The Great Rhetra
What was the Great Rhetra and what are the 2 main theories about where it came from?
The Spartan constitution
- Lycurgus received the Spartan constitution from Apollo
- The constitution came directly from Apollo
At what age was a Spartan Male taken from his household and moved into the barracks?
7 years old
The Krypteia - secret police, came from the Agoge from the age of 18
How many kings were there in Sparta and identify the three systems of government that made up the mixed constitution
2 Kings
Monarchy, Oligarchy and Democracy
Identify the name of the piece of land that Spartiates recieved during the reforms of Lycurgus and the name of the banquet in which the Spartiates brought their lands yields.
Kleros
Sysstia
What event occured during the time "Lycurgus" brought the Great Rhetra that could also be responsible for changes to Spartan Society
The First Messenian War
Describe the aim of the Agoge
The aim of the Agoge was the development of physical strength,
Military prowess communal bonds, Discipline and obedience.
What was the lowest class of Spartans and who owned them?
Helots - State owned serfs (were not citizens, treated harshly and humiliated, had no rights)
20:1
Agiad and Eurypontid Families
Due to a previous war where it lead to failure
One king stayed at home and the other went to war.
What is the ratio that Aristotle claims women owned land in comparison to men?
2/5ths
What is Eunomia - Describe an example of it in Spartan society
Eunomia - Law and Order
- An example is the Gerousia
- Introduced the right to vote (Assembly/Apella)
- Rules established for relationships, marriage, drinking and behaviour
- Introduced the Agoge (Education and Military Training System)
What was the name of the Spartan Formation that was often used in war and the name of their infantry?
Fought in phalanx formation with files of eight, twelever or more deep with shields overlapping)
What was the role of the Periokoi and what is the meaning of their name?
Periokoi - dwellers around
Lived in surrounding Laconia
Responsible for trade and served as hoplites in the war
Autonomous but could be tried for crimes against Spartans
Could not intermarry with Spartans
Involved in various industries including dye, pottery and smithing.
Describe the role of the kings in Sparta
Religious
- Priests of Zeus
- Would appoint Pythioi to consult the oracle at delphi
- Sacraficed to the god Apollo each month
- Held power as long as their pleased the gods
Military
- Could declare war
- Power over life and death of troops
- Responsible for military campaign, failure or misconduct resulted in recall or punishment
- watched by the two ephors
Judicial
- responsible for adoption of children
- responsible for public highways
- responsible for the marriage partner of an heiress whose father died.
What were the Spartans allowed to trade in only due to Lycurgus' reforms
Iron Bars
According to Plutarch, Lycurgus discouraged Spartans from taking part or
actively seeking the pursuit of wealth. It is also claimed that Lycurgus banned
the use of gold and silver coinage and introduced a new currency of iron bars
that were both heavy and useless. This it was hoped would isolate Sparta
economically and therefore socially and politically from the rest of Greece
which in turn would ensure its isolation from corruption associated with the
pursuit of economic gain.
Identify 5 Reforms from Sparta's Great Rhetra
● Introduced the Gerousia
○ a senate of 30 men (2 kings + 28 elders)
● Introduced the right to vote in the ekklesia (assembly- apella)
● Redistributed land among citizens to eliminate land inequality
○ each full Spartan citizen was given a land allotment (kleros) of equal size and a few helots (slaves) to cultivate
the land for them
● Eliminated all money
○ Changed their currency to iron bars
● Restricted any luxuries in houses
● Introduced the syssitia
○ common mess halls where Spartans dined together
● Established rules for relationships, marriage, drinking and behaviour in public
● Introduced the agoge
○ the Spartan education and military training system
Identify two strengths and two weaknesses of the Hoplite Phalanx
STRENGTHS
1. Hoplite Phalanx - Strength and Reliability
2. High level of Preparedness - discipline and
training
3. Ability to raise other forces from Perioikoi
and Helots
4. Sparta’s military reputation ensured
leadership of allies in the Peloponnesian War
Disciplined forces working towards corporate
success, rather than individual glory (Spartan
constitution supports this)
5. Unity and identity
6. Sophisticated armour and protection
7. Organization of army – equality (less
cavalry forces and show of wealth)
8. Fearless of war; fearful of dishonour
(cowardice)
WEAKNESSES
1. Lacked sufficient cavalry to protect hoplite
infantry
2. Training and tactics were inflexible
3. Vulnerable to archers, slingers and javelin
throwers
4. Unable to attack fortified positions and
cities
5. Manpower shortages, especially by 4th
Century BC
6. Breaks in formation affects war strategy,
and would lose many
men
7. Vulnerable at flanks and back
8. Manpower shortages in the 4th Century
Describe who the Spartiates were, how they gained citizenship and their criteria.
