Cultural and everyday life Flashcards
Art: Sculpture
Sparta held an artisitic Goldern-Age from roughly 650-550BC
-> Spartan sculptures found at Olympia and Delphi.
Hero marble grave relif, showing both men and women particpating in offering sacerfices to honour their dead relative.
Lead figuries:
-> 100,000 voting offering found at sancturary Artmeis Orthia.
Art: painted vases
Lakonian Kylix cups (drinking cups) were found across the mediterian
-> Especially in the graves of elite Etruscains (Italy).
Lakonian vases also found across Mainland Greece and Mediterrian.
-> Symbolises excess trade network and value as a trade commodity.
Voting offerings of amphora (vase which stored grains, milk etc) found excavated at Menelaion.
Art: bone and ivory carvings
Another export product.
Used as voting offerings:
-> 200 bone and ivory relif of Artemis Orthina (650BC) found by the British School of Archaeology
-> Depicted crouching animals however their their exact function is unknown, all archaeolgist know is that they were used for religion.
Architecture / relgious sites: Temple of Athena Chalkioikos
Covered with beaten bronze sheets
Architecture / relgious sites: Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia
Located on the west bank of the Eurotas river
Site dated from te 8th century BC
Two temples and alters
Crafted
Architecture / relgious sites: Temple and shrine of Apollo at Amyklae
Pausanius highlights the colossal bronze statue of Apollo, wearing a helemt, whist equiped with a bow and a spear.
-> Base of the statue held a circular alter
Architecture / relgious sites: The Menelaion and the shrine of Helen
Overlooking Mount Taygetus and the Eurotas valley.
13cm bronze statuette found called the “lady of the Menelaion.
-> belived to be a depiction of Helen
British archaeologist Hector Cading in 1973 discovered a Bronze Age mansion much rebuilt.
-> possibly the palace of Menelaos and Helen, from the Mycenaean period
Architecture / relgious sites: The delphic oracle
Very brief
Shrine to Apollo, where Spartan sought oracles from Apollo.
-> Great Rhetra came from the Delphic oracle according to Herodotus.
Held an ‘improvised alter’ as it was Apollo favourite shrine .
Writing and literature: Alcman
From the 7th century -> prior to the Lycurgus reforms
However, modern evidence highlighting that he may of came from Samos
Wrote choral peoms to be sung:
-> Highlights Spartan cultural life, heavy integration of Greek mythology
-> Writing references to songs performed by Spartan boys at Gymnopaedia festival.
Writing and literature: Tyrtaeus
From the 7th century -> prior to the Lycurgus reforms
Wrote war poetry about the 2nd Messenian War
-> Highlights exhortatons to bravery and disgrace of cowardice.
-> “let him fight man to man” - Tyrtaeus
Poetry was sing by Spartan warriors going into battle according to Pausanias, and around the camp fires.
Greek writers perspectives:
Herotodus
- Books primarly focus on foreign policy
- He criticts aspects of the Spartan consitition
- Balanced oppion about Spartan leaders
Issues with Spartan and Greek perspectives
Spartan: Written in the 7th century prior to the Lycurgus reforms, thus lacks evidence on the militristic society which greeks report on.
Greek:
Majoirty written afterwards.
Impacted by the Spartan mirage.
Greek writers perspectives: Thucydides
Athenian perspective, however still praises Spartan eumonia
Only focuses on Spartan foreign policy during the Peloppmmrdos war.
Greek writers perspectives:
Xenephon
Wrote in the 5th century
Admires Sparta:
-> Provides details on Spartas military system, social customs i.e cheese stealing and laws.
Greek writers perspectives:
Aristotle
-> 4th century > criticised the system, particularly the organisation of land ownership
-> Describes it as a mixed constitution
Greek writers perspectives:
Plutarch
-> Wrote in the 1nd century AD> provides the most detailed account
-> Insight into the lycurgan reforms, spartan social and political structures
Greek writers perspectives:
Pausanias
-> Travel guide of sorts
-> Provides information on customs and constitutional arrangements
-> Noted prominent structures and geography
Lesiure activities
Hunting:
-> Indicated through lakonian cups and pottery
-> A form of exercise, which contributed to the military society
-> The only reason a spartiate was able to miss a mess meal, as he will provide for the sysstian with what has been gathered
Athletics
-> discus , javelin, running, jumping > for men and women
-> Wrestling and boxing
Banquets
-> Primarily for special occasions such as religious and cultural festivals > were they would sing and dance
-> Created eunomia
Chariot racing
-> A sign of high status > wealth is needed for large areas of land and feed for horses
-> Competed at the olympics, trained by women, competed by men > Kyniska
Boarfighting/Cockfighting
Food: Sparta
Spartiates were meant to eat sparingly to enforce discipline, however they did have a range of foods
-> Fairly common mediterranean diet, from the coast and their fertile lands > consisted of honey, figs, olives, wine, meat and fish, barley
-> In the agoge, men ate ‘blood broth’ made of pork, blood and vinegar > to ensure toughness > Plutarch.
Clothing: Sparta
Clothing was representative of the activities and the status of the group
-> In the agoge, boys were given a red cloak each year, a rite of passage, which would not keep them warm in winter, to challenge them
-> Men generally wore chiton from a young age and the hination from 12 years
Women wore chitons and peplos > more freeing for activities > highlights their participation in athletics for the benefit of healthy bodies for childbirth > archaeological evidence > ivory combs, broaches > bronze mirror
-> Helots > wore a dog skin cap and animal skin for clothing
Outcasts > patch on cloak for the tremblers, had a half-beard, meant to emphasise that they were only part of the spartan values.
Marriage custums:
- It was expected that men marry ‘at their peak physical’ > P , to ensure strong and healthy children
- Women were expected to marry when they were ‘ripe for it’ > married at a much later age in comparison to other greek women
Customs:
-> The bride capture > all unmarried men and women would gather in dark room, he would take ‘whichever he could hold’ > michell
-> Women ‘shaved their head and dressed like a man’ > P > transition into womanhood
-> This process ensured the attraction and lust towards eachother was striped away, only involved to benefit the state of Sparta
-> Men would sneak away front he barracks to be with her
-> If they had failed to produce, the wife could have permission to sleep with another man to procreate.
-> They were allow to be divorced without the stripping of their ownership
-> Through their childbearing, women held considerable power
-> As gorgo states ‘ we are the only ones who have power over the men has we are the only ones to birth men’
