Among the many innovations made by Lykourgos the first, and the greatest, was his establishment of the gerousia; a council of twenty-eight older Spartan men from noble families. These men, according to Plato, when mixed with the “feverish” rule of the two kings, used their ability to vote on matters of great importance to create a government which was both sensible and secure.

1. What does this document tell us about the governing body of Sparta?







[Lykourgos] persuaded all the people of Sparta to pool all of their lands together and divide it out anew: they were to live with each other, one and all, as equals, with plots of the same size ensuring that they could get the things they needed to have to survive, with their wish to be better than all of their neighbors expressing itself in the pursuit of excellence – the idea being that between one man and another there is no difference or inequality other than they way in which they are treated depending on whether or not they choose to do good things or bad things.

1. What does this document tell us about life in Sparta?






Nor was it in the power of the father to dispose of the child as he thought fit; he was obliged to carry it before certain triers at a place called Lesche; these were some of the elders of the tribe to which the child belonged; their business it was carefully to view the infant, and, if they found it stout and well made, they gave order for its rearing, and allotted to it one of the nine thousand shares of land above mentioned for its maintenance, but, if they found it puny and ill-shaped, ordered it to be taken to what was called the Apothetae, a sort of chasm under Taygetus; as thinking it neither for the good of the child itself, nor for the public interest, that it should be brought up, if it did not, from the very outset, appear made to be healthy and vigorous.

1. What does this document tell us about what the Spartans did to newborn infants?







…but as soon as they were seven years old they were to be enrolled in certain companies and classes; where they all lived under the same order and discipline, doing their exercises and taking their play together. Of these, he who showed the most conduct and courage was made captain; they had their eyes always upon him, obeyed his orders, and underwent patiently whatsoever punishment he inflicted; so that the whole course of their education was one of continued exercise of a ready and perfect obedience…Reading and writing they gave them just enough to serve their turn; their chief care was to make them good subjects, and reach them to endure pain and conquer in battle.

1. What does this document tell us about the training of children in Sparta?