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On Sparta
Plutarch's vivid and engaging portraits of the Spartans and their customs are a major source of our knowledge about the rise and fall of this remarkable Greek city-state between the sixth and third centuries BC. Through his Lives of Sparta's leaders and his recording of memorable Spartan Sayings he depicts a people who lived frugally and mastered their emotions in all aspects of life, who also disposed of unhealthy babies in a deep chasm, introduced a gruelling regime of military training for boys, and treated their serfs brutally. Rich in anecdote and detail, Plutarch's writing brings to life the personalities and achievements of Sparta with unparalleled flair and humanity.
Lives: Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis, Cleomenes.
Sayings: sayings of Spartans, sayings of Spartan Women.
Appendix: Xenephon: Spartan Society
Lives: Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis, Cleomenes.
Sayings: sayings of Spartans, sayings of Spartan Women.
Appendix: Xenephon: Spartan Society
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 100
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6,210 people want to read
About the author
Plutarch
3,777books861followersPlutarch (later named, upon becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus; AD 46–AD 120) was a Greek historian, biographer, and essayist, known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia. He is classified as a Middle Platonist. Plutarch's surviving works were written in Greek, but intended for both Greek and Roman readers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
June 2, 2011
This book was freaking amazing!!! You not only get the lives of Lycurgus, Agis, and Cleomenes some of the most amazing Spartans of all times (of course you get some Leonidas as well). All of which covers some fairly epic moments in history, but it also includes a collection of Xenophons writings on Spartan society. You get a pretty good picture painted here of what life was like in Sparta. Man it was tough! No portion better embodies the lives and minds of the spartan than his sections on "Sayings" which is famous quotes from men of spartan society. I think Plutarch was inspired when he included this section. It really gives you a feel for what Spartans valued and honored.
Here are the gems of the bunch:
When somebody was praising an orator for his ability to magnify small points, he said
"In my opinion it's not a good cobbler who fits large shoes on small feet."
When a snake had coiled round the key on the inside of the gate and the seers were declaring this to be a portent, he remarked;
"It doesn't look like that to me. If instead the key had coiled round the snake, that would be a portent"
To the man who declared his admiration and affection for him;
"I have two oxen in a field; even though neither says anything. I'm fully aware of which one idles and which one works."
and the women are equally skilled and cutting
When asked by a woman from Attica: "Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?" she said; "Because we are also the only ones who give birth to men".
and this is the best burn of all time
To the wretched character who frequently kept asking him who was the best Spartiate, his response was; "The one least like you"
Oh you got told!
Of course you also get to read many of the famous lines from the Battle at Thermopylae. So pretty much this is a must read.
Here are the gems of the bunch:
When somebody was praising an orator for his ability to magnify small points, he said
"In my opinion it's not a good cobbler who fits large shoes on small feet."
When a snake had coiled round the key on the inside of the gate and the seers were declaring this to be a portent, he remarked;
"It doesn't look like that to me. If instead the key had coiled round the snake, that would be a portent"
To the man who declared his admiration and affection for him;
"I have two oxen in a field; even though neither says anything. I'm fully aware of which one idles and which one works."
and the women are equally skilled and cutting
When asked by a woman from Attica: "Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?" she said; "Because we are also the only ones who give birth to men".
and this is the best burn of all time
To the wretched character who frequently kept asking him who was the best Spartiate, his response was; "The one least like you"
Oh you got told!
Of course you also get to read many of the famous lines from the Battle at Thermopylae. So pretty much this is a must read.
December 6, 2022
The Spartans were much admired by many cities but none of them tried to copy the Spartans.
The sayings in this book show more about the Spartan mentality than anything else.
1) When asked once which of the two virtues was finer, courage or justice, King Agesilaus declared "Courage has no value if justice is not in evidence too; but if everyone were to be just, then no one would need courage."
2) When asked how someone might most surely earn people's esteem, Agesilaus replied "By the best words and the finest actions."
3) When someone said "After your frequent victories over the Argives in their wars against you, why haven't you wiped them out?" King Cleomenes replied "We wouldn't wish to wipe them out, because we want sparring partners for our young men."
4) When Leonidas was leaving to fight The Persians at Thermopylae, his wife Gorgo inquired if he had any instructions for her. Leonidas replied "To marry good men and bear good children."
5) At Thermopylae, the Persian king Xerxes wrote to Leonidas and demanded "deliver up your arms." Leonidas replied "Come and take them."
6) When a Spartan woman heard her son had escaped from the enemy, she wrote to him: "You've been tainted by a bad reputation. Either wipe this out now or cease to exist."
7) Another Spartan woman, when she heard her son had died in battle right at his place in the line, said: "Bury him and let his brother fill his place."
Other examples of the Spartan way of living were provided in a book called Spartan Society by Xenophon.
1) Young people wore one item of clothing throughout the year so they'd become disciplined and ignore the extremes of hot and cold weather.
2) No shoes would be worn when outside so that the feet would be toughened up.
3) People ate together in messes so that the amount of food each person consumed could be controlled.
4) All laws were meant to be obeyed, however using a neighbour's horse without permission but returning it safely was fine as it helped the community as a whole.
5) Stealing food was allowed as long as it was successful. It was thought that this developed cunning thoughts which could be useful on the battlefield. However, if the thief was caught they'd be whipped as unsuccessful thieves were treated with disdain.
6) Men and women were encouraged to attend gyms, engage in athletic practices, and take part in contests. The idea being that strong men and strong women together would conceive strong children.
The sayings in this book show more about the Spartan mentality than anything else.
1) When asked once which of the two virtues was finer, courage or justice, King Agesilaus declared "Courage has no value if justice is not in evidence too; but if everyone were to be just, then no one would need courage."
2) When asked how someone might most surely earn people's esteem, Agesilaus replied "By the best words and the finest actions."
3) When someone said "After your frequent victories over the Argives in their wars against you, why haven't you wiped them out?" King Cleomenes replied "We wouldn't wish to wipe them out, because we want sparring partners for our young men."
4) When Leonidas was leaving to fight The Persians at Thermopylae, his wife Gorgo inquired if he had any instructions for her. Leonidas replied "To marry good men and bear good children."
5) At Thermopylae, the Persian king Xerxes wrote to Leonidas and demanded "deliver up your arms." Leonidas replied "Come and take them."
6) When a Spartan woman heard her son had escaped from the enemy, she wrote to him: "You've been tainted by a bad reputation. Either wipe this out now or cease to exist."
7) Another Spartan woman, when she heard her son had died in battle right at his place in the line, said: "Bury him and let his brother fill his place."
Other examples of the Spartan way of living were provided in a book called Spartan Society by Xenophon.
1) Young people wore one item of clothing throughout the year so they'd become disciplined and ignore the extremes of hot and cold weather.
2) No shoes would be worn when outside so that the feet would be toughened up.
3) People ate together in messes so that the amount of food each person consumed could be controlled.
4) All laws were meant to be obeyed, however using a neighbour's horse without permission but returning it safely was fine as it helped the community as a whole.
5) Stealing food was allowed as long as it was successful. It was thought that this developed cunning thoughts which could be useful on the battlefield. However, if the thief was caught they'd be whipped as unsuccessful thieves were treated with disdain.
6) Men and women were encouraged to attend gyms, engage in athletic practices, and take part in contests. The idea being that strong men and strong women together would conceive strong children.
August 8, 2024
Ploútarchos Chronicles The Deeds Of Lycugus The Lawgiver, & The Reigns Of The Spartan Kings Agis & Cleomenes.
Plutarch's 'On Sparta' was originally published in 1988 for the Penguin Classics with the translation work for the 'Lives' of Lycurgus, Agis, & Cleomenes done by Richard Talbert & the 'Life Of Agesilaus' by Ian Scott-Kilvert, whom also did the work for the 1960 edition of 'The Rise & Fall Of Athens'. This updated 2005 edition features Richard Talbert's revisions of the 4 aforementioned Spartan 'Lives' as well as a list of Sayings of Spartans & Spartan Women which are most often associated with Plutarch's series of moral essays, the 'Moralia', & finally, an appendix containing a translation of the 5th Century BC Greek historian Xenophon's political treatise, 'Politeia Of The Spartans', which Talbert prefers to render as 'Spartan Society'. All of the 'Lives' & the additional material feature exceptional introductions providing historical background, sources used, & further reading suggestions.
As he waits for his nephew Charilaus to attain his majority, Lycurgus travels abroad & begins laying the groundwork for a solid Spartan constitution by learning from the great civilizations of the Mediterranean. While at Crete he becomes acquainted with the lyric poet Thales, whose didactic verse possesses undertones that Lycurgus associated with the most powerful lawgivers, & as he stayed in luxurious Ionia, in Asia, he was introduced to the written works of the epic poet, Homer, & had them transcribed to share with his fellow Spartiates, & from the Egyptians he observed their practice of separating the warrior class from those of the laborers & craftsmen. Later in chapter 21 Plutarch describes the profound effect the travels of Lycurgus would have on Spartan culture : 'They were no less enthusiastic about training in lyric poetry & singing than they were about good style & purity in speech. Moreover their songs offered stimulus to rouse the spirit & encouragement for energetic, effective action, in style they were plain & unpretentious, while their subject matter was serious & calculated to mould character.'
In chapter 9 of his 'Life' Lycurgus the Lawgiver declares all gold & silver coinage null & void in a controversial edict, further decreeing that iron would be the only metal which could be used as legal currency. This has a catastrophic effect on the Spartan economy, aptly illustrated by Plutarch's vivid description : 'The iron money, after all, could not be exported elsewhere in Greece, & was considered a joke there, not an object of value. Consequently it was impossible to buy any shoddy foreign goods, & no cargo of merchandise would enter the harbours, no teacher of rhetoric trod Laconian soil, no begging seer, no maker of gold or silver ornaments -- because there was no coined money. Thus gradually cut off from the things that animate & feed it, luxury atrophied of its own accord.' Plutarch's 'Life Of Lycurgus' is paired with the 'Life' of the 2nd Roman lawmaker & king, Numa Pompilius, who is also credited as being the founder of the Roman religion.
After the death of the reigning Spartan King Agis II between 400/398 BC The Spartan Agesilaus gains the throne by manipulating an oracle's words & contesting the claim of Agis' heir Leotychidas, who was already thought to be an illegitimate son of the Athenian statesman Alcibiades. Throughout the course of his 40-year reign King Agesilaus II's pride, ambition, & unsuccessful panhellenic foreign policies prove to be the slow doom of the Spartan state Agesilaus later violates one of the Lycurgan 'rhetra' prohibiting frequent campaigns against the same enemy to prevent them from becoming effective in battle, when, possibly in 377 BC, after fighting in numerous expeditions against the Thebans he is seen wounded by Antalcidas, a prominent Spartan, who sardonically remarks to him : 'What splendid tuition you are receiving from the Thebans for having taught them to fight when they had neither the wish nor the knowledge to do so.'
At the beginning of his reign Agesilaus signs a treaty with the Persian Satrap of Lydia, Tissaphernes, the details of which include a release of Persian-controlled Greek cities, yet Tissaphernes nonetheless breaks the treaty & begins mobilizing his forces for war against the Spartans, prompting Agesilaus to employ a clever ruse where he first declares his intention to march on Caria & waits for the Persian force to amass their troops before proceeding to attack Phrygia instead. According to Plutarch, 'Here he captured many cities & seized a huge quantity of loot. In this way he demonstrated to his friends that to break a solemn agreement shows contempt for the gods, whereas to outwit one's enemy at once satisfies justice, earns great glory, & combines pleasure with profit.' King Agesilaus' 'Life' is paired with the famous Roman 1st-century BC general, Gnaeus Pompeius, who achieved great renown on the battlefield & was a member of the First Triumvirate with Gaius Iulius Caesar & Marcus Lucius Crassus.
Overall the Penguin Classics edition of Plutarch's 'On Sparta' is an exceptional piece of classical scholarship on a Greek city that is often overlooked in favor of more culturally well-known cities such as Athens & Rome, but the 'Lives' in this collection possess a unique atmosphere & high-energy tempo all their own, which sets them apart from Plutarch's other short biographies. At 211 pages this selection of 'Lives' is brief & also very easy to follow along with, making it a perfect choice for any reader unfamiliar with Plutarch's writing style. 'On Sparta' makes a wonderful companion piece to the 9 Athenian 'Lives' in 'The Rise & Fall Of Athens' set, also published by the Penguin Classics.
Plutarch's 'On Sparta' was originally published in 1988 for the Penguin Classics with the translation work for the 'Lives' of Lycurgus, Agis, & Cleomenes done by Richard Talbert & the 'Life Of Agesilaus' by Ian Scott-Kilvert, whom also did the work for the 1960 edition of 'The Rise & Fall Of Athens'. This updated 2005 edition features Richard Talbert's revisions of the 4 aforementioned Spartan 'Lives' as well as a list of Sayings of Spartans & Spartan Women which are most often associated with Plutarch's series of moral essays, the 'Moralia', & finally, an appendix containing a translation of the 5th Century BC Greek historian Xenophon's political treatise, 'Politeia Of The Spartans', which Talbert prefers to render as 'Spartan Society'. All of the 'Lives' & the additional material feature exceptional introductions providing historical background, sources used, & further reading suggestions.
