Sparta: Greek Writers Flashcards
What was Aristotle’s viewpoint on Spartan society?
He disagrees with how Spartan society functions, particularly with land ownership laws and how women had a bigger role in economic jobs.
Artistotle blame these aspects on the decline of Sparta’s population.
What was Plutarch’s views on Spartan society?
Plutarch’s views on Spartan society is solely based on his views of Lycurgus.
Plutarch described in great detail of how Lycurgus was the man solely responsible for changing Spartan society to the state where we know it very well.
What was Pausanias’s views on Spartan society?
His accounts was mostly dedicated in his account ‘Guide to Greece’ to where he tells us about the topography and ruins that had existed in Sparta at the time of his writings.
His writing is mostly objective but when it comes to his account of the Messenian Wars, it’s historically worthless.
What was Herodotus’s views on Spartan society?
Herodotus views the Spartans as heroic and brave to stand up to the Persian empire.
He went into detail of Sparta’s early customs such as the dual monarchy, athletic preparation and hairstyles.
What was Thucydides’s view on Spartan society?
Thucydides maintains a critical view on Sparta, pointing out even though Sparta made its men and women worked tirelessly to physical perfection, Athens can still defeat Sparta at times and work off their weaknesses such as, at the Battle of Maintinea.
What was Xenophon’s view on Spartan society?
To simply describe Xenophon’s viewpoint, he’s a blind fanboy of Spartan institutions outlined in his ‘Constitution of the Lacedaemonians and tries to justify his decision on abandoning Athenian society for Sparta’s own society.
