What is the concept of Austerity in Spartan society?
- Imposition by Lykourgos
- Value of minimal possessions
- One cloak for the whole year
- Limited drinking habits
Austerity was a key aspect of Spartan values, promoting simplicity and self-discipline.
According toXenophon, Lak Pol 2, what was decreed regarding Spartan clothing?
They should habitually wear one garment all the year round
This reflects the Spartan value of austerity and simplicity.
True or false: Spartans were allowed to amass wealth according to Plutarch,Life of Lykourgos 13.
FALSE
Lykourgos taught that there was no need for Spartans to amass wealth.
What did Lykourgos decree about Spartan households and tools?
- Only allowed to build houses using axes [Plut.Lyk.13]
- No excessive drinking [Xen.Lak.Pol.5]
These restrictions were part of the Spartan lifestyle aimed at promoting discipline.
Who suggested that Lykourgos created a city without money but individuals with a love of money?
Aristotle, Politics 2
This highlights the contradiction in Spartan values regarding wealth.
What did Xenophon, Lak Pol 14 note about Spartan leaders in modern Sparta?
Leaders of the state are eager to govern foreign cities
This indicates a shift from traditional Spartan values over the period.
What was the consequence of the coming of money in Sparta according to Plutarch, Life of Lysander 30?
Greed and a desire for wealth developed
This change was influenced by figures like Lysander.
What did Gylippus attempt to do with the money entrusted to him by Lysander?
Tried to steal some of the money [Plut. Life of Lysander 16-17]
He was caught because each bag indicated how much it should have contained.
What does Plutarch AND Thucydides imply about Pleistoanax in 446 BC?
He was bribed to retreat from Attica
This suggests corruption within Spartan leadership. Perhaps it may also have been due to helot fears?
What does Plutarch state about Lysander’s financial status at his death?
Died a poor man despite access to money
This indicates that he remained austere and true to Spartan teachings.
What does the Bronze woman statue represent in the context of Spartan society?
Austerity was simply part of the Spartan Mirage
It has clearly been traded from Lacedaemon, since it was found elsewhere. How has trade occurred without money? Perikoi perhaps?
How was the Spartan Mirage of Austerity disproven by Alkman?
Women have gold Lydian headbands, indicative of wealth.
Perhaps austerity only applies to Spartan men?
