Sparte

Sparte (in Greek old Σπάρτη / modern Spártē , Greek Σπάρτη / Spárti , in Dorien Σπάρτα / Spárta ) or Lacédémone ( Λακεδαίμων / Lakedaímōn ) is an old Greek city Peloponnese, perpetuated today by a modern city of: 18184 inhabitants (2001). It is located on the Eurotas, in the plain of Laconie, between the Taygète and the Parnon. It was the capital of the Laconie and one of the most powerful city-States of the ancient Greece, with Athens and Thèbes.

History

Social organization

Population

The Spartans strictly speaking represent at fifth century BC only one weak part of the global population of the city. In -480, the king Démarate estimates the number of the mobilizable Hoplite S at a little more: 8000. This number decrease throughout Ve century, mainly because of the earthquake of -464, which according to Plutarque, destroyed the Gymnase, thus killing all the beautiful young man S, and of the revolt of Hilotes (10 years of guerilla). Thus, with the battle of Leuctres (-371), there is not any more but: 1200 hoplites mobilizable, of which 400 die during the combat.

The number of Périèque S is higher than the number of Equal. One can think that there were approximately hundred périèques agglomerations (Sparte was called, said Strabon, the “city at the hundred cities”). The Hilotes ( Εἵλωτες / Heílôtes , slaves), they, can be estimated of: 150000 with: 200000. According to Thucydide, it is the most important servile group of Greece.

Citizens

Only political rights the Spartans strictly speaking, so called enjoy ἄστοι / astoi (“town”) - term more aristocratic than the usual one πολίτης / polítês - or Ὅμοιοι ( Hómoioi ) i.e. “Pars”, “the Similar ones”. It is not certain that all the Spartans are Homoioi : certain citizens, considered as cowards ( κακοί / kakoí ) with the combat, is subjected to all kinds of brimades and vexations: obligation to pay the tax of the single people, rejection in the teams of balloon and the choruses. Historiography calls traditionally them the Braiding , trembling them. They do not cease being citizens, but become of second zone.

In the same way, to be a citizen Spartan, it is necessary:

to be resulting from two Spartans (the bastard ones, νόθοι / nóthoi , is distinguished from the normal citizens);
to have more than 18 years;
to be of male sex (the sex was not discriminatory: the young girls were high like the boys and took part in gymnic tests, which was a characteristic Spartan. Remainder, to say that it was necessary to result from two parents Spartans to have nationality of it shows the importance of the maternal line clearly);
to be born in Sparte;
to have undergone the education Spartan;
to take part in the collective meals (Syssitie S);
to have a field ( kléros ) allowing to pay its share with these meals.

The term Homoioi testifies, according to Thucydide, owing to the fact that in Sparte “was established the greatest equality in the ways of life between having and the great number” (I, 6,4): all carry out a common life and austere.

Inferiors

Education Spartan

Political system

The political system Spartan, as well as the system of education, are supposed being the work of mythical the Lycurgue with seventh century BC, although Plutarque locates it at the {{IXe}} or at eighth century BC Fils of a king Spartan, this last would have gone to the sanctuary of Delphes to consult the Pythie, and the future constitution Spartan, the Grande Rhêtra would have paid some ( μεγάλη ρήτρα / megálê will rhếtra ). Probably not written, this constitution is elaborate at the conclusion of long the Guerres of Messénie, which weakens the aristocracy and the whole of the city. To make it possible the city to remain, the eunomia (equality of the law for all) is then instituted, supposed to solve dissatisfactions and privileges. But with the difference of Athens, the eunomia is synonymous with great discipline. All the components of the city make sacrifices: royalty, aristocracy, people.

The system of Lycurgue makes coexist elements of four modes:

Dyarchie : existence of two kings;
Oligarchy: the gerousy;
Tyranny: éphores;
Democracy: the assembly ( Ekklésia ).

The total eunomia

It is obvious that the crisis of seventh century BC could be solved only by the creation of an army of Hoplite S, succeeding the warriors with horse or in the tanks very few. It is the creation of this class of citizens, by the absorption of the land aristocracy in the popular mass, which founds it εὐνομία / eunomía (of εὖ / eũ , “well” and νόμος / nómos , “the habit, the law”).

This absorption was thorough very far, in order to create a total equality:

the aristocrats completely gave up their privileges: with the VI {{E}}, the civic body Spartan counts 7000 to 8000 Equal ( Homoioi );
the land aristocracy gave up its grounds, to share them; each one receives an equal batch, it κλῆρος / klễros (“batch, heritage”), inalienable; it cannot put it on sale or mortgage it; this kléros not-hereditary, is cultivated by the slave S of State (the Hilote S), and the product is transferred in kind with the owner, who nourishes his family thus, but cannot grow rich; it is also interdict to trade; thus, each one is entirely available for the only civic activity, the war;
the education is the same one for all (see low) and only turned towards the Guerre;
political equal rights: all the citizens take part in the Assemblée.

