Ancient Laconophilia Laconophilia

1 ancient laconophilia

1.1 athens
1.2 philosophers
1.3 contrary views

ancient laconophilia
athens

in ancient athens, laconism began current of thought , feeling after persian wars. some, cimon, son of miltiades, believed athens should ally sparta against persian empire. cimon persuaded athenians send soldiers aid sparta, when helots (serfs of spartans) revolted , fortified mount ithome. spartans sent athenians home again thanks, lest democratic athenian ideas influence helots or perioeci.

some athenians, disliked commerce, preferred closed society , rule of few. believed spartan constitution superior own. went far imitate spartan manners going around athens long-haired , unwashed, spartiates. plato s republic, set in 5th century bc, gives credence claim having socrates opine spartan or cretan type of political regime favorite of many .

a group of extreme laconising oligarchs, known thirty tyrants, seized power in athens in 404 bc , held eleven months, assisted spartan army. rule, however, overthrown, , democracy reinstated.

in 371 bc, spartans defeated in battle of leuctra. result of defeat, sparta s allies revolted , helots of messenia freed. afterward, spartan economy became less able support professional soldiers, , inequalities between supposedly equal citizens increased. result, reputation of sparta, either military success or guide in domestic affairs, diminished substantially.

philosophers

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.

contrary views

even in ancient cultures, laconophilia tendency, not absolute. none of contemporaries of lycurgan constitution praised sparta without reservations, except spartans themselves.

herodotus of dorian halicarnassus, consistently portrays spartans, except when facing battle, rustic, hesitant, uncooperative, corrupt, , naïve. plato had socrates argue state followed simple life not need warrior class; 1 luxurious , aggressive need group of philosophers, plato himself, guide , deceive guardians. xenophon s encomium of constitution of lacedaemonians not unalloyed praise.

aristotle criticises spartans in politics: helots keep rebelling; spartan women luxurious; magistrates (and ephors) irresponsible; reaching decisions loudest yell in apella silly; wealth of citizens unequal (so many losing resources necessary citizen , hoplite); , spartiates let each other evade taxes, city poor , individual citizens greedy. above all, spartans know no other arts war, in peace incompetent , corrupt. cretan institutions, says, worse.

even after collapse, , idealisation, of sparta, polybius wrote, object, then, in digression make manifest actual facts that, guarding own country absolute safety, , preserving own freedom, legislation of lycurgus entirely sufficient; , content these objects must concede there neither exists nor ever has existed constitution , civil order preferable of sparta.