Classics

38 important questions on Classics

At what age were boys fully part of the Spartan army and syssitia?

20

At age 30 is a man was not part of a public mess, what happened to them?

They would not be given full Spartan citizenship.

At what age were men allowed to marry and become full citizens?

Age 30
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There is a ritual involving cheese, what is the ritual and according to who, does it happen?

cheeses were placed at the alter of Artemis Orthia and the boys would run the gauntlet and attempt to steal the cheese whilst older boys were guarding the cheese and would whip them.

According to Xenophon

What were females encouraged to do to the males in public?

Humiliate them using criticism and songs.

What did the female and males both do?

Exercise naked and participate in sports

What were Spartan women also known as?

Thigh flashers

Who had to attend Syssitia?

Every male, including the kings

How would a male be accepted or rejected from a Mess?

When trying to get into a mess, all the members of that mess will place a piece of bread into a basin. if the bread was crushed, that counted as a negative vote. if the bread was not crushed, it counted as a positive vote.

How many negative votes were needed to stop a man from joining a mess?

one negative vote means the man wont be accepted.

What was a common meal among Spartan males?

Black soup,
made from boiled pigs legs, blood, salt, vinegar.

Who said that the Syssitia lead to "Troops that fought with more bravery and a keener sense of shame than would have been the case with chance comrades"?

Herodotus

Who were the council of elders made up of?

Men over the age of 60

Who said that the creation of the Gerousia was the first major constitutional innovation instituted by Lycurgus?

Plutarch

How many people made up the Gerosia?

30 people.
28 of them ages 60+
2 of them were the kings

How would a man be elected into the Gerousia?

By acclimation, a voice vote. men in separate building would judge the loudest shout.

What were the Two major roles of the Gerousia?

To debate motions that were to be put before the citizen assembly
to function as a supreme court

What were Spartan citizens not allowed to do without permission?

Leave to visit other cities

What were Spartan citizens Exempt from?

Manual Labour

Dorians that live in Sparta are known as what?

Spartans/Spartiates

Who conducted trade for the Spartan state?

Periokoi

Who were responsible for manufacturing things like weapons and armour?

Periokoi

Acheans that lived in Sparta before the Spartans are known as?

Helots

Who formed the main population of Laconia and Messenia?

Helots

Who said that the Spartans treaded helots "Harshly and Cruelly"?

Plutarch

According to Plutarch, what were Helots made to do in public?

they were made to drink pure wine and then were lead to public halls as a demonstration to the children on drunken men.

What was it a disgrace to be in Sparta, especially in public?

(Hint, helots were forced to be this as a demonstration)

Drunk or intoxicated

Lycurgus created the Ephors, according to who?

Heroditus

Who believes that the Ephors were a later institution? (after Lycurgus)

Plutarch

Who was eligible to be elected as an Ephor and how many times could a person be elected?

every Citizen, and nobody could be re-elected so only once.

Who called the Ephors tyrants and the kings generals?

Plato

Who provided balance for the two kings (who didn't often get along)

Ephors

Each Autumn, who declared war on the Helots and why?

Ephors
so that any Spartan citizen could kill a Helot

Who didn't have to kneel for the kings and were held in high esteem by the citizens?

Ephors

Who had the power to indict a king so that the king would then be tried before the ephors and the Gerousia?

Ephors

How would a Spartan become a member of the Crypteia?

If a Spartan boy had been very successful in the Agoge and were marked as being a potential future leader, they were given the chance to join the Crytpiea

Who were the members of the Crypteia told to target specifically?

Best and strongest Helots

Who described the Crypteia as a unit of the spartan army?

Plutarch in Cleomenes

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