The assembly

Kings

Gerousy

Five éphores

The religion with Sparte

The religion occupies in Sparte a place more important than in the other cities. In the number of temples and sanctuaries testifies: 43 temples of divinities ( ἱερόν / hiéron ), 22 temples of hero ( ἡρῷον / hêrỗion ), about fifteen statues of gods and four furnace bridges. He is necessary to add the monuments, many to it since Sparte buries its deaths inside its enclosure, of which some are also places of worship: it is the case of those of Lycurgue, Léonidas I {{er}} or Pausanias I {{er}}.

Worships and divinities

The female divinities play a part more important than elsewhere: on 50 temples mentioned by Pausanias, 34 are devoted to goddesses. Athéna, under a great number of épiclèse S, is honoured with all. Apollon has only few temples, but its importance is crucial: he plays a part in all the great festivals Spartans, and the most important religious monument of Laconie is the throne of Apollo with Amyclées.

Another particular feature is the worship dedicated to the heroes of the Trojan War. Achille is, according to Anaxagore, “honoured like a god”, and it has two sanctuaries. In the same way, are venerated Agamemnon, Cassandre (under the name of Alexandra), Clytemnestre, Ménélas or Helene.

Sparte also makes a worship important in Castor and Pollux, the Dioscures, twins of Zeus. Pindare makes the “intendants of Sparte of them”, and the tradition makes city their birthplace. Their duality points out that of the kings. A certain number of miracles their is allotted, especially in the defense of the armed Spartans (they leave to shift to the sides the kings, represented by Amphore S binoculars).

Lastly, Héraclès is also in Sparte a kind of national hero. He is famous to have helped Tyndare to recover his throne. It is him which would have built in the city the temple of Asclépios. Twelve work is amply represented in the iconography Spartan. It is typically the divinity of the young people.

Divine sacrifices and signs

Consequently, the priests enjoy a particularly important place. The two kings themselves have a statute of priests: they especially have the load of the public sacrifices, which are very important, in time of war. Before the departure of a forwarding, one sacrifices to Zeus Agétor, at the time to pass the border, it is in Zeus and Athéna, before the battle with Arès Ényalios. The respect of the rites, religious holidays and the divine signs appears in many anecdotes, where the Spartans give up the combat in front of unfavourable omens, or demonstrations like earthquakes.

Antiquated characters

The religion with Sparte also strikes by its antiquated aspects. Thus, one finds survivals of worships nonanthropomorphic (Boiai, in Laconie, venerates a Myrte under the name of Artémis will sôteira). Pausanias also speaks about 15 ξόανα / xoana in Laconie, including 6 in Sparte - they are wood statues to the coarse representation, former to the Olympic religion. The archaism is also found in religious holidays Spartans (see Gymnopédies, Hyacinthies and Karneia), and in certain sacrifices (sacrifice with Hélios of horses on the mount Taygète).

A “mirage Spartan”?

Education Spartan and in a general way ambient militarism were the subject of much curiosity, this civilization seeming so foreign with the habits of the remainder of the Greece. It also generated much admiration, since Antiquity until our days, at the same time in front of the military successes and the longevity of the political system.

However, the intellectual sclerosis was total: the eloquence was replaced by laconism; ceramics Spartan, elegant at sixth century BC, becomes unmethodical and rustic; the poet Tyrtée (seventh century BC) does not have successors; the sculpture is reduced to some diagrammatic features.

The Athenian aristocrats of fourth century BC like Xénophon, were admirors convinced of Sparte. Plato made use of Sparte like model of ideal city in the Republic and in the Laws .

The Swiss philosopher Rousseau admired the devotion of the Spartan to his fatherland, and only a Voltaire preferred the democracy of Athens. Part of the German scholarship (Karl Ottfried Müller, particularly in Doriens , and Werner Jäger), and certain French as Maurice Barrès ( the Voyage of Sparte ) there saw the genius of the “race” dorienne, the “incarnation of a consciously racist, warlike and totalitarian policy” (H. - I. Marrou, Histoire of education in Antiquity ).

On the contrary, the historian Henri-Irenee Marrou denounces the “mirage Spartan” (expression invented by François Ollier): “far from seeing in ἀγωγή a sure method to generate the size, I denounce there the radical impotence of overcome people which deceive themselves”. For him, the misfortune of Sparte is to have matured too early. While wanting to preserve the heritage of the antiquated time, where Sparte knew military education as well as arts, it “was contracted in an attitude of refusal and of defense, it more knew only the sterile worship of the incommunicable difference”.

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