Spartan Hierarchy (kings, ephors, gerousia, helots, perekoi)) Flashcards
5 bits of evidence a king is autonomous on campaign
® When Agis was at Declea with his army “he had the power to send troops wherever he wished, to raise fresh forces, and to levy money.” [Thucydides, 8.5.2]
® “all decisions stem from the king” [Xenophon, Lac Pol, 13.10]
® Ephors go on campaign to ensure everyone behaves appropriately. [Xenophon, Lac Pol, 13.5]
® Both kings used to go out on campaign but this was now illegal. [Herodotus, Histories, 5.75]
® No power over non-military matters: “sending out delegations to friends or foes is not his business” [Xenophon, Lak. Pol, 13.10]
2 bits of evidence they had power when making decisions
® Part of the Gerousia. [Herodotus, Histories, 6.57]
® Archidamos addressed the assembly in 432BC trying to convince them not to go to war. [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.80]
give 4 examples of exclusive spartan privileges
® “two priesthoods, of Zeus Lacedaemon ad of Zeus Uranius” [Herodotus, Histories, 6.56]
® “to them belong the hides of all animals offered in sacrifice” [Herodotus, Histories, 6.57]
® Still beholden to the law: Agis returned from campaign, the polemarch refused to send his food from the mess, so Agis didn’t make the sacrifice and so “they fined him” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 12]
® “The law exempts boys being raised as future kings from this compulsory practice.” [Plutarch, Life of Agesilaos, 1]
3 bits of evidence kings are powerless
® Kings and ephors swap oaths each month saying that the ephors won’t take the kings’ privileges so long as they abide by their oath [Xenophon, Lac Pol, 15.7]
® Agis convinced the Spartans to not fine him but a law was passed meaning that he was to have 10 advisers and that without them, he could not lead an army. [Thucydides, 5.63]
® Pleistoanax had previously been exiled from Sparta for allegedly bribing the Delphic priestess. [Thucydides, history of the Peloponnesian War, 5.16]
2 bits of evidence there is a dwindling influence form kings
® Navarchy meant kings weren’t sole commanders of army: “the navarchy has been established as virtually another kingship” [Aristotle, Politics]
® By the end of the period, we have Sthenelaides proposing war to the Spartans and convincing them to go to war, which wasn’t what Archidamos wanted. [Thucydides, 1.87]
Sum up Ephors limited power
· Limited power: Only serve as Ephor for one year and after that they are vulnerable to anyone they annoyed, such as the Kings.
give 4 examples of ephors power growing over the period
® Created during the reign of King Theopompous, 130 years after Lykourgos. [Plutarch]
® Xenophon believes that Lykourgos set up the ephorate
® Paul Cartledge Believes that the ephorate was first appointed about 720-650BC. [The Spartans, An Epic History]
® Sthenelaides, as ephor, had the Apella vote on whether Athens had broken the peace treaty or not. [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.87]
5 examples of ephors limiting kings power
® Ephors go on campaign to ensure everyone behaves appropriately. [Xenophon, Lac Pol, 13.5]
® Kings and ephors swap oaths each month saying that the ephors won’t take the kings’ privileges so long as they abide by their oath [Xenophon, Lac Pol, 15.7]
® “even the kings were forced to curry popular favour” [Aristotle, Politics]
® King Agis was fined for wanting to eat at home with his wife after returning from war. [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 12]
® Counter: “Far from weakening the constitution, the creation of the ephorate strengthened it” because it seemed like a democratic measure, but actually made the aristocracy more secure” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 29.6]
give two examples of ephors having powers like foreign embassies and deciding who fights
® “Ephors have the right to inflict punishments at will, to require immediate payment of fines, to depose magistrates during their term of office” [Xenophon, Lac. Pol, 8]
® “the Ephors proclaim the age-groups to be called up” [Xenophon, Lac. Pol, 11]
2 examples ephors link to equality
® “ephors come from the whole population” and they “can be bought as a result of their poverty”[Aristotle, Politics]
® Ephors “holds the constitution together, since the people keep quiet through sharing the supreme power” [Aristotle]
4 examples of gerousias powers over life and death and decide what the Appella votes on
® “political power over life and death decisions, rights of citizenship, and all life’s other most important matters” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 26]
