Spartan Government: The Gerousia: Body of Elders Flashcards
What element of the constitution (as written by Xenophon) was the Gerousia?
- The oligarchic element
According to Plutarch, the Gerousia came about as Lycurgus’ attempt to what? How? (Quote)
- Part of Lycurgus’ attempt to safeguard the state by “allaying and qualifying the fiery genius of the royal office”
What is the Gerousia most likely the result of?
- Conflict between the kings and nobles about the time of the first Messenian War
How many members of the Gerousia were there?
- 28 + the two kings (30 in total)
Who could become a member of the Gerousia?
- Spartans over 60 years of age
How long did gerontes hold their office? What was it regarded as?
- For life
- Regarded as a reward for merit
Where were members of the Gerousia elected?
- In the assembly
Were the candidates for the Gerousia from noble families? What does Aristotle say?
- It is not certain whether the candidates were from noble families or were simply of wealth and renown
- They were from the “best families”
What does Plutarch tell us members of the Gerousia had to be? (Quote)
- “the best and most deserving men past sixty years old”
Outline the selection process for the Gerousia (5). Who tells us this?
- Selection done by acclamation
- The candidates were brought in one by one - their order of appearance being decided by lot
- In an adjoining room, selected people listened to the volume of shouting for each candidate
- Results recorded in order
- Once the successful candidate was declared, he was taken in triumphant procession around the city to all the temples
- Plutarch
What does Aristotle say about the way members of the Gerousia were selected?
- He called it “childish”
Give two of the functions of the Gerousia
- Preparing Bills
- Criminal Court
The Gerousia was a probouleutic body. What does this mean?
- It prepared and deliberated on bills to be presented to the assembly for voting
What would the Gerousia do if it was not happy with the assembly’s vote on an issue
- Decline to accept it by adjourning - in which case the bill would not be passed
What three elements of the Spartan government acted together as a criminal court?
- The Gerousia, Kings and Ephors
What cases did the Gerousia try? What penalties did they impose?
- Cases of murder and treason
- Penalties ranging from death to banishment and fines
Evaluate Plutarch as a source for the Spartan government. Was he contemporary? What was Sparta like during his life? Did he use any other sources?
- Not a contemporary, writing around 500 years after the fall of classical Sparta
- At this stage Sparta was a popular tourist destination where Romans would visit to see ‘Spartans’ re-enact traditions (Plutarch himself visited)
- He use contemporary sources such as Xenophon, Thucydides, Aristotle and Plato
According to Plutarch, what authority did the Gerousia have? What did they have control over? (2 Quotes)
- “sweeping authority in the state”
- “with control over death and loss of citizen rights, and the most important matters generally”
According to Plutarch, who were chosen to be gerontes? (Quote)
- “not the swiftest of the swift, or the strongest of the strong, but the best and wisest of the good and wise”
According to Xenophon, what did the qualifying age of the Gerousia ensure? (Quote)
- “by placing the election towards the end of life, he ensured that they continued to exercise virtue into old age”
Why does Xenophon refer to the contest of the Gerousia as “the most important a man could enter”?
- Because the contest is about “nobility of character” rather than physical strength
Aristotle condemns the unaccountability of the Gerousia. In what way does he say they are unaccountable? (Quote)
- “exempt from scrutiny even from the ephors”
What does Aristotle say is the issue with how late in life a Spartan could become a gerontes? (Quote)
- “the mind grows old no less than the body”
Why are the sources vague about the specifics of the power of the Gerousia?
- Political bodies like the Gerousia were quite common in the Greek world so they wouldn’t have felt the need to describe their power in detail
