The myth of sparta (1 Viewer)

[katykiddx]

Question:
With reference to both ancient and modern sources explain the rolev and importance of the army in the myth of Sparta.


Is it one myth? or many?
Need help, i would love it if someone could tell me the myth


Thanks

 

[violetsauce]

You'd be looking at the Spartan mirage - how Spartan's militaristic nature contributes to the stereotypical image of Sparta through time.

 

[Riot09]

Question:
With reference to both ancient and modern sources explain the rolev and importance of the army in the myth of Sparta.

ancient source-herodotus acount of the battle of thermophylae

modern source-300 the movie or the novel the lost army by valerio....

the importence of the army in the "myth" of sparta was that they were Gods and basically invincible in battle,other myths include their vannity and how they were basically scene as barbaric throughout Athens for their lack of philosophers,art and culture which was very far from the truth.The Spartans had a rich culture of militarism to keep their slaves under control as they were outnumbered by them and rebeliions rose occasionaly as a result which were swifltyput down and dealt with by "cullings".Anyway the Spartans had a fighting-centralised culture which were known all throughout ancient Greece and know today among the western populace for their valour,courage and the overall myth or more like legend of the red-cloaks and how they were pretty much Gods in battle.

hope this helped and if you don't believe me just look at my location under my name.

 

[violetsauce]

ancient source-herodotus acount of the battle of thermophylae

modern source-300 the movie or the novel the lost army by valerio....

300?!! Never ever use a Hollywood movie as a source! My teacher did the HSC marking for Sparta and she was telling us how the markers laughed when somebody mentioned 300.

When you look at the ancient sources, you have the main writers accounting about Sparta - Plutarch, Xenophon, Aristotle, etc. Basically the people contributing to the Spartan mirage are non-Spartans, and they're usually pro-Sparta.

When you look at modern sources, you look at the scholarships - 1980s, 1990s, you have scholars questioning the traditional understanding of Sparta. Therefore it's difficult to get a true picture of Spartan society.

Spartan's militaristic nature directly contributes to the Spartan mirage. Sparta is seen in popular culture as an utopian, militaristic society. When you look at the army, you look at the gradual change of Sparta from the rest of the Greek states - how Spartan customs and values revolve around ideals of perfect warriors "hoplites".

 

[vyre]

modern sources- use historians such as brennan and kagan.

It was Brennan who mentioned the 'spartan mirage'.

 

[thongetsu]

The point of the spartan army was for convenient and massively gay orgys.