As he waits for his nephew Charilaus to attain his majority, Lycurgus travels abroad & begins laying the groundwork for a solid Spartan constitution by learning from the great civilizations of the Mediterranean. While at Crete he becomes acquainted with the lyric poet Thales, whose didactic verse possesses undertones that Lycurgus associated with the most powerful lawgivers, & as he stayed in luxurious Ionia, in Asia, he was introduced to the written works of the epic poet, Homer, & had them transcribed to share with his fellow Spartiates, & from the Egyptians he observed their practice of separating the warrior class from those of the laborers & craftsmen. Later in chapter 21 Plutarch describes the profound effect the travels of Lycurgus would have on Spartan culture : 'They were no less enthusiastic about training in lyric poetry & singing than they were about good style & purity in speech. Moreover their songs offered stimulus to rouse the spirit & encouragement for energetic, effective action, in style they were plain & unpretentious, while their subject matter was serious & calculated to mould character.'
In chapter 9 of his 'Life' Lycurgus the Lawgiver declares all gold & silver coinage null & void in a controversial edict, further decreeing that iron would be the only metal which could be used as legal currency. This has a catastrophic effect on the Spartan economy, aptly illustrated by Plutarch's vivid description : 'The iron money, after all, could not be exported elsewhere in Greece, & was considered a joke there, not an object of value. Consequently it was impossible to buy any shoddy foreign goods, & no cargo of merchandise would enter the harbours, no teacher of rhetoric trod Laconian soil, no begging seer, no maker of gold or silver ornaments -- because there was no coined money. Thus gradually cut off from the things that animate & feed it, luxury atrophied of its own accord.' Plutarch's 'Life Of Lycurgus' is paired with the 'Life' of the 2nd Roman lawmaker & king, Numa Pompilius, who is also credited as being the founder of the Roman religion.
After the death of the reigning Spartan King Agis II between 400/398 BC The Spartan Agesilaus gains the throne by manipulating an oracle's words & contesting the claim of Agis' heir Leotychidas, who was already thought to be an illegitimate son of the Athenian statesman Alcibiades. Throughout the course of his 40-year reign King Agesilaus II's pride, ambition, & unsuccessful panhellenic foreign policies prove to be the slow doom of the Spartan state Agesilaus later violates one of the Lycurgan 'rhetra' prohibiting frequent campaigns against the same enemy to prevent them from becoming effective in battle, when, possibly in 377 BC, after fighting in numerous expeditions against the Thebans he is seen wounded by Antalcidas, a prominent Spartan, who sardonically remarks to him : 'What splendid tuition you are receiving from the Thebans for having taught them to fight when they had neither the wish nor the knowledge to do so.'
At the beginning of his reign Agesilaus signs a treaty with the Persian Satrap of Lydia, Tissaphernes, the details of which include a release of Persian-controlled Greek cities, yet Tissaphernes nonetheless breaks the treaty & begins mobilizing his forces for war against the Spartans, prompting Agesilaus to employ a clever ruse where he first declares his intention to march on Caria & waits for the Persian force to amass their troops before proceeding to attack Phrygia instead. According to Plutarch, 'Here he captured many cities & seized a huge quantity of loot. In this way he demonstrated to his friends that to break a solemn agreement shows contempt for the gods, whereas to outwit one's enemy at once satisfies justice, earns great glory, & combines pleasure with profit.' King Agesilaus' 'Life' is paired with the famous Roman 1st-century BC general, Gnaeus Pompeius, who achieved great renown on the battlefield & was a member of the First Triumvirate with Gaius Iulius Caesar & Marcus Lucius Crassus.
Overall the Penguin Classics edition of Plutarch's 'On Sparta' is an exceptional piece of classical scholarship on a Greek city that is often overlooked in favor of more culturally well-known cities such as Athens & Rome, but the 'Lives' in this collection possess a unique atmosphere & high-energy tempo all their own, which sets them apart from Plutarch's other short biographies. At 211 pages this selection of 'Lives' is brief & also very easy to follow along with, making it a perfect choice for any reader unfamiliar with Plutarch's writing style. 'On Sparta' makes a wonderful companion piece to the 9 Athenian 'Lives' in 'The Rise & Fall Of Athens' set, also published by the Penguin Classics.
March 20, 2017
It is very practical to have this collection of Plutarch’s Lives focusing on Sparta presented together in one volume, and I find I’d much rather read Plutarch’s own texts than have them presented rehashed by contemporary scholars. I read in the new Preface that the Life of Agesilaus has been added to this Expanded Edition, which is great � though it would have been even better if the Life of Lysander had been added as well. I don’t see the point of leaving it out (other than selling more books of course).
Obviously there are good reasons for presenting the Lives by period and theme as is done in this Penguin Classics series, but there’s also a problematic side to presenting the individual Lives outside the context in which they were originally written, the Parallel Lives, as is also mentioned in the first Preface to this book. Still, it is commendable that this volume on Sparta has been made available, and it’s one I will return to. My favorite is the Life of Lycurgus, also because it is so basic to understanding the entire structure of Spartan society.
The translation flows well, though there were a few occasions where I was wondering what Plutarch’s original wording may have been. Likewise, the notes are mainly useful though in some instances seemed irritatingly superfluous (e.g. there’s a note added to a mention of "the traditional system of education" on p. 99, that simply says that this means the agoge!) The maps are good, and the same goes for the Historical Introduction to each of the Lives, though it seemed an odd choice to place all the different introductions together in the beginning of the book instead of in front of the respective biographies.
In addition to Lycurgus and Agesilaus, this volume includes the Lives of Agis and Cleomenes, as well as Plutarch’s Sayings of Spartans. Also included is the work on Spartan Society attributed to Xenophon, which adds a lot to its value as a resource. Plutarch’s sources are discussed in the Introduction to each of the Lives, and there’s a glossary as well as a list of Spartan kings. All in all a great book with some minor flaws. Understanding Sparta is important for the understanding both of our own history and as well the political history of a number of Greek states � in addition to being an endlessly fascinating subject in itself.
This work is licensed under a .
Obviously there are good reasons for presenting the Lives by period and theme as is done in this Penguin Classics series, but there’s also a problematic side to presenting the individual Lives outside the context in which they were originally written, the Parallel Lives, as is also mentioned in the first Preface to this book. Still, it is commendable that this volume on Sparta has been made available, and it’s one I will return to. My favorite is the Life of Lycurgus, also because it is so basic to understanding the entire structure of Spartan society.
The translation flows well, though there were a few occasions where I was wondering what Plutarch’s original wording may have been. Likewise, the notes are mainly useful though in some instances seemed irritatingly superfluous (e.g. there’s a note added to a mention of "the traditional system of education" on p. 99, that simply says that this means the agoge!) The maps are good, and the same goes for the Historical Introduction to each of the Lives, though it seemed an odd choice to place all the different introductions together in the beginning of the book instead of in front of the respective biographies.
In addition to Lycurgus and Agesilaus, this volume includes the Lives of Agis and Cleomenes, as well as Plutarch’s Sayings of Spartans. Also included is the work on Spartan Society attributed to Xenophon, which adds a lot to its value as a resource. Plutarch’s sources are discussed in the Introduction to each of the Lives, and there’s a glossary as well as a list of Spartan kings. All in all a great book with some minor flaws. Understanding Sparta is important for the understanding both of our own history and as well the political history of a number of Greek states � in addition to being an endlessly fascinating subject in itself.
This work is licensed under a .
March 6, 2021
Имиджът на спартанците като непобедими войни и на Спарта като стожер на простия живот и моралността, които възпитават тези непобедими войни започва горе долу след смъртта на Леонидас при Термопилае и е внимателно подхранван от самите спартанци през по-голямата част от Античността.
Може да се каже, че историята за смелите 300 спартанци, които се опълчват на ордите на мерзкия завоевател Ксекрс и спасяват Гърция става вайръл в античния свят много бързо, въпреки, че като цяло не е вярна - спартанците в битката са повече, имат хиляди съюзници от други гръцки градове и като цяло във вековете преди това, самата Спарта е прекарала доста повече време да воюва с другите гърци, отколкото са прекарали персите.
Все пак, самите истории за Спарта, спартанците и мъдрият им ръководител Ликург, измислил страхотните спартански закони, превърнали Спарта в могъща военна сила и обществото й в морално и смело (които са по-скоро продукт на post-factum легенда, също като "законите на хан Крум") остават в историята и дават храна на много мъдрости, притчи и вдъхновение за самоусъвършенстване на хората за хилядолетия напред.
"Спартанците" е откъс от книгата Moralia на римския писател/историк Плутарх, писана стотици години след като Спарта отдавна не е даже сянка на миналата си слава и дори от век е покорена от Римската империя. Но както е видно, идеята за Спарта и спартанците продължава тогава, продължава и сега - така, че доста от кратичките притчи за спартанците и нравите им може да са вдъхновителни за съвременния човек да не бъде лигльо и мрънкач така, както са били и за античния.
Може да се каже, че историята за смелите 300 спартанци, които се опълчват на ордите на мерзкия завоевател Ксекрс и спасяват Гърция става вайръл в античния свят много бързо, въпреки, че като цяло не е вярна - спартанците в битката са повече, имат хиляди съюзници от други гръцки градове и като цяло във вековете преди това, самата Спарта е прекарала доста повече време да воюва с другите гърци, отколкото са прекарали персите.
Все пак, самите истории за Спарта, спартанците и мъдрият им ръководител Ликург, измислил страхотните спартански закони, превърнали Спарта в могъща военна сила и обществото й в морално и смело (които са по-скоро продукт на post-factum легенда, също като "законите на хан Крум") остават в историята и дават храна на много мъдрости, притчи и вдъхновение за самоусъвършенстване на хората за хилядолетия напред.
"Спартанците" е откъс от книгата Moralia на римския писател/историк Плутарх, писана стотици години след като Спарта отдавна не е даже сянка на миналата си слава и дори от век е покорена от Римската империя. Но както е видно, идеята за Спарта и спартанците продължава тогава, продължава и сега - така, че доста от кратичките притчи за спартанците и нравите им може да са вдъхновителни за съвременния човек да не бъде лигльо и мрънкач така, както са били и за античния.
June 14, 2013
Funny and action-packed? Well, yes. I wouldn't have guessed it before picking it up, but Plutarch is a page-turner. In this updated collection of Ian Scott-Kilvert's original translation of Spartan Lives for Penguin, Richard Talbert adds the Life of Agesilaus as well as revisions to the original translation. The result is a highly readable, not like the free translations you can find online that are often archaic and difficult to follow. (At least for this modern brain!) On Sparta includes the lives of Lycurgus, Sparta's lawgiver, Agesilaus, Agis and Cleomenes, as well as Spartan sayings and Xeonophon's "Spartan Society." The Lives themselves read like something out of George Martin's Song of Ice and Fire: political intrigue, assassinations, coups d'etat, manufactured wars, betrayals. But behind all the grittiness, Plutarch shows some examples of true honour. His approval of Spartan society is clear, and I have to admit, there's a lot to like (there's a lot not to like, as well, of course). Many of Lycurgus' laws strike me as many degrees more sane than our own, and it seems clear to me that whoever he was, he had a plan and knew what he was doing. This chapter alone provides much food for thought. The further Lives show the progressive downfall of Sparta, and this is where things get gritty.
The Sayings sections are a real treat as well. The Spartans were raised to express themselves in few words, so pithy witticisms abound. Some of them are laugh-out-loud funny. Take the Spartan men's tendency to wear their hair long, bearing in mind Lycurgus' statement that "it renders handsome men better looking, and ugly ones more frightening." And there's not a little manly bravado mixed in, like Leonidas' remark at the battle of Thermopylae, when the sky was invisible due to the number of Persians' arrows: "How pleasant then, if we're going to fight them in the shade."
On Sparta (****) is a classic worth reading. Don't let your bad high-school experiences with the old dead dudes turn you off. Plutarch is pretty awesome.
The Sayings sections are a real treat as well. The Spartans were raised to express themselves in few words, so pithy witticisms abound. Some of them are laugh-out-loud funny. Take the Spartan men's tendency to wear their hair long, bearing in mind Lycurgus' statement that "it renders handsome men better looking, and ugly ones more frightening." And there's not a little manly bravado mixed in, like Leonidas' remark at the battle of Thermopylae, when the sky was invisible due to the number of Persians' arrows: "How pleasant then, if we're going to fight them in the shade."
On Sparta (****) is a classic worth reading. Don't let your bad high-school experiences with the old dead dudes turn you off. Plutarch is pretty awesome.
