Culture / Artistic Achievements Flashcards
Who was Sparta’s national poet?
Tyrtaeus.
When did Tyrtaeus write?
During the second Messenian War.
What did his poems urge Spartan soldiers to do?
Live up to their city’s warrior ideal.
What did his songs become?
Part of Spartan culture and were sung by later generations at the common messes and round the campfire.
What did he portray in his poetry?
Brutal visions.
Where else can we learn a good deal about pre-isolation Spartans from?
Their sculpture and crafts in bronze, ivory and terracotta.
Where were Spartan sculptors active?
Not only at home but also in cultural centres such as Olympia and Delphi.
How is the poetry of Tyrtaeus helped the Spartan army?
- Poetry about war.
- It encouraged soldiers to fight bravely and to die for their country.
- Boys learnt poetry in the agoge.
- As soldiers sang his songs and poems around the campfires so it made them braver in battle and less afraid of dying and it kept morale up.
- Singing his poems after dinner encouraged bonding and competition between men.
- Poetry was helpful in that it earned the soldier extra food.
Describe the main features of the Spartan men’s syssitia?
- All Spartiatai were members of a syssition.
- Had to provide food from their farm.
- Ate together every night.
- Shared a tent when they were at war.
- About 15 members.
- Voted using bread.
- Could hunt for extra food and share it.
- Entertained themselves together after dinner.
Why do you think that Spartan families were expected to live apart for so much of their lives?
- Men lived together in barracks until age 30.
- So that men were bonded well and could work better as a team.
- Boys lived in barracks too in preparation for being soldiers.
- Men could get married before they were 30 but could not live with their wife.
- Wives lived at home with the daughters and ran the home and farm to provide food and had babies.
- This saved the men from worrying about domestic issues and food supplies while they were at war.