® During the 477 debate, the Gerousia met first and then the Apella, suggesting the Gerousia decided what is discussed. [Diodorus Siculus, 11.50]
® “judges for trials of capital offences” [Xenophon, Lac Pol, 10]
® Gerousia is exempt from being held to account. [Aristotle, Politics]
example of being a gerousia member being a reward for a noble life
® “selection for the Gerousia depends on nobility of character” [Xenophon, Lac. Pol 10]
example of the crooked choice
® “if the people shall adopt a crooked proposal, the elder and founder-leaders shall have the power of dissolution.” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 6]
3 examples of the king and gerousias relationship
® The Kings are part of the Gerousia. [Herodotus, Histories, 6.57]
® If the king is not present then his closest family member on the Gerousia will vote for him. [Herodotus, Histories, 6.57]
® Hetoimaridas was “a descendent of Herakles” [Diodoros Siculus, 11.50]
example of the Gerousia balancing the political system
® The Gerousia “supported the kings as a counterweight to democratic tendencies, while reinforcing the common people against any royal inclination to tyranny” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 5.7]
4 examples of brutal treatment of the helots
® Krypteia “cut the throats of any helots they found” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 28]
® Fearing that the Helots would revolt after Pylos and Sphacteria, they killed 2000 of them behind a temple after tricking them into thinking they would be freed. [Thucydides, 4.80]
® Plutarch and the School of Aristotle agree that the krypteia would kill helots at night.
® Helots were made to get drunk and dance silly dances. [Plutarch]
5 points of helot threat
® “a Spartiate at home takes out the handle of his shield” [Kritias, On Slavey, 2.87]
® Spartans, when out on campaign always have their spears with them [Kritias, On Slavey, 2.87]
® “The Spartans were also glad to have a good excuse for sending some of their helots out of the country [because] … they feared a revolution” [Thucydides, 4.80]
® “helots would gladly eat their masters raw” [Xenophon, Hellenica]
® “By day sentries were stationed by the arms dumps looking inwards, for they watch out for friends, not enemies” [Xenophon, Lac. Pol, 12]
2 points helot position in the army
® Platea: 5000 Spartans and 35,000 helots “seven serving each man” [Herodotus, 9.28]
® The Helots who fought with Brasidas were given their freedom. [Thucydides, 5.34]
helot importance to the economy 3 points
® Helots had to give Spartans half of their produce and toil “Like asses” [Tyrtaeus, Fragments]
® “There were enough female slaves to produce clothing” [Xenophon, Lac Pol, 1]
® “only activities that contributed to the freedom of the state were to be regarded as permissible occupations” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 22]
2 points helot importance to foreign relations
® Helots allow/force them to be soldiers: For Spartans “war brought relief from their training for war” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 22]
® The Spartans, fearing that the Athenians that had come to help following the great earthquake, would spread revolutionary ideas, sent them home, which deeply offended them. [Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1.102]
3 points on decisions around Sparta as a slave state
® Every year, the Ephors “make a formal declaration of war on the helots, so that their murder would never involve religious pollution.” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 28]
® “most Spartan institutions have always been designed with a view to security against the Helots”. [Thucydides]
® Lykourgos “did not grant Spartiates permission to be away from the city and to travel freely” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 27]
perekoi importance to economy 2 points
® About Spartans: “banned their involvement in any manual craft” [Plutarch, Lykourgos, 24]
® “only activities that contributed to the freedom of the state were to be regarded as permissible occupations” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 22]
3 points importance to the army
® “no one marches in front of him, except the Skiritai” [Xenophon, Lak. Pol, 13.6]
® At Plataea there were 5000 Spartan soldiers, and 5000 Lacedomonians, likely the Perioikoi. [Herodotus, Histories, Book 9]
® Skiritai fight on the right wing at Mantinea. [Thucydides]
perekoi importance against helot threat
® Some of the perekoi joined the helot revolt in 464Bc [Thucydides]
political position of perikoi
® Lykourgos “did not grant Spartiates permission to be away from the city and to travel freely” [Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos, 27]
