Transcript The Spartan Assembly

The Spartan
Assembly
“ A collection of warrior citizens, to settle
questions of great moment.” Michel
Criteria for Membership
1.Had to be born of two
Spartiate parents
2.Pass the examination by
Elders at Birth
3.Had to pass all stages of
the Agoge
4.Had to be a member of a
syssition
5. Male over the age of 30
years
Excluded from Membership
1. Perioicoi
2. Inferiors
3. Helots
4. Women
Roles and Responsibilities
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Questions of War and Peace
Signing of Treaties
Election of Gerousia and Ephors
Issues of disputed Succession
Freeing of helots
Process of Decision Making
“ After them the commoners
Shall make response to direct proposals
With conscientious speech and all just consequence,
Making no twisted plans against our realm
And commoner’s majority shall win the day”
Tyrtaeus
“ But the people must have the ultimate authority and
power…( rider ) But if the people shall speak crookedly, the
elders and founder chiefs are not to ratify the motion, but
must refuse to do this and they are to dismiss the people
for perverting and changing the motion contrary to what is
best.”
Plutarch
Problems of Evidence
• On the vast majority of cases when the
Spartan state took action, historians do
not specify the authority which ordered
the action, but simply say that “the
Spartans decided that….”
Process
• The Assembly met once a month at the full moon, in the open
air “appelaze between Babyka and Knakion” under the
chairmanship of the Ephors
• Pausanius speaks of a Parliament house called the Skias, or
canopy where the Spartans hold their meetings, “ This canopy
they say was made by Theodorus of Samos”.It may be likely
that the shade area was for the Elders or Ephors rather than the
whole Assembly
• The system was probouletic, in that resolutions were discussed
by the Gerousia and Ephors and then presented to the
Assembly
• Voting was by acclamation
Historic Decisions
•
Xenophon tells us of the conspiracy of Cinadon in the first year of Agesilaos’
reign. The conspiracy was reported to the Ephors;” they did not even summon
what is called the little Assembly but collected the gerontes from wherever each
one happened to be, and their joint decision was to send Cinadon oit of town
and arrest him quietly at Aulon
•
Thucydides gives us a record of the debate in 432 on whether to go to war with
Athens. It seems to exclude the Gerousia in any serious consideration. The
Spartans “ held their usual assembly” which was addressed both by their allies
and by an Athenian delegation; then all foreigners were removed while they
debated among themselves and at the end a formal vote was taken.
“ After this speech, Sthenelaidas, himself as Ephor, put the question to the
Spartan Assembly. They actually make their decisions by shouting and not by
voting, and he said that he could not distinguish which acclamation was louder,
because he wanted them to show their opinion clearly and thus be all the more
eager for war…” Thucydides
•
Limitations to Power
• Public voting could be manipulated and
result in intimidation. Acclamation did
not rest on one man one vote.
• If the decision was crooked the Ephors
could withdraw the resolution and allow
it to lapse. The Assembly could not
amend the resolutions.
Historian’s Views
• “The Assembly included everyone, but it seemed
to have been a rather passive role. It could never
initiate action nor amend proposals. It could only
approve or reject and one may wonder how much
independence of judgment was exercised by a
body of men for whom strict military obedience
was the paramount virtue.” Finlay
• “ The fact that it met so constantly gave it
considerable power and the acts of the Ephors
were always under review.” Michel
Understanding
• Create a visual representation of
Spartan Government. Your image must
reflect understanding of roles and
responsibilities, power structure,
limitations and other factors such as
prestige that may affect the relationship
between the three elements.