June 22, 2012
Spartan sayings are something that have been a part of Western culture since its inception. Most people, whether they know it or not, have used a few of them. There's even a Spartan saying to explain Spartan sayings. It goes something like this: why are Spartan sayings so short? Spartan swords are short too, but they reach their enemy all the same. As Plutarch notes in the book, the relationship between brevity and value runs through Spartan life. Lycurgus weighted the highest currency with least heavy coinage and the heaviest was worth the least. Something to think about. The book starts with profiles of some of the greatest Spartans - similar to Plutarch's Lives - and then the second half is a collection of quotes or anecdotes broken down by who they are attributed to. It's a great source of reference if you ever need an example or a story for something. The quotes from Spartan women are good as well.
August 17, 2022
Of the few prominent figures touched on in this book, it was undoubtedly the tales of Lycurgus that captivated my attention. An elusive character, supposedly alive during the time of Homer - possibly fictitious altogether and instead - the product of coalescent myths; as there existed two eminent Spartans named Lycurgus.
Who was he? A lawgiver, guardian, king (more accurately despot) who presided over an oligarchy of elders. Arguably, as well, the original communist dictator. Some of his first decrees included: the mass redistribution of land, food rationing and the confiscation of gold and silver coinage. His currency replacement were prodigious blocks of iron; which were not only cumbersome to lift and store, but difficult to steal thus reducing crime.
Indeed, Lycurgus removed all forms of wealth and extravagance thus starving the Spartan of his unquenchable thirst for finery and avarice. No more portly subjects were to be found waddling around the camp neither thanks to the creation of communal mess halls - which served the ascetic diet of black broth.
He kicked women into touch also ordering frequent bouts of wrestling to toughen them up. He discouraged effeminacy and prudery of any kind. Communal dances saw men and women present naked; women were encouraged to disparage inferior qualities in the men in order to inspire self-improvement (must have worked....have yet to read ‘The diary of a Spartan incel�).
Marriage was permitted only on the precondition that the woman had her head shaved and don the repellant cloak and sandals; that’s right, no Anne Summers surprises for you Mr Spartan. Copulation took place in the dark, and when the deed was done, it was back to the all-male lodgings for the groom (homosexuality was compulsory in Sparta - as was pederasty).
Then, nine months later, that which was once a twitch in the father’s loincloth is inducted into Sparta; specifically at a spot named ‘The Lesche�. Here, the tribe elders decide the infants fate through visual examination. If the child was robust, it lived; if too feeble, then it’s off to the precipitous mountains of Apothetae - where the infant was exposed to the elements and abandoned! Here ends the tale of bastardry in ancient Sparta.
Who was he? A lawgiver, guardian, king (more accurately despot) who presided over an oligarchy of elders. Arguably, as well, the original communist dictator. Some of his first decrees included: the mass redistribution of land, food rationing and the confiscation of gold and silver coinage. His currency replacement were prodigious blocks of iron; which were not only cumbersome to lift and store, but difficult to steal thus reducing crime.
Indeed, Lycurgus removed all forms of wealth and extravagance thus starving the Spartan of his unquenchable thirst for finery and avarice. No more portly subjects were to be found waddling around the camp neither thanks to the creation of communal mess halls - which served the ascetic diet of black broth.
He kicked women into touch also ordering frequent bouts of wrestling to toughen them up. He discouraged effeminacy and prudery of any kind. Communal dances saw men and women present naked; women were encouraged to disparage inferior qualities in the men in order to inspire self-improvement (must have worked....have yet to read ‘The diary of a Spartan incel�).
Marriage was permitted only on the precondition that the woman had her head shaved and don the repellant cloak and sandals; that’s right, no Anne Summers surprises for you Mr Spartan. Copulation took place in the dark, and when the deed was done, it was back to the all-male lodgings for the groom (homosexuality was compulsory in Sparta - as was pederasty).
Then, nine months later, that which was once a twitch in the father’s loincloth is inducted into Sparta; specifically at a spot named ‘The Lesche�. Here, the tribe elders decide the infants fate through visual examination. If the child was robust, it lived; if too feeble, then it’s off to the precipitous mountains of Apothetae - where the infant was exposed to the elements and abandoned! Here ends the tale of bastardry in ancient Sparta.
January 21, 2010
Why is it that books on Ancient Greece have focused so intensively on Periclean Athens? It was, after all, a slave society in which women were relegated to a subordinate role. In its favor: great literature, great philosophy (except that they executed Socrates), great architecture and statuary.
This year, I have decided to concentrate heavily on books about Ancient Greece and by Ancient Greek authors. To ensure that I do not unwittingly accept historical prejudices, I decided to start out with Will Durant's The Life of Greece, following it up with this collection of short essays on Sparta by Plutarch, who lived in the 2nd century A.D.
On Sparta is a rather mixed bag. First, there are four biographies of Spartan kings: Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis, and Cleomenes. There follows by far the most interesting sections, a chapter of "Saying of Spartans" followed by "Sayings of Spartan Women." [Note: There are no sayings of Athenian women, except for hetairae like Aspasia.] Finally, there is an essay attributed to Xenophon called "Spartan Society."
This book is an excellent resource for information on Spartan society, though inferior to Paul Cartledge's The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece as a general introduction.
This year, I have decided to concentrate heavily on books about Ancient Greece and by Ancient Greek authors. To ensure that I do not unwittingly accept historical prejudices, I decided to start out with Will Durant's The Life of Greece, following it up with this collection of short essays on Sparta by Plutarch, who lived in the 2nd century A.D.
On Sparta is a rather mixed bag. First, there are four biographies of Spartan kings: Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis, and Cleomenes. There follows by far the most interesting sections, a chapter of "Saying of Spartans" followed by "Sayings of Spartan Women." [Note: There are no sayings of Athenian women, except for hetairae like Aspasia.] Finally, there is an essay attributed to Xenophon called "Spartan Society."
This book is an excellent resource for information on Spartan society, though inferior to Paul Cartledge's The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece as a general introduction.
September 1, 2019
If you're looking for a book that has passed the Lindy test, I recommend reading this one. (You should read about Solon too).
The book explores how Spartan society was developed. Plutarch, a Greek who lived between AD 50 and 120, describes in this well-written book the fascinating lives of the most prominent characters of the era. I recommend reading about the lawgiver Lycurgus, one of the great leaders of Sparta.
Although I don't like the laws set by Lycurgus —he was something like an early socialist�, he brought into the light of day, not paper theories, but a functioning constitution which was quite unmatched.
- He created the institution of the Elders. According to Plato, its combination with the kings' arrogant rule, and the right to an equal vote on the most important matters, produced security and at the same time sound sense.
- He redistributed the land.
- He devised constitutional measures against the greed of the Spartan people.
- With the aim of stepping up the attack on luxury and removing the passion for wealth, he introduced his third reform, the establishment of common messes. The intention was that Spartans should assemble together and eat the same specified meat-sauces and cereals.
This is a great book and it's a delight to read.
The book explores how Spartan society was developed. Plutarch, a Greek who lived between AD 50 and 120, describes in this well-written book the fascinating lives of the most prominent characters of the era. I recommend reading about the lawgiver Lycurgus, one of the great leaders of Sparta.
Although I don't like the laws set by Lycurgus —he was something like an early socialist�, he brought into the light of day, not paper theories, but a functioning constitution which was quite unmatched.
- He created the institution of the Elders. According to Plato, its combination with the kings' arrogant rule, and the right to an equal vote on the most important matters, produced security and at the same time sound sense.
- He redistributed the land.
- He devised constitutional measures against the greed of the Spartan people.
- With the aim of stepping up the attack on luxury and removing the passion for wealth, he introduced his third reform, the establishment of common messes. The intention was that Spartans should assemble together and eat the same specified meat-sauces and cereals.
This is a great book and it's a delight to read.
July 22, 2023
This book provides brief biographies of four notable figures from Sparta: Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis IV, and Cleomenes III. Lycurgus (~800BC), a legendary figure, was the lawgiver of Sparta. He transformed the ruling Spartiates into a formidable military force, supported by the labour of conquered Messenian slaves and the trade of relatively free Perioeci. Agesilaus governed Sparta during 400-360BC. His rule witnessed the decline of Sparta's hegemony in Greece post-Peloponnesian War. The city-state transformed from a dominant force to a middle power after they were defeated by Thebes in 371BC. The subsequent liberation of the Messenians by Thebes dismantled Sparta's erstwhile militaristic and societal structures.
Agis IV, reigning from 245-241BC, attempted to mitigate Spartan opulence by reintroducing Lycurgus' reforms. He reinstated the agoge (austere military training), syssitia (collective messes), cancelled debts, and redistributed land. Despite his efforts, he was betrayed and executed by opposing ephors (powerful magistrates). Cleomenes III ruled from 235-222BC and continued Agis IV's reforms. He also sought to restore Spartan hegemony in the Peloponnese against the Achaean League. Although initially successful, Macedonian intervention in favour of the Achaeans led to their ultimate defeat. Cleomenes III consequently fled to Egypt after instructing Sparta to pledge allegiance to Macedonia and later committed suicide.
Plutarch includes a chapter on Sparta's famous laconic witticisms. For example, when a Spartan woman was asked by a woman from Attica, "Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?", the Spartan woman replied, "Because we are also the only ones who give birth to men." In the appendix, Plutarch additionally provides Xenophon's writings on Spartan society during Agesilaus' reign. Overall, this book provides good insights into specific Spartan lives, yet the book lacks a holistic understanding of Spartan history. It overlooks centuries of Spartan society between Agesilaus' and Agis IV's reigns and provides no information on Sparta post-Cleomenes' III defeat and its eventual conquest by Rome in 146BC.
Agis IV, reigning from 245-241BC, attempted to mitigate Spartan opulence by reintroducing Lycurgus' reforms. He reinstated the agoge (austere military training), syssitia (collective messes), cancelled debts, and redistributed land. Despite his efforts, he was betrayed and executed by opposing ephors (powerful magistrates). Cleomenes III ruled from 235-222BC and continued Agis IV's reforms. He also sought to restore Spartan hegemony in the Peloponnese against the Achaean League. Although initially successful, Macedonian intervention in favour of the Achaeans led to their ultimate defeat. Cleomenes III consequently fled to Egypt after instructing Sparta to pledge allegiance to Macedonia and later committed suicide.
Plutarch includes a chapter on Sparta's famous laconic witticisms. For example, when a Spartan woman was asked by a woman from Attica, "Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?", the Spartan woman replied, "Because we are also the only ones who give birth to men." In the appendix, Plutarch additionally provides Xenophon's writings on Spartan society during Agesilaus' reign. Overall, this book provides good insights into specific Spartan lives, yet the book lacks a holistic understanding of Spartan history. It overlooks centuries of Spartan society between Agesilaus' and Agis IV's reigns and provides no information on Sparta post-Cleomenes' III defeat and its eventual conquest by Rome in 146BC.
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May 10, 2024To jest coś co przeczytałby czyjś ojciec
December 10, 2017
On Sparta’s behalf, it must be said that the Spartans really knew how to fight. In condemnation of Sparta, it must be said that the Spartans really knew how to fight. Such are the paradoxes involved in studying the warrior nation that, for a time, dominated the city-states of ancient Greece; and for the student of classical culture who wants to get to know Sparta better, the biographies, sayings, and historical work brought together in this Plutarch volume under the title On Sparta provide a fine place to start.
Originally, the biographies brought together for On Sparta would have paired these eminent Greeks with comparably important Romans, as part of the compare-and-contrast structure that characterized Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans. For this volume, however, Plutarch biographies of four particularly important Spartans are combined with collections of sayings that demonstrate the Spartan world-view � and with a short historical work, Spartan Society, that is traditionally attributed to the Athenian historian Xenophon.
The first of the four eminent Spartans whose life stories are shared in On Sparta is Lycurgus, the lawgiver whose stern code of laws “accustomed citizens to have no desire for a private life, nor knowledge of one, but rather to be like bees, always attached to the community, swarming together around their leader, and almost ecstatic with fervent ambition to devote themselves entirely to their country� (p. 30).
The second is Agesilaus, a highly effective military commander who personified the Spartan notion of duty before self. While campaigning quite successfully in Asia, Agesilaus received a message from Sparta’s ruling ephors commanding him to return home at once, as Sparta was then under attack by other Greek city-states. As Plutarch puts it, “How fortunate it was for Sparta, then, that Agesilaus so honoured her and had such respect for her laws. The moment the message…was delivered to him, although he was then at the height of his power and good fortune, he abandoned these, gave up the great hopes which beckoned him on, and immediately sailed away� (p. 54).
The third is Agis, a popular leader who sought to fight corruption in Sparta by restoring Lycurgus� ancient laws in all their purity. Traduced and betrayed by wealthy and powerful enemies, he faced his death sentence with characteristic Spartan courage. “When Agis was on his way to execution by strangling and noticed one of the attendants was in tears and distraught, he said to him: ‘Man, stop crying for me, since my death contrary to law and justice makes me superior to my murderers.� With these words he readily allowed the noose to be placed around his neck� (p. 96).
