1. Austin nos. 55, 56
2. Polybius book 2, chapter 56 (critique of Phylarchus):
1, 2.
3. P. Cartledge and A. Spawforth, "Reform--or revolution? Agis IV and
Cleomenes III," in Hellenistic and Roman Sparta, a tale of two
cities (= Reader, pp. 170-182).
Introduction:
In 371 BC Thebes defeated the Spartan army in a pivotal battle at Leuctra, a polis in Boiotia. In 369 BC Epaminondas, the Theban general, led an expedition into the Peloponnese and liberated Messenia from Sparta. Messenia was essential to the Spartan way of life insofar as the produce from Messenia fed Sparta's citizens. With the loss of Messenia, Sparta's military and political superiority in the Peloponnese as well as her entire way of life were put at risk. These events lie behind Sparta's inactivity from the time of Philip's reign (360/359 BC). The ancient tradition records that during the period from ca. 244-222 BC two Spartan kings, Agis IV and Cleomenes III, attempted to legislate economic reforms in Sparta. Problems with the sources for these supposed reforms make it very difficult to know what these kings actually attempted, what they managed to accomplish, and the consequences of their accomplishments. These questions will be the focus of the discussion section this week.
Read the passages from Austin first and then the article by Cartledge and Spawforth. Come prepared to discuss the following questions. Note that a list of definition of terms and phrases follows the study questions. The BIG questions we want to consider are "What are our sources for the reforms of the kings Agis and Cleomenes of Sparta and how useful are they?"
Questions and Observations
Austin no. 55
1. Pay particular attention to the introductory discussion of sources for the reforms of Agis and Cleomenes.
2. How did wealth become concentrated in the hands of a few Spartans and why was this a particularly bad thing?
3. What reforms did Agis promote?
Austin no. 56
1. What about Cleomenes's character did Plutarch find worth commending? Compare Plutarch's description of Cleomenes with his description of e.g. Demetrius Poliorcetes and Hellenistic kings in general (Austin no. 36).
2. What reforms did Cleomenes promote? Compare his program with that of Agis. What features are shared? Which are unique to one or the other of the kings?
Polybius book 2, chapter 56
1. Why did Polybius offer a critique of Phylarchus? What does his critique suggest about the readership of these historical treatises?
2. On what grounds does Polybius critique Phylarchus?
3. What, according to Polybius, is the job of the historian? Is it the task of the historian to identify and present a true account?
4. Why is it important for the historian to explore causation?
Cartledge and Spawforth (Reader):
1. The first three pages will be difficult going for you. Read them quickly (use the definitions, below). Start reading in earnest at page 4, ¶3. Agis and Cleomenes claim that their goal was restore the ancient Lycurgan system (see below) in Sparta. The article by Cartledge and Spawforth explores this question.
2. What was the agoge? What function did it play in the Spartan system? What had happened to it since Sparta's loss of Messenia?
3. What is oliganthropia? When did oliganthropia begin in Sparta? What aggravated Spartan oliganthropia?
4. Why was the growth of the Achaean League a concern to Sparta?
5. What 'crisis' did Agis address in 244 BC?
6. Who were the Hupomeiones? What part did they play in the reforms of Agis?
7. By what process did Agis attempt to make his proposed reforms law?
8. Why did king Leonidas II oppose Agis's reforms and how did Agis remove Leonidas's opposition?
9. Why did Agis need to depose the ephors or 242/1 BC and how did he manage to do so?
10. Of what did Agis's reforms consist?
11. What was the role of the appeal to the 'ancestral kosmos' in Agis's reforms?
12. Who supported and who opposed Agis's reforms and why?
13. How did Agis's reforms collapse in 241 BC?
14. What did Cleomenes III do to Megalopolis in 223 BC? Why was this act so important?
15. What was the 'Cleomenic War'? Know what it was, but don't worry too much about the events of the war, discussed on pp. 49-51
16. What changes did Cleomenes make to the Spartan government in 227 BC to facilitate his socio-political program? Why was Polybius not wrong to call Cleomenes III a tyrant?
