BASIC Notes Ancient History HSC
BASIC Notes Ancient History HSC
BASIC Notes Ancient History HSC
Sparta:
LIFE OF LYCURGUS
If the people make a crocked decision, the kings and elders have the power to
withdraw the matter -Rhetra
Kings from Herakles- Agiads and Eurypontids
Ephori- 5 magistrates Aristotle believed ephors key as keep people happy
Gerousia- 28 elders over 60 and 2 kings Xenophon praises as pursue excellence even
in old age
Gerontes- magistrates
Apella/Ekklesia= assembly made up of all spartiates, met and voted on laws
introduced by ephors once a month- Thucydiddes- questions put to assemble and they
vote by acclamation)
Spartiates (soldiers and had kleros- land, member of sysstion), Inferiors (Spartans with
lost citizenship or freed helots- unshaven, special clothes), Perioeci (foreigners,
goverened self, craftsmen/traders/manufacturers, expected to fight with Spartans, not
above law), Helots (70% of pop., owned by state + assigned to masters, farmers,
Tyrtaeus- refers to them as donkeys, worked to death,, downtrodden, controlled by
Spartans and often revolt
Poetry of Tyrtarios- ideals of barracks training We must fight to the death for our land
and children, not thinking of lengthening our own life
They had their meals together at a common mess, each one of which was called a
sysstion Donald Kagan, lecture 9, Sparta
The women used to bathe their new-born babies not with water, but with wine..
Plutarch, Lycurgus
If he is crippled, if he is deformed in any way, they will have him put to death Kagan
BIRTH
Lycurgus- as soon as they were seven years old, Lycurgus ordered them all to be
taken by the state and enrolled in companies AGE 7
Kagan- age of 12, they live in these barracks, they have communal life, they have
nothing resembling luxuries available to them They dont have shoes, they are given
one cloak AGE 12
after spending a short time with his bride, he went away composedly to his usual
quarters, there to sleep with the other young men. And so he continued to do from that
time on
When the man gets to be 30, he stops being an instructor in the school. Now he has
his own home, he lives at home with his wife except that these Spartan men did not
eat dinner at home Kagan
I, Kyniska, victorious with a chariot of swift footed horses have erected this statue. -2
chariot Olympic coach winner
Their women engage in dancing and athletics, and in competition, and they did so in the
nude, just as the boys did KAGAN
You have women treated more like men because of the recognition that women play a
critical role in producing the same kind of warriors. KAGAN
Plutarch: Women were encouraged to exercise themselves with wrestling, running,
throwing
Women with gravestones
9 festivals/year, couldnt leave for war in a festival
Hyakinthia- related to renewal of world, dying vegetation cult BRIAN BRENNAN, for
Apollos lover Hyakinth. Stage 1 silent mourning, stage 2 rejoicing, even Helots invited
Gymnopaedia- held in July to Apollo for military wins, unmarried men can be
excluded, endurance tests, gymnastics and music
Karnei- Held late summer, havest festivals linked to Apollo, missed battle of Marathon
for Karnei, reflection of agoge
Herodotus: Mainly about foreign policy world history, Persian wars and Spartas vote
Thucydides: Wrote on Peloponnesian war, visited Sparta and wrote from generals pov
describing Spartan society and trying to differentiate between reputation and truth
Xenophon: admired agoge, Periokoi, describes Lycurgus constitution in practice,
provides detail but no analysis or critical study, was eyewitness
Aristotle: Short but important comments about constitution, particularly defeats
Pausanius: Guide for ancient travellers- described buildings and monuments (contrast
Thucyd who says no significant temples or public buildings)
Plutarch- Life of Lycurgus
Marathon: Miltiades made sure the Greeks realised how big a threat that was
looming over them A R Burn, Persia and the Greeks
Marathon was a triumph of the intelligent use of tactics and discipline and
armament. JAR Munro, The Deliverance of Greece
Inter-war period- Persia:
o Xerxes building bridges and route into Greece via north coast (Bridges,
canals, roads, etc) (484- 481) 3 YEARS CANAL through Isthius, bridges
over hellespon and river strymon, food depots- Thrace particularly
o 486- Egypt revolt, 485- Darius dies, Xerxes king, 484- Xerxes supresses
Egyptian revolt
Inter-war period- Greece:
o 489 Miltiades unsuccessful campaign against Paros, Spartan king
Celomenes dies, 488 death of Miltiades, 487 Athens/Aegina war starts,
483- Themistockles convinces Athenians to use silver on building naval
fleet (Delphic Oracle), 482 Aristides ostracised, 481 Congress of Isthmus
meet, 480 Xanthippus and Aristides recalled from exile
o Political developments and rise of Themincreasing use of ostracism/ lessening importance of position of archon/
growing importance in position of strategoi
o 481BC- Xerxes sends heralds to all Greek states except Athens and
Sparta demanding earth and water- tokens of submission
o 481BC- congress of Isthmus- Hellenic league set up, tithe of voluntarily