And the fourth is Cleomenes, who like Agis wished to reform the Spartan state, and who, to remind the Spartan people of their former glory, “reminded them of the remark made by one of their ancient kings that the pointed question Spartans ask about their enemies is not how many of them there are, but where they are� (p. 101). That ethic of embracing combat eagerly � “ride to the sound of the guns,� as commanders in later wars might have put it � is certainly a pre-eminent characteristic of Spartan society as emphasized in these lives by Plutarch.
ݱԴDZDz’s Spartan Society is a fine look at the city-state (if indeed Xenophon wrote it; translator Richard J.A. Talbert of the University of North Carolina has his doubts). But readers of On Sparta may derive more enjoyment from the collection of “Sayings of Spartans� and “Sayings of Spartan Women� that Plutarch collected. The word “laconic,� after all � referring as it does to a pithy saying that conveys a great deal in a few words � comes from “Laconia,� the name of the Peloponnesian region of which Sparta was the capital; and these statements, from both famous and otherwise unknown Laconians, unquestionably have that laconic quality.
And yes, in case you were wondering, those laconic statements include that of a Spartan mother who, “as she was handing her son his shield and giving him some encouragement, said: ‘Son, [return] either with this or on this’� (pp. 186-87). Over and over again, it is emphasized that a son who would throw away his shield and run away from battle is a son that no Spartan mother would want.
Some of the most famous of those sayings come from the Spartan king Leonidas, who in 480 B.C. led 300 Spartan soldiers in defending the pass at Thermopylae against an attacking force of thousands of Persians. Before the battle, “When someone was saying: ‘It isn’t even possible to see the sun because of the Persians� arrows,� he said: ‘How pleasant then, if we’re going to fight them in the shade’� (p. 170). And ‘When Xerxes wrote…‘Deliver up your arms,� he wrote back: ‘Come and take them’� (p. 171). If you have seen, in your drives along the streets of your town or city, a pick-up truck with a window sticker that reads μολὼ� λαβέ, then know that those words, molòn labé, are Leonidas� words of defiance to Xerxes. Whether the window sticker is there to express pride in past or present military service, or to publicize anti-gun control sentiments, the driver of that truck is clearly identifying with Leonidas and the Spartans.
That observation in turn brings up an important question: Why do so many people in democratic nations of today identify with the Spartans? After all, Sparta was a nation where male babies were routinely left out to die if they were considered too “weak� to make good soldiers for the state � a “custom� at which the modern mind recoils. Why, then, does Sparta still get such a degree of respect, indeed reverence, in the modern world? Why are the sports teams for Michigan State University called the Spartans? Why did so many readers and viewers find inspiration in the heroism of the Spartan protagonists of Frank Miller’s 1998 graphic novel 300, or Zack Snyder’s 2006 film adaptation?
The answer may lie in a shared realization of an ugly reality that underlies the existence of any nation, even one founded on the most noble and humane ideals: a government can only be maintained in existence for as long as it can command sufficient armed force to maintain its existence and defend its territorial integrity.
That unwelcome element of realpolitik � that idea that documents like Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence have no practical meaning without an army strong enough to defend them � may be part of the reason why Sparta has become an emblem for the warrior ethic throughout the West. I do not like Sparta � my own classical sympathies are thoroughly Athenian � but I recognize its importance. And the writings of Plutarch (and, perhaps, Xenophon) collected as On Sparta capture well the reasons why the Spartan legacy is something that all citizens of any democracy must confront.
Originally, the biographies brought together for On Sparta would have paired these eminent Greeks with comparably important Romans, as part of the compare-and-contrast structure that characterized Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans. For this volume, however, Plutarch biographies of four particularly important Spartans are combined with collections of sayings that demonstrate the Spartan world-view � and with a short historical work, Spartan Society, that is traditionally attributed to the Athenian historian Xenophon.
The first of the four eminent Spartans whose life stories are shared in On Sparta is Lycurgus, the lawgiver whose stern code of laws “accustomed citizens to have no desire for a private life, nor knowledge of one, but rather to be like bees, always attached to the community, swarming together around their leader, and almost ecstatic with fervent ambition to devote themselves entirely to their country� (p. 30).
The second is Agesilaus, a highly effective military commander who personified the Spartan notion of duty before self. While campaigning quite successfully in Asia, Agesilaus received a message from Sparta’s ruling ephors commanding him to return home at once, as Sparta was then under attack by other Greek city-states. As Plutarch puts it, “How fortunate it was for Sparta, then, that Agesilaus so honoured her and had such respect for her laws. The moment the message…was delivered to him, although he was then at the height of his power and good fortune, he abandoned these, gave up the great hopes which beckoned him on, and immediately sailed away� (p. 54).
The third is Agis, a popular leader who sought to fight corruption in Sparta by restoring Lycurgus� ancient laws in all their purity. Traduced and betrayed by wealthy and powerful enemies, he faced his death sentence with characteristic Spartan courage. “When Agis was on his way to execution by strangling and noticed one of the attendants was in tears and distraught, he said to him: ‘Man, stop crying for me, since my death contrary to law and justice makes me superior to my murderers.� With these words he readily allowed the noose to be placed around his neck� (p. 96).
And the fourth is Cleomenes, who like Agis wished to reform the Spartan state, and who, to remind the Spartan people of their former glory, “reminded them of the remark made by one of their ancient kings that the pointed question Spartans ask about their enemies is not how many of them there are, but where they are� (p. 101). That ethic of embracing combat eagerly � “ride to the sound of the guns,� as commanders in later wars might have put it � is certainly a pre-eminent characteristic of Spartan society as emphasized in these lives by Plutarch.
ݱԴDZDz’s Spartan Society is a fine look at the city-state (if indeed Xenophon wrote it; translator Richard J.A. Talbert of the University of North Carolina has his doubts). But readers of On Sparta may derive more enjoyment from the collection of “Sayings of Spartans� and “Sayings of Spartan Women� that Plutarch collected. The word “laconic,� after all � referring as it does to a pithy saying that conveys a great deal in a few words � comes from “Laconia,� the name of the Peloponnesian region of which Sparta was the capital; and these statements, from both famous and otherwise unknown Laconians, unquestionably have that laconic quality.
And yes, in case you were wondering, those laconic statements include that of a Spartan mother who, “as she was handing her son his shield and giving him some encouragement, said: ‘Son, [return] either with this or on this’� (pp. 186-87). Over and over again, it is emphasized that a son who would throw away his shield and run away from battle is a son that no Spartan mother would want.
Some of the most famous of those sayings come from the Spartan king Leonidas, who in 480 B.C. led 300 Spartan soldiers in defending the pass at Thermopylae against an attacking force of thousands of Persians. Before the battle, “When someone was saying: ‘It isn’t even possible to see the sun because of the Persians� arrows,� he said: ‘How pleasant then, if we’re going to fight them in the shade’� (p. 170). And ‘When Xerxes wrote…‘Deliver up your arms,� he wrote back: ‘Come and take them’� (p. 171). If you have seen, in your drives along the streets of your town or city, a pick-up truck with a window sticker that reads μολὼ� λαβέ, then know that those words, molòn labé, are Leonidas� words of defiance to Xerxes. Whether the window sticker is there to express pride in past or present military service, or to publicize anti-gun control sentiments, the driver of that truck is clearly identifying with Leonidas and the Spartans.
That observation in turn brings up an important question: Why do so many people in democratic nations of today identify with the Spartans? After all, Sparta was a nation where male babies were routinely left out to die if they were considered too “weak� to make good soldiers for the state � a “custom� at which the modern mind recoils. Why, then, does Sparta still get such a degree of respect, indeed reverence, in the modern world? Why are the sports teams for Michigan State University called the Spartans? Why did so many readers and viewers find inspiration in the heroism of the Spartan protagonists of Frank Miller’s 1998 graphic novel 300, or Zack Snyder’s 2006 film adaptation?
The answer may lie in a shared realization of an ugly reality that underlies the existence of any nation, even one founded on the most noble and humane ideals: a government can only be maintained in existence for as long as it can command sufficient armed force to maintain its existence and defend its territorial integrity.
That unwelcome element of realpolitik � that idea that documents like Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence have no practical meaning without an army strong enough to defend them � may be part of the reason why Sparta has become an emblem for the warrior ethic throughout the West. I do not like Sparta � my own classical sympathies are thoroughly Athenian � but I recognize its importance. And the writings of Plutarch (and, perhaps, Xenophon) collected as On Sparta capture well the reasons why the Spartan legacy is something that all citizens of any democracy must confront.
December 2, 2018
It’s not often that you find a book which records practices that genuinely shock or disgust the reader and provoke an anachronistic judgement. The blockbuster films �300� and �300: Rise of an Empire� popularised Spartan culture and shifted the focus of modern viewers of classical Hellenic society from Athens to Sparta, an extreme contrast akin to black and white shades. This modern version gives us an account of Sparta, her kings, constitution and way of life as recorded by Plutarch and in a much shorter prose work attributed to Xenophon (but strongly contested) followed by the “Spartan Sayings�.
Plutarch’s text is broken down into the lives of four of Sparta’s most prominent rulers, Lycurges the Lawgiver and kings Agesilaus, Agis and Cleomenes, and uses them to exemplify the city’s culture and ideology through the various wars and battles that took place throughout the 5th to 3rd century BC. Plutarch demonstrates how Lycurges managed to achieve a bloodless constitutional revolution with the approval of the gods. Austerity, equality among citizens and military training were they basis of the reformed constitution, one which not be put to paper but promoted as a lifestyle in order for it to be ingrained into all members of society. In order to achieve the highest efficiency in the military, the evils of greed and poverty were dispersed by the collection of all land and dividing it up into 9,000 plots for allotment to citizens. Property and all derived wealth could no longer be confined to the wealthy few nor could the desire to amass gold and silver thrive, the precious metals were banned and possessors were fined while a heavily-inflated form of iron currency was institutionalised. This proto-communist state perpetuated itself by ensuring materialistic desires were confined to the other Greek cities and allowed the military to become Sparta’s walls and towers, hence the Spartan saying “Sparta’s young men are her walls and the points of their spears her frontiers�.
This ideology was not confined to the public sphere but manifested itself beyond into the populace. Believing the citizens to belong to the city and not as individual units, Lycurges� and the rest of the citizenry’s ideology was reflected in the social norms. Firstly, newborn infants would be brought before their tribal elders for examination. If the child passed it would be returned to the father for raising and assigned one of the 9,000 plots of land as allotted by the aforementioned reforms. However, if the child was deemed to be “deformed� it would be taken to a cliffside spot known as “Apothetae� (the place of rejection) on Mount Taygetus, a practise popularised in the film �300�. The logic behind this was that it would be better for Sparta and the child to terminate its life, leaving only a population of super soldiers. The desire to produce ideal children also manifested itself in consensual adultery. Were a man to find a younger male attractive and muscular, he’d approach him and offer him to his wife to be impregnated and for him to adopt the offspring. Inversely, a man could approach another and showcase his skills and physique in the hope of gaining approval to breed with his wife. Lycurges likened this act to the art of breeding the finest canines and stallions. While it may shock the modern reader, almost all marriages throughout history were based on building political alliances, raising capital, producing troops for the workforce and army, to name a few. It was only in the late 18th and early 19th century following the French and American Revolutions that proponents of the Enlightenment Era promoted the “right to personal happiness� and love in a marriage. With that being said, Spartan women who were married appeared in public with a veil, as practised in other Near Eastern cultures around the time, while single women roamed uncovered.
Attitudes towards warfare were similar in respect to the life of the individual where a death on the battlefield in service to Sparta was thought to be the most glorious outcome while cowardice and escape from battle was worthy of disgrace, disavowal and murder. Certainly, women are recorded to have killed their own sons who returned home alive due to their cowardice while their comrades had succeeded in bringing honour to their name. Fear, the fear of shame and disgrace, coupled with their discipline to obey drove the Spartans to victories regardless of the strength and numbers of their adversaries. The young and inexperienced Cleomenes led a force of less than 5,000 Spartans against an Achaen force of 20,000 infantryman and 1,000 cavalry under the command of Aristomachus. The Spartan spirit granted them victory since Cleomenes did not fear the numerical superiority of the enemy and mustered his men for battle, men who were willing to follow him to Hades. Aristomachus was frightened by the tenacity of the Spartans and was routed without a single arrow being fired. When the day was won the losers would be spared for it was considered neither noble nor Hellenic to slaughter those who had surrendered. Such a reputation proved advantageous as their adversaries knew that fleeing would save their skin rather than standing their ground and risk being cut down.
The Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis unified the Greeks and halted the Persian advance into mainland Greece but the status quo was not to last. The Greeks resumed their civil wars and the Persians supported both sides in the hope of weakening them. The Peloponnesian War ended Athens� golden age and established Spartan supremacy. Agesilaus was born in the final year of that war and dedicated his reign to freeing the Greeks of Asia Minor from Persian rule before being recalled to fend off a war against the Corinthian coalition where he is quoted saying, “the Great King has driven me out of Asia with 30,000 archers� in reference to the golden Persian coins that were paid to his Greek foes. Having exhausted their population, resources and political stability, the Spartans and Athenians fell prey to the Macedonian onslaught under Phillip and Antigonus in particular and were eventually absorbed into the Roman republic.
