Commoner in Spartan History from the Lycurgan Reforms to the Death of Alexander: 776-322 B. C.
Abstract
The ancient Greeks, their accomplishments, and their history have always facinated me. Further studies into Greek history developed an interest in the Spartans and their activities. So many of the ancient authors are if not openly, at least covertly, hostile to the Spartans. Many of the modern works are concerned only with the early or late history or are general surveys of the total history of Sparta while few works consider Sparta separate from the other Greek city-states in the classical period. My intention is to examine the role of the commoner in ancient Sparta. It must be emphasized that the use of "commoner" in this text refers to the Spartan citizens who were not kings. The Spartan slaves and other non-citizen groups are not included in the classification of commoners. This examination considers the lifestyle of the commoner, his various roles in the government, the better-known commoners, and the various conflicts which arose between the kings and the commoners. This work will not reveal any startling new information. It is rather a different approach to viewing Spartan history based on the Spartan commoner and his position in his society.
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- OSU Theses [15752]