) and vastly in others - caused oliganthropia.
Aris. blames on women inheriting land - 2/5 of spartan land owned b ywomen
Aristotles thoughts on spartans and taxes?
Tribute was not surveyed or allocated, there wasn’t supposed to be any money so Sparta lacks public funds for wars, maintainence etc. Poor combination as state has no money and the citizens have a forbidden love of it.
What does Plut. Lky 8 offer abou the original land distributions?
Lyk. made all spartans pool their unequally split land into a trust, divided equally into 30,000 for periokoi and 9000 plots for spartans in sparta. This made status dpendant on strength of character, body etc not wealth.
Consequently, every spartan had to produce 70 measures of barley and 12 for his wife for the mess.
Plut. lyk 9’s divulgences about spartan money?
Lyk. banned gold and silver, instituted crap iron currency (ten minal was worth little but impossible to transport - quoted from Xen). The iron in question was ruined so it could serve no purpose - burden.
He outlawed any kind of useless crafts, made crafters work on useful things instead not motivated by profit (eg. earthenware mug), no money, no art so no foreigners came - aided isolationism, stopped democracy disease and poor ideas.
Thus, luxury died out as it had to be hidden, so all common goods were of exceptional quality.
What does Athenaios say about where Spartans keep public (and private, secretly) money?
Spartan money is not allowed into the borders, so is held in temples at Delphi (Apollo) - this could then be accessed upon leaving Sparta, and generally kept under wraps.
Who was kritias say about Spartan common meals? How does he contrast it with Athenian symposia?
Oligarch c. 404 in Athens.
Says Spartans drink from a mug passed round, do not toast people - promotes moderation. They believe drunkenness causes weakness, morality and loss of discipline so they drink just enough to be funny and relaxed.
Food and drink is a fuel for thought and work, not an overindulgence, self restraint is encouraged - they do not have a day like Athens to drink or eat in excess.
What does xen. Lac pol 5 say about instillments of the Spartan mess system?
Created to stop people staying at home, eating and drinking too much, it also prevented drunkenness and by mixing young and old, young men learned virtue from elders (reduced “stag night” attitude)
Conversation surrounded Spartan heroes and at the end of the night they had to walk home with no torch (stopped over drinking again).
Food in messes was matched to the expectations in exercise at gyms - sufficient food for work expected.
What does Aristotle say about the fairness of Spartan messes? What does he call the system?
It is unfair as some Spartans don’t have the land wealth to supply provisions to the messes, so they get thrown out and citizenship removed hence the poorest cannot join the system (unlike Crete where it is financed by state) - this is a primary cause of oliganthropia.
He calls the common meals phiditita
What does Plut. Lyk. 17 tell us about how common messes built community and encouraged morality?
The common meals made wealth and irrelevance in an “un-plutocracy” where rich ate the same as poor.
The common meals stopped overindulgence leading to physical and moral debilitation. Likewise, you could not eat before you came to the mess upon scrutiny of other men, who would chastise you for not eating, believing you were superior.
What does Plut. Lyk. 12 cite as the required contributions of mess members?
1 bushel of barley meal, 8 gallons of wine, 5 pounds of cheese, 5 half pounds of figs and small some of money “for extras” per man monthly.
Also, after a successful hunt or fruit crop, surplus would have been expected to be donated.
What does Plut. Lyk. 12 divulge about practices at common mess? What does the name suggest?
Named phiditia - meaning connotations of sparing, ideal way of life or eating; also called comrade halls.
Messes were extremely important, boys were brought in to teach them how to behave like Spartans and follow the what said in mess stayed in mess outlook, king Agis was fined for not going and failure to be elected to a mess resulted in revocation of citizenship (election by throwing bread into a slaves bowl - left as is, for, crushed up, against).
They may be blackballed on account of social standing
Main meal was black broth (blood and meat soup) only stomachable by Spartans, old men left the joys of meat for the youth.
Also tells of Spartans walking home in dark to get used to marching at night without fear.