Plutarch’s text is broken down into the lives of four of Sparta’s most prominent rulers, Lycurges the Lawgiver and kings Agesilaus, Agis and Cleomenes, and uses them to exemplify the city’s culture and ideology through the various wars and battles that took place throughout the 5th to 3rd century BC. Plutarch demonstrates how Lycurges managed to achieve a bloodless constitutional revolution with the approval of the gods. Austerity, equality among citizens and military training were they basis of the reformed constitution, one which not be put to paper but promoted as a lifestyle in order for it to be ingrained into all members of society. In order to achieve the highest efficiency in the military, the evils of greed and poverty were dispersed by the collection of all land and dividing it up into 9,000 plots for allotment to citizens. Property and all derived wealth could no longer be confined to the wealthy few nor could the desire to amass gold and silver thrive, the precious metals were banned and possessors were fined while a heavily-inflated form of iron currency was institutionalised. This proto-communist state perpetuated itself by ensuring materialistic desires were confined to the other Greek cities and allowed the military to become Sparta’s walls and towers, hence the Spartan saying “Sparta’s young men are her walls and the points of their spears her frontiers�.
This ideology was not confined to the public sphere but manifested itself beyond into the populace. Believing the citizens to belong to the city and not as individual units, Lycurges� and the rest of the citizenry’s ideology was reflected in the social norms. Firstly, newborn infants would be brought before their tribal elders for examination. If the child passed it would be returned to the father for raising and assigned one of the 9,000 plots of land as allotted by the aforementioned reforms. However, if the child was deemed to be “deformed� it would be taken to a cliffside spot known as “Apothetae� (the place of rejection) on Mount Taygetus, a practise popularised in the film �300�. The logic behind this was that it would be better for Sparta and the child to terminate its life, leaving only a population of super soldiers. The desire to produce ideal children also manifested itself in consensual adultery. Were a man to find a younger male attractive and muscular, he’d approach him and offer him to his wife to be impregnated and for him to adopt the offspring. Inversely, a man could approach another and showcase his skills and physique in the hope of gaining approval to breed with his wife. Lycurges likened this act to the art of breeding the finest canines and stallions. While it may shock the modern reader, almost all marriages throughout history were based on building political alliances, raising capital, producing troops for the workforce and army, to name a few. It was only in the late 18th and early 19th century following the French and American Revolutions that proponents of the Enlightenment Era promoted the “right to personal happiness� and love in a marriage. With that being said, Spartan women who were married appeared in public with a veil, as practised in other Near Eastern cultures around the time, while single women roamed uncovered.
Attitudes towards warfare were similar in respect to the life of the individual where a death on the battlefield in service to Sparta was thought to be the most glorious outcome while cowardice and escape from battle was worthy of disgrace, disavowal and murder. Certainly, women are recorded to have killed their own sons who returned home alive due to their cowardice while their comrades had succeeded in bringing honour to their name. Fear, the fear of shame and disgrace, coupled with their discipline to obey drove the Spartans to victories regardless of the strength and numbers of their adversaries. The young and inexperienced Cleomenes led a force of less than 5,000 Spartans against an Achaen force of 20,000 infantryman and 1,000 cavalry under the command of Aristomachus. The Spartan spirit granted them victory since Cleomenes did not fear the numerical superiority of the enemy and mustered his men for battle, men who were willing to follow him to Hades. Aristomachus was frightened by the tenacity of the Spartans and was routed without a single arrow being fired. When the day was won the losers would be spared for it was considered neither noble nor Hellenic to slaughter those who had surrendered. Such a reputation proved advantageous as their adversaries knew that fleeing would save their skin rather than standing their ground and risk being cut down.
The Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis unified the Greeks and halted the Persian advance into mainland Greece but the status quo was not to last. The Greeks resumed their civil wars and the Persians supported both sides in the hope of weakening them. The Peloponnesian War ended Athens� golden age and established Spartan supremacy. Agesilaus was born in the final year of that war and dedicated his reign to freeing the Greeks of Asia Minor from Persian rule before being recalled to fend off a war against the Corinthian coalition where he is quoted saying, “the Great King has driven me out of Asia with 30,000 archers� in reference to the golden Persian coins that were paid to his Greek foes. Having exhausted their population, resources and political stability, the Spartans and Athenians fell prey to the Macedonian onslaught under Phillip and Antigonus in particular and were eventually absorbed into the Roman republic.
March 19, 2021
This book is great. Plutarch is simply one of the best ancient writers, with simple and engaging prose. No wonder so much of his original sources were lost because people would rather read and copy his works. Some merit is certainly due to the translator as well, which provides a nice introduction and context to each segment, as well as extensive notes and further bibliography on the topics.
The book focuses on Sparta and its unique martial culture and leadership in Greece. To tell the story, it contains three biographies from some of its most illustrious leaders, a collection of quotes and sayings from Spartans and a summary of the unique customs of the city as perceived by other Greeks. The first (and most interesting) biography is from Lycurgus: the lawgiver, mythical figure that created the Spartan constitution and influenced the odd customs the city state is most famous for. Then there is Agesilaus, one of the Spartan kings at its height. A rather simple man, not raised to be king, both corrupt and capable military leader. It tells of the downfall of the Spartan hegemony in Greece in its conflicts with the Boeotian League leaded by Thebes. Finally, Agis and Cleomenes biographies, both reformers which tried to take Sparta back to its original constitution to save the city from the nobility corruption and stagnation brought by inequality, very similar to the Gracchi brothers of Rome. The first was felled during conflicts with the oligarchies of Sparta, the second lost its life amid the Successor Kingdoms politics, dying as a hostage in Ptolemaic Egypt after leading a brief recovery of Spartan power in the Peloponnese.
The book finishes with sayings of Spartans and typical examples of laconism: brief witticisms used to justify the uniqueness of Sparta and its citizens. While they are most likely invented or retconned to explain past, they embody the image of Sparta that other Greeks had and that ended up forming our image of the Spartans: one that emphasizes courage, austere living, martial excellence and devotion of its citizens and families to the state.
Many things surprised me throughout the book, with some interesting parallels to the present. It’s interesting to see how Lycurgus, the founding father of the Spartan constitution, was actually the amalgamation of different historical leaders and an ex-post justification for Spartan culture and (due to the deviation from the ordained constitution by him) its downfall as the preeminent city of Greece. The failure of Sparta to reform its political and economic system despite growing inequality, declining population and stagnant economy is also attested by a promise supposedly made by the people to him, a fact that carry strong symbolic meaning, even if unlikely to have happened.
Speaking of tradition, it is also interesting to see how both sides of the political spectrum appeal to it to further their goals of reform: either to reinforce the oligarchical system in place or devolve more power to the kings. If you read Roman history you will feel at home with the recurring discussion on inequality, the reforms needed to curb it and how its fighting capability and moral quality of the citizens was affected by it. In the end, deep reforms seem to rarely go through without a significant breakup of the political order, which usually results in violence. Property also seemed to be linked to more freedom and broader political rights. Whenever it concentrated in the hands of a few, the system was liable to corruption, abuse of power by the elites and populists that promoted radical solutions and ended up concentrating political power.
The book focuses on Sparta and its unique martial culture and leadership in Greece. To tell the story, it contains three biographies from some of its most illustrious leaders, a collection of quotes and sayings from Spartans and a summary of the unique customs of the city as perceived by other Greeks. The first (and most interesting) biography is from Lycurgus: the lawgiver, mythical figure that created the Spartan constitution and influenced the odd customs the city state is most famous for. Then there is Agesilaus, one of the Spartan kings at its height. A rather simple man, not raised to be king, both corrupt and capable military leader. It tells of the downfall of the Spartan hegemony in Greece in its conflicts with the Boeotian League leaded by Thebes. Finally, Agis and Cleomenes biographies, both reformers which tried to take Sparta back to its original constitution to save the city from the nobility corruption and stagnation brought by inequality, very similar to the Gracchi brothers of Rome. The first was felled during conflicts with the oligarchies of Sparta, the second lost its life amid the Successor Kingdoms politics, dying as a hostage in Ptolemaic Egypt after leading a brief recovery of Spartan power in the Peloponnese.
The book finishes with sayings of Spartans and typical examples of laconism: brief witticisms used to justify the uniqueness of Sparta and its citizens. While they are most likely invented or retconned to explain past, they embody the image of Sparta that other Greeks had and that ended up forming our image of the Spartans: one that emphasizes courage, austere living, martial excellence and devotion of its citizens and families to the state.
Many things surprised me throughout the book, with some interesting parallels to the present. It’s interesting to see how Lycurgus, the founding father of the Spartan constitution, was actually the amalgamation of different historical leaders and an ex-post justification for Spartan culture and (due to the deviation from the ordained constitution by him) its downfall as the preeminent city of Greece. The failure of Sparta to reform its political and economic system despite growing inequality, declining population and stagnant economy is also attested by a promise supposedly made by the people to him, a fact that carry strong symbolic meaning, even if unlikely to have happened.
Speaking of tradition, it is also interesting to see how both sides of the political spectrum appeal to it to further their goals of reform: either to reinforce the oligarchical system in place or devolve more power to the kings. If you read Roman history you will feel at home with the recurring discussion on inequality, the reforms needed to curb it and how its fighting capability and moral quality of the citizens was affected by it. In the end, deep reforms seem to rarely go through without a significant breakup of the political order, which usually results in violence. Property also seemed to be linked to more freedom and broader political rights. Whenever it concentrated in the hands of a few, the system was liable to corruption, abuse of power by the elites and populists that promoted radical solutions and ended up concentrating political power.
October 30, 2019
Some interesting things about Spartan kings:
1) They were strangely attracted to Egypt. Even Menelaus found himself blown to Egypt by bad winds after the Trojan War. Agesilaus served as a mercenary commander in Egypt to raise money for Sparta, and Cleomenes fled as a refugee to Egypt, where he was kept under house arrest and where he eventually killed himself after a failed attempt to escape.
2) Homosexual relations featured prominently in several of the Lives. I was pretty surprised at how Plutarch didn't attach any stigma to these relationships. It shows how in some respects the classical world was very different than modern society and how our society has in some ways changed for the worse since then.
Lycurgus - this life focuses mostly on Sparta's unique institutions created at an uncertain time around the 8th century BC. It's unclear which traditions/laws are legend, which are embellished, and which are true. But either way it's super fascinating that a city/society even somewhat similar to this has ever existed. And although it is very easy to identify Athens' cultural influences on our society, I think that Sparta has also left more subtle but almost as important traces of its unique culture and traditions in modern society.
Agesilaus - Agesilaus was a Spartan king during a pivotal time in its history (400-360BC), when Sparta went from being the supreme power in Greece after the Peloponnesian war to being completely dismantled by the Thebans Pelopidas and Epaminondas after the Battle of Leuctra in 372 BC. Throughout this time it seems as though Agesilaus was an overall good king and leader, which I think shows that even important things like the rise and fall of an empire are beyond any single person's control (although his virulent hatred towards and repeated campaigns against Thebes were not helpful). His career was really remarkable. He started out with a successful and highly lauded campaign against the Persians in Asia Minor - the first time a Greek army had been led against Persian territory (although it was in part inspired by the success of the 'Ten Thousand' mercenaries under Xenophon). However, after Leuctra Sparta became so destitute that his career ended with him in his 80s traveling to Egypt to raise money for Sparta (successfully) as a mercenary commander. Pretty sad.
One interesting part of his Life is Plutarch's recounting of his crush on Megabates, a young Persian noble. At a certain point Megabates tried to kiss him, as was the custom among Persians, but Agesilaus was so embarrassed that he recoiled from the kiss. After that, Megabates no longer tried to kiss Agesilaus, which made Agesilaus very sad and upset. His friends told him, ‘Instead of having the courage to stand firm and receive the attractive young man's kiss, you ran away; but even now he could still be persuaded to come close enough to you for a kiss, although this time be sure not to flinch.� But Agesilaus decided to not further pursue Megabates. Anyway, I thought it was super interesting that one of the 'best' kings of Sparta, the epitome of manly toughness, was also susceptible to middle school-level homosexual drama.
Another interesting thing about Agesilaus is that he was small and slightly lame in a leg (there was an oracle warning the Spartans to not allow a lame man to become king).
Agis and Cleomenes - by Agis and Cleomenes' time (late 200s BC), Sparta had really gone down the drain. Plutarch says "there were no more than 700 Spartiates left, of whom perhaps 100 owned land in addition to their lot." Although Sparta had always been a tiny town, it was now a really really tiny town, and it had lost Messena and most of the traditions which had made it unique. Agis agitated for a revolution to restore the Lycurgan constitution, but Agis botched his implementation of the revolution (by annulling debts but postponing the distribution of land), and the ephors killed him. Interestingly, Agis's principle opponent had Agis's widow marry his son, Cleomenes. Cleomenes was so inspired by Agis that when he became king, he completed Agis's reforms. He murdered all of the ephors (except one that escaped) and instituted a real revolution. It was pretty incredible reading about an almost Communist/French-style revolution occurring in a small town in Greece in the late 200s BC.
