Analysis of Ancient tradition of punishments in Sparta

Abstract

The article discusses the system of punishments used in Sparta for two offenses: for refusing to marry and for cowardice shown in battle. Ancient authors, especially Xenophon and Plutarch, give a list of punishments for these offenses. In court, the perpetrators were deprived of many of the rights directly related to the status of full citizens. Extrajudicial punishments were mostly spectacular and took place in public places. Spartan youth played a special role in the persecution of bachelors and so-called tremblers as the two main categories to be punished. However, the few testimonies that have come down to us do not make it possible to determine how often punishments for refusing to marry and for cowardice in battle were applied and how exactly they were formalised in practice. The almost complete absence in the tradition of specific examples of their application leads to the conclusion that the picture drawn by ancient authors does not fully correspond to reality. This is what Spartan propaganda wanted to present to the outside world. The writers-laconophiles, like Critias or Xenophon, in turn, used this material to create an ideal image of Sparta.