Author Bio: Plutarch was a historian, biographer, and essayist. He was born in Chaeronea, Greece in 45 A.D. and died in Delphi, Greece in 120 A.D. He was educated at Platonic University and had three children. He came from a wealthy family, so that may explain the slight irritation with the Spartans for looking down upon lives of luxury, and making the idea seem “dainty” and “effeminate” favoring the idea that everyone should live equally with one another and there should be no such thing as rich or poor.
Speaker: See above.
Date/Context: This document is set in the period of 1200-1500 b.c. It is centered around Sparta, one of several city-states in Greece.
Summary:This document gives a solid overview of daily life in Sparta for children and adults. It first begins with an introduction to Lycurgus, who was the leader of Sparta in the late seventh century. He had a strict way of running the military and replaced all money with iron pieces, rather than gold and silver. He rid Sparta of any kind of luxury, including jewelry, fortune tellers, and excess indulgences of any kind. Lycurgus made everyone in Sparta equal to one another. The next section discusses Spartan discipline. When you had a child you were required to bring it to certain officials who would decided if the baby was healthy and would make a good addition to society. At age seven, the child would be enrolled in certain programs under a strict regimen. At twelve, the children were treated much more harshly and were taught to steal, and if they were caught in the act, it was considered shameful and they were mercilessly whipped. They were also taught to speak in as few words as possible, using little conversation to get their point across.
Key Quotation:
“But in the late seventh century, Sparta, under the leadership of Lycurgus,adopted a rigid military system that produced one of the most efficient and feared armies in antiquity.” (page 77)
Well done, Julianna! You were able to clearly summarize the life of Lycurgus, and growing up in Sparta. It seems as though Lycurgus was a very strict leader; Ridding Sparta of many luxuries. The quote you used also perfectly defines his leadership in Sparta.
ReplyDeleteDate clarification - Sparta (1200-500 BCE)
ReplyDeleteImportant to remember: Lycurgus is credited with establishing the "Spartan" system. As mentioned in the summary, he sought to eliminate the pursuit of luxury because it distracted from the pursuit of military excellence.
"He struck a yet more effectual blow against luxury and the desire of riches, was the ordinance he made, that they should all eat in common"