Male citizens - full citizenship at 30
- ownership of a plot of public land (kleros)
- birth – a full Spartan peer with all the rights of citizenship had to be able to prove that he was descended from the earliest sons of Herakles or the conquerors
- membership in a military mess and the sharing of common meals (syssitia)
- successful completion of education and military training (agoge).
Describe the kings privileges
- Recieved the best seats at religious festivals
- given first seat at a banquet, served first and received double portions of meals
- Given a percentage of spoils from military victories
- Received the skins of any animals that had been sacrificed in a religious ceremony.
Identify the industries that the Periokoi worked and traded in.
- Weapons, helmets and figurines made of bronze (90 percent coppper, 10 percent tin both imported)
- Pottery works that were traded across Europe
- furniture making
- Fishing
- purple dye made from snails/shellfish
Identify one modern or ancient historian that discusses the issue of Lycurgus and the Great Rhetra and paraphrase their argument about him.
A. Andrews
“the perpetuation of his name was one of the most successful frauds in history.”
P. Cartledge states that
” According to Spartan myth, the laws attributed sometimes to the human or part –human lawgiver Lycurgus had also received
the divine sanction of Apollo”
L F Fitzhardinge
...no good evidence for Lycurgus as a real person.. He was probably a primitive local god”
Ancient Historian Tyrtaeus
Makes no mention of him in his poetry of the 7th century and claims that the Constitution came from Apollo
A. Andrews says that " If there was a real Lycurgus, we know nothing of him" and suggests that "the
perpetuation of his name was one of the most successful frauds in history."
W.G Forrest says that if such a person did exist, the greatest thing he did was to take what he found and
'partly by accident, partly by design", made a system of it. He laid down a 'set of rules for the first time in
Sparta'
Describe the five different roles of the Spartan Army
Military
Operating through the Peloponnesian League the Spartan Army was responsible for the defence of Sparta and her allies from any external threat whether it be Greek or Persian
Civic
Some warriors were citizens who made decisions about war and peace as members of the Assembly Suppression of helots Consumers of goods produced by periokoi and helots Transmitters of military values ie heroism, unity, loyalty, obedience, sacrifice
Domestic
Suppression of helots
Economic
Consumers of goods produced by periokoi and helots
Ideological
Transmitters of military values ie heroism, unity, loyalty, obedience, sacrifice
How could you become an inferior, how were you identifiable to others and how were they treated/what things could they not do?
It was especially disgraceful for a Spartiate to lose citizenship rights. Tresantes (criminals or cowards) were deprived by a special decree of their rights to vote and hold office. They had to sit alone at festivals, were unable to marry, and had to wear special dress and go unshaven. Everyone in society had to avoid them. Hypomeiones (inferiors) were those who had lost their citizenship for failing to fulfil their obligations. Other inferior people in Spartan society were the parthenai, illegitimate offspring of Spartiates and helot women. Mothoces were sons of helots often adopted as playmates of Spartan boys.
Describe the role of the Gerousia, Ephors and Ekklesia
Gerousia - 30 members: 28 elders over 60 and the two kings
- elected membership for life, a great honour and elected by acclamation
- Would prepare and debate on bills passed to the assembly and could reject voting by the Ekklesia
- Court of justice for criminal cases such as murder or treason
Ephors
- Ephor aged 30 and elected by assembly for one year.
- control over kings esp in battle
- Organised mobilisation of army
- also acted at criminal courts and judged criminal cases involving the Periokoi responsible for carrying out the sentence
- Controlled the agoge
- Ran the Krypteia to control the helots.
Ekklesia
- All spartan citizens met once a month and voted on laws introduced by ephors.
- Elected gerousia and Ephors
What could the periokoi used to trade, what evience do we have that this was part of the Spartan Mirage and how did this lead to sparta's decline?
- Silver and gold coins
- secret stocks of coins in their homes
- Members of the syssition contributed money each month
- Bribes and fines paid in coins
- Decline due to increased disturbances amongst helots, relationship between spartans and periokoi, dwindling numbers of spartiates