"For everyone else, he went on, all the land would be made public property, debtors freed of their obligations, and a selection and assessment of foreigners held, with the intention that the strongest of them should become Spartiates and give armed protection to the city."
"Next he handed over his own property to the state first, followed by his father-in-law Megistonous and each of his friends as well, and then by all the rest of the citizens, and thus the land was divided up. He even assigned a lot to each of those whom he had driven into exile, and promised that he would recall them all home once there was peace and quiet. He made up citizen numbers with the most eligible of the perioeci, raising 4,000 hoplites and training them to use a sarissa gripped by both hands instead of a spear, and to carry their shield by means of an arm-strap rather than with a handle. He then turned to the young men's training and to the so-called agoge, where he was helped in most aspects of his work by Sphaerus, who was there in person. As they quickly restored the proper arrangement of both physical training and messes, there were a few people who had to be forced to co-operate, but the majority willingly took up the famous, economical Spartan way of life. All the same, so as to soften the image of his absolute rule Cleomenes did appoint his brother Eucleidas as his fellow king. And this was the only time it happened that the Spartiates had two kings from the one house."
Cleomenes almost pulled it off. After hugely expanding the number of Spartiates and firing them up with the distribution of land, in a single campaigning season he stormed the Peloponnese and almost captured all of it. However, it was too good to be true. Aratus, the leader of the competing Achaean League, convinced Antigonus, the king of Macedonia, to come down and fight the Spartans. Meanwhile, Argos, which had gone over to Cleomenes, rebelled when Cleomenes (inexplicably) did not implement his promised reforms of debt cancellation and land distribution there. So Cleomenes was pushed back into Laconia and eventually defeated by Antigonus - although if he had delayed battle by just a few days, Antigonus would have had to leave to fend off Illyrians invading Macedonia. Cleomenes fled from Greece and traveled to Egypt, where he was essentially kept under house arrest. When he tried to escape, he failed and committed suicide. His children, wife, and mother were then killed by the Egyptians. Cleomenes' tragic end has a couple of surprisingly modern elements in it - a final touching homosexual moment, and also a scene showing the strength of Spartan women.
"each of the others calmly and fearlessly stabbed himself, except Panteus who was the first to break into Megalopolis. As a youth he had been extremely handsome and was the young man best suited to the agoge. The king had been his lover, and now gave him the order to commit suicide as soon as he saw that he himself and the others were dead. ... And when he touched Cleomenes on the ankle he noticed that his face twitched; so he kissed him and then sat down beside him. And when Cleomenes had finally expired, he embraced his corpse and stabbed himself to death over it."
As for Panteus's wife: "Finally after all the others, she made herself neat, let down her dress, and permitted no one to come close or touch her except the man deputed to carry out the execution: thus she met her end in heroic style, without having made anyone a request to tidy and cover her after she had passed away. So her discretion endured in death, and she maintained the watch over her person which she kept in her lifetime. In short, during these final stages Sparta played her role through the prowess of women which was equally matched with that of the men, and she thus demonstrated that true virtue cannot be undermined by Fortune."
1) They were strangely attracted to Egypt. Even Menelaus found himself blown to Egypt by bad winds after the Trojan War. Agesilaus served as a mercenary commander in Egypt to raise money for Sparta, and Cleomenes fled as a refugee to Egypt, where he was kept under house arrest and where he eventually killed himself after a failed attempt to escape.
2) Homosexual relations featured prominently in several of the Lives. I was pretty surprised at how Plutarch didn't attach any stigma to these relationships. It shows how in some respects the classical world was very different than modern society and how our society has in some ways changed for the worse since then.
Lycurgus - this life focuses mostly on Sparta's unique institutions created at an uncertain time around the 8th century BC. It's unclear which traditions/laws are legend, which are embellished, and which are true. But either way it's super fascinating that a city/society even somewhat similar to this has ever existed. And although it is very easy to identify Athens' cultural influences on our society, I think that Sparta has also left more subtle but almost as important traces of its unique culture and traditions in modern society.
Agesilaus - Agesilaus was a Spartan king during a pivotal time in its history (400-360BC), when Sparta went from being the supreme power in Greece after the Peloponnesian war to being completely dismantled by the Thebans Pelopidas and Epaminondas after the Battle of Leuctra in 372 BC. Throughout this time it seems as though Agesilaus was an overall good king and leader, which I think shows that even important things like the rise and fall of an empire are beyond any single person's control (although his virulent hatred towards and repeated campaigns against Thebes were not helpful). His career was really remarkable. He started out with a successful and highly lauded campaign against the Persians in Asia Minor - the first time a Greek army had been led against Persian territory (although it was in part inspired by the success of the 'Ten Thousand' mercenaries under Xenophon). However, after Leuctra Sparta became so destitute that his career ended with him in his 80s traveling to Egypt to raise money for Sparta (successfully) as a mercenary commander. Pretty sad.
One interesting part of his Life is Plutarch's recounting of his crush on Megabates, a young Persian noble. At a certain point Megabates tried to kiss him, as was the custom among Persians, but Agesilaus was so embarrassed that he recoiled from the kiss. After that, Megabates no longer tried to kiss Agesilaus, which made Agesilaus very sad and upset. His friends told him, ‘Instead of having the courage to stand firm and receive the attractive young man's kiss, you ran away; but even now he could still be persuaded to come close enough to you for a kiss, although this time be sure not to flinch.� But Agesilaus decided to not further pursue Megabates. Anyway, I thought it was super interesting that one of the 'best' kings of Sparta, the epitome of manly toughness, was also susceptible to middle school-level homosexual drama.
Another interesting thing about Agesilaus is that he was small and slightly lame in a leg (there was an oracle warning the Spartans to not allow a lame man to become king).
Agis and Cleomenes - by Agis and Cleomenes' time (late 200s BC), Sparta had really gone down the drain. Plutarch says "there were no more than 700 Spartiates left, of whom perhaps 100 owned land in addition to their lot." Although Sparta had always been a tiny town, it was now a really really tiny town, and it had lost Messena and most of the traditions which had made it unique. Agis agitated for a revolution to restore the Lycurgan constitution, but Agis botched his implementation of the revolution (by annulling debts but postponing the distribution of land), and the ephors killed him. Interestingly, Agis's principle opponent had Agis's widow marry his son, Cleomenes. Cleomenes was so inspired by Agis that when he became king, he completed Agis's reforms. He murdered all of the ephors (except one that escaped) and instituted a real revolution. It was pretty incredible reading about an almost Communist/French-style revolution occurring in a small town in Greece in the late 200s BC.
"For everyone else, he went on, all the land would be made public property, debtors freed of their obligations, and a selection and assessment of foreigners held, with the intention that the strongest of them should become Spartiates and give armed protection to the city."
"Next he handed over his own property to the state first, followed by his father-in-law Megistonous and each of his friends as well, and then by all the rest of the citizens, and thus the land was divided up. He even assigned a lot to each of those whom he had driven into exile, and promised that he would recall them all home once there was peace and quiet. He made up citizen numbers with the most eligible of the perioeci, raising 4,000 hoplites and training them to use a sarissa gripped by both hands instead of a spear, and to carry their shield by means of an arm-strap rather than with a handle. He then turned to the young men's training and to the so-called agoge, where he was helped in most aspects of his work by Sphaerus, who was there in person. As they quickly restored the proper arrangement of both physical training and messes, there were a few people who had to be forced to co-operate, but the majority willingly took up the famous, economical Spartan way of life. All the same, so as to soften the image of his absolute rule Cleomenes did appoint his brother Eucleidas as his fellow king. And this was the only time it happened that the Spartiates had two kings from the one house."
Cleomenes almost pulled it off. After hugely expanding the number of Spartiates and firing them up with the distribution of land, in a single campaigning season he stormed the Peloponnese and almost captured all of it. However, it was too good to be true. Aratus, the leader of the competing Achaean League, convinced Antigonus, the king of Macedonia, to come down and fight the Spartans. Meanwhile, Argos, which had gone over to Cleomenes, rebelled when Cleomenes (inexplicably) did not implement his promised reforms of debt cancellation and land distribution there. So Cleomenes was pushed back into Laconia and eventually defeated by Antigonus - although if he had delayed battle by just a few days, Antigonus would have had to leave to fend off Illyrians invading Macedonia. Cleomenes fled from Greece and traveled to Egypt, where he was essentially kept under house arrest. When he tried to escape, he failed and committed suicide. His children, wife, and mother were then killed by the Egyptians. Cleomenes' tragic end has a couple of surprisingly modern elements in it - a final touching homosexual moment, and also a scene showing the strength of Spartan women.
"each of the others calmly and fearlessly stabbed himself, except Panteus who was the first to break into Megalopolis. As a youth he had been extremely handsome and was the young man best suited to the agoge. The king had been his lover, and now gave him the order to commit suicide as soon as he saw that he himself and the others were dead. ... And when he touched Cleomenes on the ankle he noticed that his face twitched; so he kissed him and then sat down beside him. And when Cleomenes had finally expired, he embraced his corpse and stabbed himself to death over it."
As for Panteus's wife: "Finally after all the others, she made herself neat, let down her dress, and permitted no one to come close or touch her except the man deputed to carry out the execution: thus she met her end in heroic style, without having made anyone a request to tidy and cover her after she had passed away. So her discretion endured in death, and she maintained the watch over her person which she kept in her lifetime. In short, during these final stages Sparta played her role through the prowess of women which was equally matched with that of the men, and she thus demonstrated that true virtue cannot be undermined by Fortune."
May 13, 2019
I have really enjoyed reading Penguins groupings of Plutarch's Parallel Lives. in The Rise and Fall of Athens and On Sparta.
Even though the lives compared are always Roman to Greek, I immediately noted a parallel between my favorite biographies from each respectively of Nicias and Agesilaus II. Both concern men who become sort of washed-up and prone to misfortune not specifically through their own fault. With Nicias you find him with his army at the end being hounded across southern Sicily with no chance of escape after the failure of the Athenian Expedition. They get cornered at a lake and Plutarch/the translator give a vivid description of the thirst-mad Athenians hopelessly trying to get a quick sippy while the Syracusans are in the process of massacring them. Nicias
Then in On Sparta, you have the crippled King Agesilaus II desperately trying to make Sparta great again after the catastrophe at Leuctra takes them from hegemony to irrelevancy. He flounders around for a few years before the destitute conditions of Sparta forces him to undertake the ultimate humiliation at the age of 84; becoming a mercenary commander for foreign powers.
And then besides the lives of Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis, and Cleomenes, there is a chapter on laconic sayings which are great.
Even though the lives compared are always Roman to Greek, I immediately noted a parallel between my favorite biographies from each respectively of Nicias and Agesilaus II. Both concern men who become sort of washed-up and prone to misfortune not specifically through their own fault. With Nicias you find him with his army at the end being hounded across southern Sicily with no chance of escape after the failure of the Athenian Expedition. They get cornered at a lake and Plutarch/the translator give a vivid description of the thirst-mad Athenians hopelessly trying to get a quick sippy while the Syracusans are in the process of massacring them. Nicias
flung himself at Gylippus’s feet, and cried out: ‘Gylippus, have pity on us in your triumph. I do not ask this for myself: I have known glory and fame enough to bear such a change of fortune, but I appeal to you for my men’s sake. Remember that the Athenians showed humanity to your countrymen when we were the victors, and that all men are subject to the chances of war.� Gylippus could not remain unmoved by these words nor by Nicias’s appearance. He therefore raised Nicias from the ground, spoke encouragingly to him, and ordered his troops to give quarter to the Athenians
Then in On Sparta, you have the crippled King Agesilaus II desperately trying to make Sparta great again after the catastrophe at Leuctra takes them from hegemony to irrelevancy. He flounders around for a few years before the destitute conditions of Sparta forces him to undertake the ultimate humiliation at the age of 84; becoming a mercenary commander for foreign powers.
As he was dying on the voyage back from Egypt, he gave instructions to those close to him that they should not be responsible for making any image of his person, be it modelled or painted or copied: ‘For if I have accomplished any glorious feat, that will be my memorial. But if I have not, not even all the statues in the world � the products of vulgar, worthless men � would make any difference.
And then besides the lives of Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis, and Cleomenes, there is a chapter on laconic sayings which are great.
When envoys from Samos were urging him to go to war against the tyrant Polycrates and made protracted speeches for the purpose, he said: ‘I don't recall the beginning of what you said, and consequently I also don't grasp the middle sections, while the part at the end I don't approve of.�
There is a story that an Argive had said, ‘Many of your men lie buried in the Argolid.� To which the Spartiate replied, ‘Yes, but not one of you lies buried in Laconia.�
December 14, 2023
8/10.
