Social structure and occupations Flashcards
Lycurgan social structure
- Reforms attributed to Lycurgus brought about social levelling to remove economic class distinctions between Spartiate citizens
- Lycurgus’ law stressed an equaity of goods and bans were placed on wealth
- Archaelogical record suggests that Spartan aristocrats no longer owned luxury goods by 5th century
- Aristocracy determined by skill base, ‘legacy’ or family name
- Society was divided into 3 main groups, Spartiate, Periokoi and heltos
Spartiates
- Male citizens over age of 30
- Citizenship granted after succesfull completion of Agoge and accepted into military mess group
- homoioi = ‘similar’ or ‘peers’
- Citizenship carried societal obligations ans expectation of obediance/compliance, unacceptable conduct could lead to loss of honor
- Unmarried men were subject to ridicule
- Cowards = tresentes
- Helot revolts forced Spartans to take on their militaristic lifestyle to ensure subjection
- 700 BC approx 10,000 Spartiates, little over 1000 by 400 BC (extreme high standards/30 years to create lead to decline)
- Helot pop approx 170,000 - 225,000
The Syssition
- Military mess = syssition
- Membership gained during agoge age 18-23, acceptance had to be unanimous
- Inability to gain acceptance meant social exclusion and disgrace
- Spartiate value of ‘homoioi’ upheld by monthly contribution from Kleros (land provided by gvnmt) to Syssition food bank
- Failure to comply result in loss of citizenship
- Syssition involed Spartiates sharing communal meals in the barracks
- Daily expression of equality, encourgage fellowship and unity
- Drinking wine strictly controlled (helots humiliated while drunk to demo effects)
- Daily attendance compulsory for life (hunting expedition or religious duties only excuses)
Evidence: Plutarch states that Spartiates would gather in groups of about 15 and contribute: - Olive oil and barley - Wine - Chees - Figs - Money (Aegina) for fish/meat
Perioikoi
- Periokoi = dwellers around
- Controlled their own communities but had no voice in Spartan govnmt
- Crimes in community were own responsibility unless involved Spartiate interests
- ‘Employed’ by Spartans; economic element of society
- half citizens, served as soldiers, becoming majority of army as Spartiate numbers decreased
- Spied on Helots in Messenia
- By 5th century Periokoi were only ones involved in craftwork, trade and commerce (occupations were forbidden to spartiates)
- Produced metals, pottery, clothing and weapons
- Not allowed to marry Spartiate
Sources:
Isocrates: “The victors (spartans) kept the richest lands and sent the defeated (Periokoi) to outlying districts who lost all rights to take part in govnmt”
Ephorus: “Periokoi emerged after the conquest of Laconia”
Herodotus on battlle at Plataea “with them went 5000 picked Lacedaemonian troops drawn from outlying towns”
Plutarch: “The Periokoi enjoyed free status and managed the internal affairs of their own communities”
Inferiors
Mothakes - Non Spartan playmates who participated in Agoge alongside Spartan partner
Parthenai - Involved in foundation of Taras in 706BC, Spartan colony in Italy. Suspeculated to be children of Spartans and Helots as their name means ‘children of maidens’
Tresentes - (cowards) lost the right to vote, had to sit alone, unable to marry, made to wear special clothes, was avoided by others
Neodamodeis - (the new people) Former Helots whose military service had been rewarded with Freedom
Helots
- Enslaved pop from Messenia + Laconia
- Owned by state
- Mainly participated in agriculture
- Required to hand over half of produce to their masters, other half was theirs - insentive to work harder and produce more for themselves, also ensured they were too tired to revolt
- No political standing in comunity
- Assisted in war (rarely could be granted freedom for military excellence)
- Used as servants to help with supplies/equiptment
- Spartan state ritually declared war to keep under control by terror i.e Kryptia: annual helot culling
- 464 BC helots revolted during earthquake, Sparta needed aid from Athens to end revolt
Sources
Tyrtaeus compared helots to “Asses exaughsted under great loads: under painful necessity to bring their masters full hald the fruit their ploughed land produced”
Plato remarked on the frequency of helot revolts (2) stating that the system was ‘the most vexed problem in Greece’
Critias said the Spartans took extra precautions against the helots
Cartlege (modern) “an unfree people not a random collection of individually owned slaves”