medised states, 31 states at Congress- Northern states absent s bear
brunt of early attack, inter-state feuds ended, Spartan leadership of all,
Athens approaching colonies to request military aid- Syracuse, etc
480 Thermopylae& Artemisium: 1/3 of Persian fleet destroyed coming to Greece
so strategy changes- cant split army! Evacuation of Athens, Leonidas gained
time for Greeks, fleet took some loses at Artemisium, but snuck away before
loads of damage. Evac meant Persians took central Greece and destroyed
Athens. Persians- 20,000/80,000 lost at Thermopylae, 4,000 Greeks lost
480 Salamis: Disagreement on Greek strategy- Peloponnese say hold of Persians
at Isthmus, Them. Said tackle fleet at Salamis and threatened Athens leave if
didnt, Them sent secret message to Xerxes that Greeks in narrow strait divided
and planning escape but this was bluff as when Xerxes moved part of fleet to
block exit, Greeks fought in order and kept in line- night Persians destroyed and
rammed into each other trying to move. Turning point- Xerxes returns to
Hellespont concerned of Ionian revolt. Proves value of Thebes to Athens (Thebes
sent warning)
479 Plataea: Mardonius. Blackmailed Athens to join Perisa, and refusal led to 2 nd
destruction of Athens. Spartans attacked for not fighting but were scared to
leave restless Helots alone, but sent Pausanius with 5000 troops and 7 helots
p.person (Herod) despite Hyacinthia. Spartan discipline crucial to Greek success.
Result: several dedications to Gods- 8m Serpent column at Delphi!
479 Mycale: Greeks sailed east to prevent Ionian revolt, Persians went to
Samos, Greeks followed. Athenians sailed and attacked Persians, Spartans
finishing attack. Ionians within Persians joined Greeks.
Relationship with army generals: 11yr campaign and 20,000km followed him
everywhere, but had Parmenios, Philotas and Cleitus killed.
Parmenio- ignored him at Issus/Tyre and attacked Persians immediately and so
would I, if I were Parmenio Lives by Plutarch
Cleitus saves Alexander, showing Cleitus willing to do anything of Alex- loyalty!
Hephastion: given honour of being hes Alexander too- Plutarch, queen
mother and capture of Persian nobility. Great respect for each other and
dedication to Alexander, sense of equality
Relationship with Macedonians- Anitpater in charge, conspiracy of Pages
(Callisthenes murded) Macedonians originally loyal but angered when Persian
dress, customs and their inclusion introduced. Alexander and Hepahestion
married Darius daughters to promote union of Asia and Europe, originally
wouldnt be consoled until saw king after Tyre/Issus
Prostrate
Relationship with Greeks- Hated but feared Alex (Athenians), total control of
Greece and other members of Alexs empire- used their armies to take new
lands that were just for Macedon- GRANICUS
Prostrate
Non-Greeks relationship- Conquest of Persian empire celebrated at Susa
(marriages), Non-Greeks liberated and respected- popular with barbarians,
Darius mother, Sisygambis, became mother figure to Alex.
Ruling family at Tyre and Persian noble family treated with honour and respect.
Callisthenes: Court historian so positive bias, recorded campaigns during them,
opinion of heroic, semi-divine and always right
Cleitarchus: Emphasis on passion, drama and bloodshed, hated by critics,
popular with public. Carried on by Justin and Diodorus Sicullus. Opinion- flew
into rages, then became remorseful: eg. Cleitus brawl
Plutarch: 2nd century AD, less biased, more objective, still positive. Role model,
loyal moral, But rather used it to obtain Alexanders opinion of others
Arrian: 2nd Century AD, hunger for fame- positive, religiously strict, good in
complicated situations, took risks when needed, success went to head but only
minor mistakes. Personal beauty, Sweeping away their fear with his own
fearlessness, It is my belief that there was in those days no country, no city,
no individual such as Alexander the Great
W.W. Tarn: Brotherhood of all time, Cosmpolitan idealist, after WWI
Supplies were collected in each district as conquered and used for the next
advance
E Badian: Ruthless, political, scheming. Under fathers thumb, removed
authority. Conquered world only to lose own soul Ultimate loneliness of
supreme power
Ryan Bosworth: Leading historian on Alexander the Great. The true story of
Alexander the Great- youtube
Jeremy McInerny: The myths of people are more important that who the person
is. Alexander comes to stand for superhuman of all people since medieval
times. The interpretations and images of Alexander has changed to be much
more full of myth and probably untrue realities, but everyone wants to believe
in Alexander being the myth. Alexander the great still lives and rules the world
Alexander was, above all else, a military genius, soldier, general and
psychologist. Each battle was fought as he wished. Each was decisive. C
Bradford Welles, 1965
During the last seven years of his life, Alexander became increasingly
unpredictable, sporadically violent, megalomanical and suspicious of his friends
as well as his enemies.