This book has a lot of great information about Sparta inside of it. It includes the lives of many prominent Spartans by Plutarch, quotes from Sparta kings and women, and Xenophon's short essay on Spartan society. I will provide some quotes from these authors about Sparta with my commentary:
Antalcidas, a Spartan citizen: "To the Athenian who was calling the Spartans uneducated, he said: 'At least we are the only ones who have learned nothing wicked from you.'"
After the Enlightenment, with its prophecies of how divine "reason" could destroy the "prejudices" of all, every liberal of today believes that only an "ignorant" man could be against castrating one's self, destroying one's lineage through miscegenation, and letting thugs run free in our society. In the liberal's view, such beliefs could only come from a "bigot", who, with his "unconscious biases", decides to irrationally hate others. However, such an "ignorant" man with the above beliefs simply lacks the miseducation the liberal got in university or through public school. He is connected with his natural instincts � to hate chaos and evil, to preserve his blood, to love the normal standard of nature. And thus he is superior in so far as he has "learned nothing wicked".
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ�
Agesilaus, a 4th century B.C. Spartan king: "To the man who was amazed at how modest his clothes and his meals were, and those of the other Spartans as well, he said: 'Freedom is what we reap from this way of life, my friend.'"
Imagine a lawyer, dutifully working on his career. He puts in 80-hour weeks and brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Though hateful of his work, betraying his fellow man by the day, and an alcoholic due to his daily lies, he has gathered a good pile of money. He really wants a wet hole (he says, "I want a woman") so he buys a fancy Lamborghini and a huge house in a fancy neighborhood. He smiles at the purchase, but he knows he will have to keep working 80 hour weeks to maintain his lifestyle. He gets his woman � in reality, a leech for his money � and his expensive monthly payments on his car and house. But, "damn it", he thinks, "my neighbor over there has a Bugatti and 1000 sq. ft more than me!". He needs more! So he works 90 hours a week. He's tired, he hates his life, but God he just needs that new car. His wife will start having sex with him again if he gets it. He knows it!
Such is the life of a complete slave � a slave to money, a slave to women, a slave to material possessions. Such a life will never be well lived, and, most importantly, never be free. One is always trying to get a new thing, and never thinking about one should be doing. Life is lost in an eternal chase after non-existent goods and false idols. On the other hand, resisting the chase of these goods (even as your friends parade them on their social media) leads to freedom. The freedom for what? The freedom to not have to chase after nothingness. The freedom to live as one ought to live, and to not be enslaved to externals. This is true freedom, as opposed to the "freedom" given to you by a man-made constitution.
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ�
Pausanias, king of Sparta: "When another doctor said to him: 'You have become an old man,' he said 'Yes, because I didn't employ you as my doctor.'"
Pausanias again: "When one of his friends was criticizing him for disparaging a particular doctor even though he had never consulted him nor been done any harm by him, he said, 'My point is that, had I gone to consult him, I should not be alive now.'"
The pharmaceutical industry, funding perhaps every mainstream doctor in the United States, has led to a country of unparalleled sickness and fatness. Root causes are never examined. A pill can be prescribed for everything, instead of fixing the basics, diet and exercise. Diet recommendations are confused and illogical. Fiber � by definition, indigestable plant material � is prescribed to help digestion. They tell us meat is terribly carcinogenic, and raw meat even worse, having "bacteria" on it, so we burn the few servings of meat we do eat, adding real carcinogens. Some have even replaced meat with a laboratory-made soy concoction.
We are recommended "healthy" plant oils, which are made in a factory, put through nine different machines, bleached, mixed with benzene, and heated up to thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. How natural! When these same oils end up making us sick, we are told that we can fix ourselves with antibiotics. What is the root of the word antibiotics? Anti-bios, which means "anti-life". Antibiotics are anti-life, and they destroy your gut and your body.
Through antibiotics and other pills, we have become a nation of drug addicts. It truly is sickening. Think about what a human would naturally eat. Then eat it. Stop eating so many processed seeds � which include grains and nuts � as that is the part of the plant that it most needs to protect to reproduce. Protect with what? With poisonous chemicals that go into your body. Eat naturally, train your body, get off the pills, and ignore your doctors. And hunt and eat raw animals if you can. Such is the Spartan recommendation to live a healthy life.
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ�
An anonymous Spartan woman: "When an Ionian woman was priding herself on one of the tapestries she had made (which was indeed of great value), a Spartan woman showed off her four most dutiful sons and said they were the kind of thing a noble and good woman ought to produce, and should boast of them and take pride in them.'"
I believe we have many Ionian women today. Women have been told since the 1960s that the value of making dollar bills is greater than that of raising children. The "love" gotten from a boss who can replace you at any second is greater than the love of your own progeny. Money can buy you fancy clothes and more makeup � all wonderful things, but for whom? Why does anyone dress up? For the attention of the opposite sex! Deep down, I believe, most modern women still want to have families and children with strong men. They do not consciously realize this though, even though their actions convey this desire of theirs. We need more Spartan women who take pride in their children and in their raising of them. Such an occupation, not paid in paper, is truly the most important of all.
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ�
Charillus, an 8th century B.C. Spartan king: "When someone was asking why they let unmarried girls appear in public unveiled, but their wives veiled, he said: 'Because the girls need to find husbands, whereas the wives must stick to their own husbands.'"
"Conservatives" in the United States say that the Islamic practice of veiling women is "barbaric" and against the all-holy principle of "women's rights". However, it is a simple pragmatic solution. If you have a wife, you do not want to be cuckolded. She knows who her children are � they came out of her � but you do not. If you do not ensure your paternity, you can waste 18 years of resources on someone who is not your own. How do you ensure your paternity? You stop other men from hitting on your wife. What are men attracted to? Women's external appearance � their breasts, buttocks, and waist-to-hip ratio. Therefore, if you cover these external traits, less men will be turned on by your wife, less men will approach her, and your chance of being cuckolded will decrease. Your society will be more stable, as fewer men will be attacking and killing other men for cuckolding them.
In addition, why should women want to show their external traits to the public once married? Is not the whole point of marriage singular fidelity? The only reason, presumably, would be to get attention from other men. And we all know the road that such attention leads down.
This book has a lot of great information about Sparta inside of it. It includes the lives of many prominent Spartans by Plutarch, quotes from Sparta kings and women, and Xenophon's short essay on Spartan society. I will provide some quotes from these authors about Sparta with my commentary:
Antalcidas, a Spartan citizen: "To the Athenian who was calling the Spartans uneducated, he said: 'At least we are the only ones who have learned nothing wicked from you.'"
After the Enlightenment, with its prophecies of how divine "reason" could destroy the "prejudices" of all, every liberal of today believes that only an "ignorant" man could be against castrating one's self, destroying one's lineage through miscegenation, and letting thugs run free in our society. In the liberal's view, such beliefs could only come from a "bigot", who, with his "unconscious biases", decides to irrationally hate others. However, such an "ignorant" man with the above beliefs simply lacks the miseducation the liberal got in university or through public school. He is connected with his natural instincts � to hate chaos and evil, to preserve his blood, to love the normal standard of nature. And thus he is superior in so far as he has "learned nothing wicked".
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ�
Agesilaus, a 4th century B.C. Spartan king: "To the man who was amazed at how modest his clothes and his meals were, and those of the other Spartans as well, he said: 'Freedom is what we reap from this way of life, my friend.'"
Imagine a lawyer, dutifully working on his career. He puts in 80-hour weeks and brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Though hateful of his work, betraying his fellow man by the day, and an alcoholic due to his daily lies, he has gathered a good pile of money. He really wants a wet hole (he says, "I want a woman") so he buys a fancy Lamborghini and a huge house in a fancy neighborhood. He smiles at the purchase, but he knows he will have to keep working 80 hour weeks to maintain his lifestyle. He gets his woman � in reality, a leech for his money � and his expensive monthly payments on his car and house. But, "damn it", he thinks, "my neighbor over there has a Bugatti and 1000 sq. ft more than me!". He needs more! So he works 90 hours a week. He's tired, he hates his life, but God he just needs that new car. His wife will start having sex with him again if he gets it. He knows it!
Such is the life of a complete slave � a slave to money, a slave to women, a slave to material possessions. Such a life will never be well lived, and, most importantly, never be free. One is always trying to get a new thing, and never thinking about one should be doing. Life is lost in an eternal chase after non-existent goods and false idols. On the other hand, resisting the chase of these goods (even as your friends parade them on their social media) leads to freedom. The freedom for what? The freedom to not have to chase after nothingness. The freedom to live as one ought to live, and to not be enslaved to externals. This is true freedom, as opposed to the "freedom" given to you by a man-made constitution.
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ�
Pausanias, king of Sparta: "When another doctor said to him: 'You have become an old man,' he said 'Yes, because I didn't employ you as my doctor.'"
Pausanias again: "When one of his friends was criticizing him for disparaging a particular doctor even though he had never consulted him nor been done any harm by him, he said, 'My point is that, had I gone to consult him, I should not be alive now.'"
The pharmaceutical industry, funding perhaps every mainstream doctor in the United States, has led to a country of unparalleled sickness and fatness. Root causes are never examined. A pill can be prescribed for everything, instead of fixing the basics, diet and exercise. Diet recommendations are confused and illogical. Fiber � by definition, indigestable plant material � is prescribed to help digestion. They tell us meat is terribly carcinogenic, and raw meat even worse, having "bacteria" on it, so we burn the few servings of meat we do eat, adding real carcinogens. Some have even replaced meat with a laboratory-made soy concoction.
We are recommended "healthy" plant oils, which are made in a factory, put through nine different machines, bleached, mixed with benzene, and heated up to thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. How natural! When these same oils end up making us sick, we are told that we can fix ourselves with antibiotics. What is the root of the word antibiotics? Anti-bios, which means "anti-life". Antibiotics are anti-life, and they destroy your gut and your body.
Through antibiotics and other pills, we have become a nation of drug addicts. It truly is sickening. Think about what a human would naturally eat. Then eat it. Stop eating so many processed seeds � which include grains and nuts � as that is the part of the plant that it most needs to protect to reproduce. Protect with what? With poisonous chemicals that go into your body. Eat naturally, train your body, get off the pills, and ignore your doctors. And hunt and eat raw animals if you can. Such is the Spartan recommendation to live a healthy life.
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ�
An anonymous Spartan woman: "When an Ionian woman was priding herself on one of the tapestries she had made (which was indeed of great value), a Spartan woman showed off her four most dutiful sons and said they were the kind of thing a noble and good woman ought to produce, and should boast of them and take pride in them.'"
I believe we have many Ionian women today. Women have been told since the 1960s that the value of making dollar bills is greater than that of raising children. The "love" gotten from a boss who can replace you at any second is greater than the love of your own progeny. Money can buy you fancy clothes and more makeup � all wonderful things, but for whom? Why does anyone dress up? For the attention of the opposite sex! Deep down, I believe, most modern women still want to have families and children with strong men. They do not consciously realize this though, even though their actions convey this desire of theirs. We need more Spartan women who take pride in their children and in their raising of them. Such an occupation, not paid in paper, is truly the most important of all.
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ�
Charillus, an 8th century B.C. Spartan king: "When someone was asking why they let unmarried girls appear in public unveiled, but their wives veiled, he said: 'Because the girls need to find husbands, whereas the wives must stick to their own husbands.'"
"Conservatives" in the United States say that the Islamic practice of veiling women is "barbaric" and against the all-holy principle of "women's rights". However, it is a simple pragmatic solution. If you have a wife, you do not want to be cuckolded. She knows who her children are � they came out of her � but you do not. If you do not ensure your paternity, you can waste 18 years of resources on someone who is not your own. How do you ensure your paternity? You stop other men from hitting on your wife. What are men attracted to? Women's external appearance � their breasts, buttocks, and waist-to-hip ratio. Therefore, if you cover these external traits, less men will be turned on by your wife, less men will approach her, and your chance of being cuckolded will decrease. Your society will be more stable, as fewer men will be attacking and killing other men for cuckolding them.
In addition, why should women want to show their external traits to the public once married? Is not the whole point of marriage singular fidelity? The only reason, presumably, would be to get attention from other men. And we all know the road that such attention leads down.
April 27, 2008
Highly recommended if you are interested in Spartan lives, ancient greek history or moral portraits. Sparta may have saved Greece from the barbarians, and won the Peloponesian war, but Athens has emerged the ultimate winner, simply because most of the surviving texts were written by Athenians. A great selection of writings on a nation whose reputation for valour inspired the Western martial tradition, and whose reputation for casual brutality provided a useful template for English boarding schools.
December 16, 2008
Some of Plutarch's best lives, although occasionally he does not focus on the Life at all, as in the case of the legendary Lycurgus. Here, Plutarch veers wildly away from biography and fortuitously crash lands in anthropology. An excellent addition is Plutarch's "Sayings of Spartan Women," which helps to demonstrate that Spartan wives and mothers definitely had a hand in shaping their own society.
