Philosophers Laconophilia

lycurgus of sparta, legendary founder of city s constitution

laconophiles nevertheless remained among philosophers. of young men followed socrates had been laconophiles. socrates himself portrayed praising laws of sparta , crete. critias, companion of socrates, helped bring oligarchic rule of thirty tyrants, supported sparta. xenophon, disciple of socrates, fought spartans against athens. plato also, in writings, seems prefer spartan-type regime on democratic one. aristotle regarded kind of laws adopted crete , sparta apt produce virtuous , law-abiding citizens, although criticises cretans , spartans incompetent , corrupt, , built on culture of war.

greek philosophy, therefore, inherited tradition of praising spartan law. reinforced when agis iv , cleomenes iii attempted restore ancestral constitution @ sparta, no man living had experienced. attempt ended collapse of institutions of lycurgus, , 1 nabis established tyranny in laconia.

in later centuries, greek philosophers, platonists, described sparta ideal state, strong, brave, , free corruptions of commerce , money. these descriptions, of plutarch s complete, vary in many details. many scholars have attempted reconstruct parts of these utopias classical spartans practised, parts cleomenes, , later classical authors invented.

it became fashionable romans visit lacedaemon , see rites of artemis orthia, sort of tourist attraction – nearest greece had offer gladiatorial games.