S.2: SPARTA: Social structure Flashcards
4 divisions of society
Spartiates, perioikoi, helots and women
Spartiate
Adult male citizen (both parents are Spartan and has undergone the agoge)
Becoming a spartiate
Accepted into syssition at 20 (Xenophon)
Life of spartiate
Plato; were not allowed to work/learn a manual trade
Xenophon; no money, Lycurgus made currency too heavy to carry
Perioikoi
A free inhabitant of Laconia/Messenia
Life of perioikoi
Served in Spartan army (Thucydides) and make tools for Spartans
Political policy of perioikoi
Self governed state but could not have foreign policy
Women
Challenged the traditional role of Greek women by training instead of household good (Aristotle - ‘un-Greek’)
Marital rules
Men cannot be seen entering/leaving bedroom and refrain from intercourse, they must marry in prime of manhood, wives could have sex with other men to reproduce
Aristotle quote on women
It seems that initially the freedom given to the Laconian women came about for good reasons but they say that Lycurgus tried to bring them under his laws, but gave it up when they resisted
Helots
Slaves of spartiates living in surrounding areas of Peloponnese
Tyrtaeus quote on helots
Like mules distressed by great burdens, bringing to their masters from grievous necessity half of the produce the plough-land bears
Life as helot
Farm and hand over a number of their produce to spartiates (Plutarch/Tyrtaeus) and women would make clothes (Xenophon)
Helot military contribution
Spartan ‘orders his helot to lead him back to battle’ (Herodotus), helots armed as hoplites at Mantinea (Thucydides)
Helots and kyrpteia
Helots are subject to number of beatings irrespective of any wrongdoing (Myron)
