Significance of Plutarch’s Lycurgus (24)
I will briefly present how Plutarch’s Lycurgus complicates our understanding of Sparta in the late eighth century onwards. This passage exemplifies the benefits of Lycurgus’ reforms in this era and shows how it evolved Sparta into a different, seemingly superior society in the 7th century BCE. Although this passage is essential for developing our understanding of Sparta after Lycurgus’ reforms, it is misleading to contemporary readers as it overly idealizes the Spartan way.
This passage is significant as it shows readers about the training of Spartan males. Plutarch mentions that Spartans’ training “continued into their mature years”. This is beneficial to the readers as it gives some insight into the agoge and training of Spartans throughout their lives. Spartan men were required to stay in their training camps, or barracks, until the age of thirty, so Plutarch’s knowledge here is accurate. This also shows how Lycurgus’ reforms valued the continual learning and training of all men, which is accurate as Lycurgus made Sparta into a city of philosophers. The training of men until at least the age of thirty shows the emphasis that Lycurgus placed on knowledge and this is why this passage is useful. Moreover, Plutarch explains that in their spare time they …show more content…
According to Plutarch, ‘instead of greed or want, there was equality’ and ‘ease’ in Sparta, as opposed to the rest of Greece. This is beneficial to a reader’s understanding of Sparta as it explains the ideal of homoioi present in Sparta at the time. This meant ‘men of equals’ and is what Spartans referred to themselves as. Due to Lycurgus’s reforms, Spartans no longer had disparity regarding wealth so there was more equality and less discontent due to this, as Sparta was divided into 9000 equal kleroi at birth. In this sense Plutarch is accurate about the notion of equality in
I will briefly present how Plutarch’s Lycurgus complicates our understanding of Sparta in the late eighth century onwards. This passage exemplifies the benefits of Lycurgus’ reforms in this era and shows how it evolved Sparta into a different, seemingly superior society in the 7th century BCE. Although this passage is essential for developing our understanding of Sparta after Lycurgus’ reforms, it is misleading to contemporary readers as it overly idealizes the Spartan way.
This passage is significant as it shows readers about the training of Spartan males. Plutarch mentions that Spartans’ training “continued into their mature years”. This is beneficial to the readers as it gives some insight into the agoge and training of Spartans throughout their lives. Spartan men were required to stay in their training camps, or barracks, until the age of thirty, so Plutarch’s knowledge here is accurate. This also shows how Lycurgus’ reforms valued the continual learning and training of all men, which is accurate as Lycurgus made Sparta into a city of philosophers. The training of men until at least the age of thirty shows the emphasis that Lycurgus placed on knowledge and this is why this passage is useful. Moreover, Plutarch explains that in their spare time they …show more content…
According to Plutarch, ‘instead of greed or want, there was equality’ and ‘ease’ in Sparta, as opposed to the rest of Greece. This is beneficial to a reader’s understanding of Sparta as it explains the ideal of homoioi present in Sparta at the time. This meant ‘men of equals’ and is what Spartans referred to themselves as. Due to Lycurgus’s reforms, Spartans no longer had disparity regarding wealth so there was more equality and less discontent due to this, as Sparta was divided into 9000 equal kleroi at birth. In this sense Plutarch is accurate about the notion of equality in