"A Kinder, Gentler Sparta?" Topic
4 Posts
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 Parzival  | 08 Oct 2021 8:24 a.m. PST |
So the Spartans were an entirely stoic, militaristic culture of death-seeking hard-bodied fanatics, right? Wrong, according to this article in the October Smithsonian: link And they loved poetry and dancing and not a bit of hedonism, too: link Interesting articles, at the very least. Certainly challenges assumptions made even here. |
| robert piepenbrink | 08 Oct 2021 9:08 a.m. PST |
I make different mistakes, myself. Certainly choral recitation (a Spartan specialty) and dance don't make the impression on later historians left by plays and sculpture. But discussing Sparta's last notable poet--in the 7th Century--doesn't say much one way or another about what Sparta was in the 4th Century. Raising helot hoplites wasn't unique to Brasidas, by the way. It seems to have been a standard Spartan move at the start of a serious war. Perhaps also worth noting that half-breed Spartan/helot children were accepted as fully Spartans if they passed the agoge (the Spartan training regimen.) This was true at a time when you had to be of citizen descent on both sides to become an Athenian citizen. Sparta and Athens were different, but in complicated ways. |
 John the OFM | 08 Oct 2021 11:23 a.m. PST |
Someone needs to rehabilitate the reputation of Spartan cuisine.
YouTube link |
| Augustus | 09 Oct 2021 9:54 a.m. PST |
If they say the Spartans wore their hair long in combat, they are wrong…. |
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receives a gift from his wife…