On Cleomenes and Sphaerus: How Stoic was the Spartan King?
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.47661/afcl.v7i14.1367Mots-clés :
Sphairus, Cleomenes, StoicismRésumé
The Lycurgan reforms of Hellenistic Sparta by King Cleomenes III and the Stoic philosopher Sphaerus of Borysthenes have been seen as either propaganda for a ruthless, upstart king by an opportunistic intellectual or as a return to the archaic and classical Spartan warrior code influenced by the principles of early Stoicism. I begin with a brief history of Cleomenes and Sphaerus and the relevant events of 3rd BCE century Sparta. Next, Stoic themes in Plutarch's account are discussed. I then give a summary of some main points on both sides and various reasons in support of these arguments. An evaluation follows, with an argument supporting the latter view.Références
AFRICA, T. (1972). Cleomenes III and the Helots. In California Studies in Classical Antiquity (pp. 1-11). University of Claifornia Press.
BAGNALL & DARROW. The Period of Stability (276-221). Retrieved June 12, 2014, from Greek Historical Documents: colombia.edu
CARTLEDGE, P. (2003). Spartans. New York: The Overlook Press.
DAWSON, D. (1992). Cities of the Gods. New York: Oxford University Press.
EPICTETUS. (Translated 2008). Discourses and Selected Writings. London: Penguin Books Ltd.
ERSKINE, A. (1990). The Hellenistic Stoa. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
FORREST, W. (1968). A History of Sparta 950-192 B.C. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
HERODOTUS. (1987). The Histories. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
KENNELL, N. (1995). The Gymnasium of Virtue. Chapel Hill & London: The University of North Carolina Press.
KENNELL, N. (2010). Spartans. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
PLUTARCH. (2006). Lives of Agis and Cleomenes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
PLUTARCH. (2013). Lycurgus. Lexington: Another Leaf Press.
POLYBIUS. (2010). The Histories. New York: Oxford University Press.
ROBERTSON, D. (2013, May 8). How Spartan were the Stoics? Retrieved May 2014, from Stoicism and the Art of Happiness: philosophy-of-cbt.com
SCHOFIELD, M. (1999). The Stoic Idea of the City. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
SCHUTRUMPF, E. (1987). The Rhetra of Epitadeus: A Platonist's Fiction. In Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 28 (pp. 441-457).
SEDLEY & LONG. (1987). The Hellenistic Philosophers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
THUCYDIDES. (1954). History of the Peloponnesian War. New York: Penguin Books.