Lycurgus - Spartan Lawgiver

Lycurgus - Spartan Lawgiver Dateline: 06/22/99 Back to Sparta: A Military State Although the evolution of Greek law codes is complicated and cant really be reduced to the work of a single individual, there is one man who stands out as responsible for Athenian law and one for Spartan law. Athens had its Solon, and Sparta had its Lycurgus the lawgiver. Like the origins of Lycurgus legal reforms, the man himself is wrapped in legend. Herodotus 1.65.4 says the Spartans thought the laws of Lycurgus came from Crete. Xenophon takes a contrary position, arguing Lycurgus made them up; while Plato says the Delphic Oracle provided the laws. Regardless of the origin of the laws of Lycurgus, the Delphic Oracle played an important, if legendary, role in their acceptance. Lycurgus claimed that the Oracle had insisted the laws not be written down. He tricked the Spartans into keeping the laws for an ostensibly short period while Lycurus went on a journey. Because of the authority invoked, the Spartans agreed. But then, instead of returning, Lycurgus disappears forever from hi story, thereby eternally obliging the Spartans to honor their agreement not to change the laws. See Sanderson Becks Ethics of Greek Culture for more on this. Some think the laws of Sparta were essentially unchanged until the third century B.C., with the exception of a rider to the rhetra quoted by Plutarch. See Legislation in Sparta, by W. G. Forrest. Phoenix. Vol. 21, No. 1 (Spring, 1967), pp. 11-19. Source: (amherst.edu/~eakcetin/sparta.html) Lycurgus Reforms and the Spartan SocietyBefore Lycurgus there had been dual kingship, division of the society into Spartiates, Helots, and perioeci, and the ephorate. After his travels to Crete and elsewhere, Lycurgus brought to Sparta three innovations: Elders (gerusia), Redistribution of land, and Common messes (meals). Lycurgus forbade gold and silver coinage, replacing it with iron coinage of low value, making trade with other Greek poleis difficult; for instance, there were supposedly loaf shaped and sized iron coins. It is also possible that the iron coins were valued, as iron had been in the Iron Age of Homer. See The Iron Money of Sparta, by H. Michell Phoenix, Vol. 1, Supplement to Volume One. (Spring, 1947), pp. 42-44. Men were to live in barracks and women were to undergo physical training. In all he did Lycurgus was trying to suppress greed and luxury.[www.perseus.tufts.edu/cl135/Students/Debra_Taylor/delphproj2.html] Delphi and the LawWe dont know whether Lycurgus asked the oracle simply to confirm the law code he already had or asked the oracle to provide the code. Xenophon opts for the former, while Plato believes the latter. Theres a possibility that the code came from Crete.Source: (web.reed.edu/academic/departments/classics/Spartans.html) Early SpartaThucydides suggested that it was not the kings who declared war, and the fact that seven helots attended each Spartan indicates the helots lot may not have been so bad. The Great RhetraPassage from Plutarchs Life of Lycurgus on his obtaining an oracle from Delphi about the establishment of his form of government: When thou has built a temple to Zeus Syllanius and Athena Syllania, divided the people into phylai, and divided them into obai, and established a Gerousia of thirty including the Archagetai, then from time to time appellazein between Babyka and Knakion, and there introduce and repeal measures; but the Demos must have the decision and the power. Xenophon on the SpartansNine passages from Herodotus about the famous Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus. Passages include notice that female slaves were to work on clothes while free women, since production of children was the noblest occupation, were to exercise as much as the men. If a husband were old, he should supply his wife with a younger man to beget children. Lycurgus made it honorable to satisfy natural cravings by stealing; he forbade free citizens from engaging in business; failing to do ones duty would result in loss of status of the homoioi, (equally privileged citizens). Occupation Index - Leader Plutarch - Life of Lycurgus

Overview on Reasons to Learn Mandarin Chinese

Overview on Reasons to Learn Mandarin Chinese Mandarin is â€Å"too hard† to learn, right? Despite this widely-held belief, millions of people are studying Mandarin Chinese as a second language. But if it’s so hard, why bother to learn Mandarin? Is Mandarin Difficult? There is no doubt that written Chinese is difficult to learn – even for the Chinese! But the spoken language is a different kettle of fish. In many ways, Mandarin Chinese is much easier to learn than European languages. Here are some features which make Mandarin easy: no subject/verb agreementno pluralsno conjugationsno tensessimple numbering system which is applied to dates and time expressionssimple conditional sentencessimple prepositions Why Learn Mandarin? So Mandarin is easy, but why learn it? The number one reason is that Mandarin Chinese is the most widely-spoken language in the world. Learn to speak Mandarin and you can speak with millions of people around the world. More reasons: Business - Business people who speak Mandarin have a huge advantage in tapping into the Chinese market. It is much easier to develop all-important relationships if you can speak Mandarin.Travel - China and Taiwan offer exciting travel opportunities. Getting around is much easier if you can speak Mandarin.Culture - With thousands of years of history, Chinese culture is endlessly fascinating. Whether your interests are in history, architecture, music, or cuisine, a knowledge of Mandarin will enrich your understanding of Chinese culture. Chinese Characters The Chinese writing system is quite a challenge, but this is another reason to learn it! Despite its difficulty, learning to read and write Chinese will give you a lifetime of intellectual stimulation. The real beauty of the language is revealed in the writing. There are thousands of Chinese characters, but they are not randomly constructed. There is a system to their design, and understanding that system makes it much easier to learn new characters. So take the challenge and learn Mandarin Chinese! It is your ticket to a lifetime of reward.