17. What were the elements of Cleomenes's socio-political progam and what was its purpose?
18. How instrumental were Cleomenes's reforms in making Sparta once again a force in the Peloponnese?
19. How was Macedon brought into Peloponnesian affairs in the mid 220's BC?
20. What was the result of the battle of Sellasia (Cleomenes vs. Antigonus Doson) in 222 BC anad why was the battle important?
Agiad and Eurypontid: Sparta had a dual kingship. One of the kings was drawn from the family of the Agiadai (Agiad), the other from the family of the Eurypontidai (Eurypontid).
Laconism: Laconia is the ancient name of the territory of ancient Sparta.
Spartan mirage: is a modern phrase referring to the fact that for various reasons it is very difficult to gain an accurate view of Spartan society. Two of these factors are Sparta's xenophobia (fear of strangers) and the reforms of the kings Agis the IV and Cleomenes III. One of the consequences of Spartan xenophobia was the general of ignorence of non-Spartans of the inner-workings of Spartan society. Agis and Cleomenes contributed to the Spartan mirage by claiming that their reforms represented a return to the 'old' way of doing things. We can not know to what extent this claim was propaganda and to what extent it was true.
Lycurgus: a Spartan of legend and perhaps of history. Sparta's system of governanace and her social system were attributed to Lycurgus. Whatever the truth about Lycurgus, the Spartan way of life (political and social) underwent fundamental changes in the 8th century BC.
Polybius (200-118 BC): born in Megalopolis, a polis in Arcadia, a region in the center of the Peloponnesus. Polybius was both a statesman and a historian. His sistory is one of our principal sources for the period late 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. His objective was to explain and document Rome's rise to power. He had very marked prejudices and biases--in favor of Aratus and the Achaean League, against political innovation (and so hostile to Agis and Cleomenes on both counts).
numismatic evidence: the evidence provided by coins.
helots: Sparta's serf population who farmed the land (in Messenia and Laconia) and fed Sparta's citizens.
perioikoi: another component of Spartan society. The term means 'dwellers around'. Perioikoi were free, lived in poleis within the territory of Sparta, and served in the Spartan army. But they were not eligible for Spartan citizenship.
Aetolian and Achaean Leagues: regional organizations of Greek poleis in Aetolia (northwest Greece) and Achaean (Pelponnese) that emerged as important players in the 4th century BC. We will have more to say about these leagues on Wednesday.
Chremonidean War: anti-Macedonian uprising (267-262 BC) named after the Athenian, Chremonides. The uprising had the support of Ptolemy II.
Areus: king of Sparta (309-265 BC) who was killed during the Chremonidean War.
Mantinea and Megalopolis: two powerful cities in the region of Arcadia in the Peloponnese.
Aratus of Sicyon (271-213 BC): statesman and general from Sicyon in the Peloponnese. Caused Sicyon to join the Achaean League. Active as a general on the Achaean League
Phylarchus: An Athenian historian whose history was the most influential of the period ca. 270-220 BC. Plutarch's chief authority for his lives of Agis and Cleomenes. Biased against Macedon and largely complimentary of Sparta.
Spartiates: the technical term for a full citizen of Sparta. The term homoios ('equal') was used to refer to the Spartiatai (plural).
Spartan political institutions consisted of the two kings, a council of thirty who served for life (including the two kings) called the gerousia, an assembly of full Spartan citizens, and an executive magistracy of five annually elected ephors.
Leonidas II: the Eurypontid king at the time when Agis attempted to pass his reform package.
incubation: a ritual practice that involved sleeping in a sanctuary. Healing cults and oracualr cults used incubation. The healing or the prophesy would occur to the worshipper in the form of a dream.
ancestral kosmos: the old system (claimed by Agis to be the system of the legendary Spartan lawgiver, Lycurgus)
hagiographic: an excessively complimentary spin
probouleusis: the authority to set the legislative agenda for the body that voted on legislation. In Sparta, the gerousia exercised the power of probouleusis and the citizen Assembly voted on bills the gerousia submitted to it.