"On Sparta" Book Review
Plutarch 's take on the history of "On Sparta" was written in such a way that readers may not take every piece of information literally. One may be led to believe that Plutarch wrote this book with the idea that he was not trying to be historically correct. The exaggerated parts of the lives of Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis, and Cleomenes should be understood as more of a fable rather than an actual piece of history.
“On Sparta" has a great balance between the lives and sayings of Spartan men and women sections. The Sayings section is almost comical. The use of few words was really essential to their cleverness. A quote in particular, found on page 178 under Pausanias Son of Pleistoanax talks about a man’s visit to the …show more content…
"Intellectual history refers to the historiography of ideas and thinkers." (Intellectual History) Plutarch 's "On Sparta" is not relevant without his ideas and understanding of the Spartan lifestyle. Although his story is not historically correct, it is in fact parallel with the history of Spartan philosophy. It is very well known that Spartans had the ability to unify their body and mind, they were also very firm believers of equality. Their ability to express these qualities allowed them to be incomparable leaders. This kind of behavior was really demonstrated throughout the life of …show more content…
Though the were extremely strict and leaned more towards military tactics, they had good intentions when it came to their beliefs. All of the leaders talked about in the "Lives" section practiced the same lifestyles. Lycurgus was an intelligent leader. He used wisdom to create rules to live by. He saw what his society was lacking and he found ways to improve the lifestyle. Even though the guidelines he set were strict, they were beneficial. Sparta was the most feared state for 200 plus years and they did not even have walls to protect them from their enemies. They were so respected by others that they never had to worry about invasions, for they alone were enough
Plutarch 's take on the history of "On Sparta" was written in such a way that readers may not take every piece of information literally. One may be led to believe that Plutarch wrote this book with the idea that he was not trying to be historically correct. The exaggerated parts of the lives of Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis, and Cleomenes should be understood as more of a fable rather than an actual piece of history.
“On Sparta" has a great balance between the lives and sayings of Spartan men and women sections. The Sayings section is almost comical. The use of few words was really essential to their cleverness. A quote in particular, found on page 178 under Pausanias Son of Pleistoanax talks about a man’s visit to the …show more content…
"Intellectual history refers to the historiography of ideas and thinkers." (Intellectual History) Plutarch 's "On Sparta" is not relevant without his ideas and understanding of the Spartan lifestyle. Although his story is not historically correct, it is in fact parallel with the history of Spartan philosophy. It is very well known that Spartans had the ability to unify their body and mind, they were also very firm believers of equality. Their ability to express these qualities allowed them to be incomparable leaders. This kind of behavior was really demonstrated throughout the life of …show more content…
Though the were extremely strict and leaned more towards military tactics, they had good intentions when it came to their beliefs. All of the leaders talked about in the "Lives" section practiced the same lifestyles. Lycurgus was an intelligent leader. He used wisdom to create rules to live by. He saw what his society was lacking and he found ways to improve the lifestyle. Even though the guidelines he set were strict, they were beneficial. Sparta was the most feared state for 200 plus years and they did not even have walls to protect them from their enemies. They were so respected by others that they never had to worry about invasions, for they alone were enough