August 29, 2022
This book is golden!
It has so many funny quotes from ancient bats, I can't stop laughing.
Plutarch has such a sense of humour-- but I also value his historical elements, too.
It has so many funny quotes from ancient bats, I can't stop laughing.
Plutarch has such a sense of humour-- but I also value his historical elements, too.
April 16, 2023
A piece of history, but it really reads like it is 2000 years old - feels more of a textbook than living history.
May 13, 2019
"[...] the king sacrificed the customary she-goat, instructed everyone to put on garlands and ordered the pipers to play Castor's Air. At the same time he began the marching paean, so that it was a sight at once solemn and terrifying to see them marching in step to the pipes, creating no gap in the phalanx, nor suffering any disturbance of spirit, but approaching the confrontation calmly and happily in time to the music. In all likelihood men in this frame of mind feel neither fear nor exceptional anger, but with hope and courage they steadily maintain their purpose, believing heaven to be with them"
A breath of fresh air !
The writing style is frank and unaffected, in tune with the spartan ideals of mastering "their emotions in all aspects of life" and living simply and honorably. I appreciated the fact that Plutarch adds in both further details and and his (and other writers') sound judgement on some of the accounts present in the book, that ask for further explanation.
I find it absolutely inspiring and nothing short of glorious, that the ancient Spartans aimed to develop very strong capable bodies, but also sharp reasoning and an understanding of spirituality.
It was complete men - and women - that they sought to become, so that they could able to build a cohesive state (which was closer to a family, actually) on the cornerstone of the spartan law. Their sayings are captivating in their simplicity, as they used up a lot of their time to forge their famous laconic speech of impressive shrewdness and ingenious conciseness.
A few examples :
"As some Athenian was reading a funeral eulogy in praise of men killed by Spartans, he (Areus, Agiad king 309-265) said 'What, then, do you think was he quality of our men who defeated them?'"
"When he (Archidamus son of Zeuxidamus) observed his son fighting the Athenians recklessly , he said:'Either increase your strength, or reduce your self-confidence'"
"Another woman, in reply to her son who declared that the sword he had was a small one, said: 'Then extend it by a stride'"
This for me is one of those books I can take a short peek into in order to derive mental strength and motivation.
A breath of fresh air !
The writing style is frank and unaffected, in tune with the spartan ideals of mastering "their emotions in all aspects of life" and living simply and honorably. I appreciated the fact that Plutarch adds in both further details and and his (and other writers') sound judgement on some of the accounts present in the book, that ask for further explanation.
I find it absolutely inspiring and nothing short of glorious, that the ancient Spartans aimed to develop very strong capable bodies, but also sharp reasoning and an understanding of spirituality.
It was complete men - and women - that they sought to become, so that they could able to build a cohesive state (which was closer to a family, actually) on the cornerstone of the spartan law. Their sayings are captivating in their simplicity, as they used up a lot of their time to forge their famous laconic speech of impressive shrewdness and ingenious conciseness.
A few examples :
"As some Athenian was reading a funeral eulogy in praise of men killed by Spartans, he (Areus, Agiad king 309-265) said 'What, then, do you think was he quality of our men who defeated them?'"
"When he (Archidamus son of Zeuxidamus) observed his son fighting the Athenians recklessly , he said:'Either increase your strength, or reduce your self-confidence'"
"Another woman, in reply to her son who declared that the sword he had was a small one, said: 'Then extend it by a stride'"
This for me is one of those books I can take a short peek into in order to derive mental strength and motivation.
July 28, 2024
THREE OF PLUTARCH'S "LIVES" OF SPARTANS, AND VARIOUS SAYINGS
Plutarch (46-120 CE) was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Platonist. These excerpts (his "Life of Lycurgus," and "Life of Agis and Cleomenes"; various "sayings") are not a very comprehensive overview of Sparta, but contain some interesting information.
He notes that women had "an enthusiasm for physical fitness" and "masculine gallantry," so that a foreign woman told them, "You Laconian women are the only ones who can rule men. That is because we are the only ones who give birth to men." (Pg 24-25)
He comments, "Personally I am surprised by the claim that while the Spartans knew how to obey, they had no idea of how to command." (Pg. 44)
He observes, "Now at that time most of the wealth of Sparta was in the hands of women, and it was this which made Agis' task troublesome and awkward. For the women opposed him, not only because they would lose the luxury which seemed to them with their lack of taste to be true happiness, but also because they saw that they would be deprived of both the respect and the influence which their wealth afforded them." (Pg. 58-59)
It was said of King Agesilaus, "Whenever he heard people being critical or complimentary, he considered it just as important to establish the characters of those talking as of those being talked about." (Pg. 110) His son Archidamus wrote to the victor of a battle, "Were you to measure your own shadow, you wouldn't find that it had grown any bigger than before your victory." (Pg. 131)
Xenophon commented in his book "Spartan Society" (excerpted in this book), "There is no need to be surprised at the length of my description because anybody would discover that where military matters are concerned the Spartans have overlooked very little that demands attention." (Pg. 180)
This book is good supplemental material on Sparta, and also fills out the Penguin set of Plutarch's writings.
Plutarch (46-120 CE) was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Platonist. These excerpts (his "Life of Lycurgus," and "Life of Agis and Cleomenes"; various "sayings") are not a very comprehensive overview of Sparta, but contain some interesting information.
He notes that women had "an enthusiasm for physical fitness" and "masculine gallantry," so that a foreign woman told them, "You Laconian women are the only ones who can rule men. That is because we are the only ones who give birth to men." (Pg 24-25)
He comments, "Personally I am surprised by the claim that while the Spartans knew how to obey, they had no idea of how to command." (Pg. 44)
He observes, "Now at that time most of the wealth of Sparta was in the hands of women, and it was this which made Agis' task troublesome and awkward. For the women opposed him, not only because they would lose the luxury which seemed to them with their lack of taste to be true happiness, but also because they saw that they would be deprived of both the respect and the influence which their wealth afforded them." (Pg. 58-59)
It was said of King Agesilaus, "Whenever he heard people being critical or complimentary, he considered it just as important to establish the characters of those talking as of those being talked about." (Pg. 110) His son Archidamus wrote to the victor of a battle, "Were you to measure your own shadow, you wouldn't find that it had grown any bigger than before your victory." (Pg. 131)
Xenophon commented in his book "Spartan Society" (excerpted in this book), "There is no need to be surprised at the length of my description because anybody would discover that where military matters are concerned the Spartans have overlooked very little that demands attention." (Pg. 180)
This book is good supplemental material on Sparta, and also fills out the Penguin set of Plutarch's writings.
February 24, 2021
On Sparta was an incredible and easy read. It was fascinating to read Plutarch's unreserved ideals, opinions and comparisons on Spartan Society from other ancient sources and those contemporary with his time, even when I didn't agree with him. You can see the origins of many philosophies, stories, and myths we believe about Ancient people, and how and why they came about. Utilitarian societies removed niceties and quantities for the longer lasting stability of a country. In contrasting Sparta's extremes with other Polis of the time shows that with decadence, wider trade, and growing resource desires of the demos, you can see what led to their inevitable downfall, and how Sparta avoided the trappings of Globalism for an austere, harsh, but resolute life. It was as close to a Nationalist and Communistic "utopia" as you could get. The influence of Nationalism on different city-states, or different civilization such as the beginnings of democratic nationalism in Athens, compared with the Nationalism of Rome, then the isolationist primitive nationalism of Lacedaemon is contrasted by the values of the people within, and with Plutarch's style, that is illustrated with fascinating anecdotes. True or not, they tell a great deal.
August 6, 2024
This book is really suited for historians that want to learn more about Sparta, but not for me.
The book is divided in an introduction, the lives of Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis and Cleomenes, then the sayings of Spartans and the Spartan women (who loved killing cowardly sons), and an appendix.
If I would read it again, I'd skip the preface and introduction.
Some parts are quite complicated, like the many figures at the same time and knowing which side they're on / what city state they represent. Also the genealogy like: "Procles, son of Artistodemes, was the father or Soüs; Eurypon was Soüs' son; Prytanis was Eurypon's son; Eunomus was Prytanis' son; Eunomus had Polydectus by his first wife, and Lycurgus was his younger son by a second wife, Dionassa."
So this was not the book for someone like me, who just wanted an introduction to Sparta, the lifestyle, laws and philosophy and not all the occupational therapy of the gene lines and everybody to ever live.
The things I enjoyed reading were some parts of the lives of Lycurgus and Agesilaus, some of the sayings (there were a lot of similar sayings) and the appendix.
The book is divided in an introduction, the lives of Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis and Cleomenes, then the sayings of Spartans and the Spartan women (who loved killing cowardly sons), and an appendix.
If I would read it again, I'd skip the preface and introduction.
Some parts are quite complicated, like the many figures at the same time and knowing which side they're on / what city state they represent. Also the genealogy like: "Procles, son of Artistodemes, was the father or Soüs; Eurypon was Soüs' son; Prytanis was Eurypon's son; Eunomus was Prytanis' son; Eunomus had Polydectus by his first wife, and Lycurgus was his younger son by a second wife, Dionassa."
So this was not the book for someone like me, who just wanted an introduction to Sparta, the lifestyle, laws and philosophy and not all the occupational therapy of the gene lines and everybody to ever live.
The things I enjoyed reading were some parts of the lives of Lycurgus and Agesilaus, some of the sayings (there were a lot of similar sayings) and the appendix.
February 27, 2018
To a history buff, the first reading of Plutarch must be an awaited experience, even if it is not a memorable one. This is a selection of three (or four) of his 'lives': Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis and Cleomenes. In this Penguin edition, a section by Xenophon on Spartan society is added along with Plutarch's own collection of Spartan quotes or 'sayings'. To a pacifist Spartan society can be abominable, and to an art-lover the austere Spartan persona is extremely dry but Lycurgus' vision will definitely appeal to those with socialistic sentiments. I claim to belong to the laconophilic tradition (attracted to Lycurgian intentions) where both Rousseau and Thoreau sit. But if you arrive at this book having seen 300, the persona of the daring Leonidas can only be found in the 'sayings' section. Perhaps that small segment does suffice in reflecting his glamour.
February 8, 2023
Those crazy Spartans! I wanted to read this because Sparta has influenced thinkers like Plato and Rousseau. I have to say, if Plutarch conveys anything like the truth about Sparta, that I think less of anyone who idolizes Sparta. I get the temptation. It was a city and culture focused on one thing: war. Having everyone in a city agree or pretend to agree on an objective and a definition of the good has obvious attractions to a certain type of philosopher. But everything, and I mean everything, depends on the good that is chosen. And given how likely it is that orienting everything in society toward one conception of the good will pervert if not destroy other good things, I have to doubt the wisdom of such an approach. Anyway, in an era when wars were frequent, perhaps Sparta's approach was wise, though even Sparta eventually lost big.
August 23, 2024
De Spartanen blijven tot de verbeelding spreken vanwege hun strenge wetten, korte uitspraken en legendarische soldaten. Ook in de Romeinse tijd waren ze beroemd, mede dankzij een aantal werken van de Romeinse schrijver Plutarchus, hier verzameld in één boek. De vier biografieën van Spartaanse leiders geven een interessant en afwisselend beeld, en stiekem ook nog een inkijkje in de politieke gedachtes van Plutarchus zelf.
Lycurgus: de mythische wetgever wordt ondanks weinig betrouwbare bronnen mooi neergezet door Plutarchus.
Agesilaus: de langst regerende Spartaanse koning ziet, ondanks zijn goede bedoelingen voor de staat, Sparta sterk achteruitgaan.
Agia en Cleomenes: beide proberen met wisselend succes Sparta's oude glorie en wetten te herstellen. Sterke politieke en economische krachten werken hen tegen in hun, volgens Plutarchus, nobele doelen.
Lycurgus: de mythische wetgever wordt ondanks weinig betrouwbare bronnen mooi neergezet door Plutarchus.
Agesilaus: de langst regerende Spartaanse koning ziet, ondanks zijn goede bedoelingen voor de staat, Sparta sterk achteruitgaan.
Agia en Cleomenes: beide proberen met wisselend succes Sparta's oude glorie en wetten te herstellen. Sterke politieke en economische krachten werken hen tegen in hun, volgens Plutarchus, nobele doelen.
December 30, 2021
I read it because that many figures from French Revolution loved to link themselves to Athens and Sparta. Before reading this book, I literally knew nothing about Sparta at all. So I think I’m qualified to say that this is a attractive enough historical book - not dry and boring, but easy to read, and full of details. Even a beginner like me can smoothly read it, but not fall asleep after reading two pages :D
And to Spartan: your views of marriage and sex is so fucking advanced lol. Is that everyone was pansexual and in open relationship back then in Sparta? I love it looooooool
And to Spartan: your views of marriage and sex is so fucking advanced lol. Is that everyone was pansexual and in open relationship back then in Sparta? I love it looooooool
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