Plutarch (46 – 120 CE) was a Charoenean (Boeotian) philosopher, biographer, and historian. He was a highly respected priest at the Oracle at Delphi. Not to be overlooked, he was an aristocratic statesman who served as a mayor, and later as Archon, of Charoenea. In short, he lived an extraordinary life which he devoted to chronicling extraordinary people and their times.
The excerpt that you will read is from Book III of Moralia, which is a controversial work on many levels. Among the more contentious facets of this piece, as indicated in the Loeb edition introduction, is that we don’t even know if it was penned by Plutarch (welcome to Greek History!).
As a disciple of Plato and as a Stoic, one might infer that Plutarch had a certain respect for Spartan morals and manners, though I suppose that this is an assertion that we can debate in class.
Your assignment is to read this short excerpt from Book III of Moralia, entitled “The Ancient Customs of the Spartans”. Then you must type/write a 500-1000 word (no more, no less) word mini klausur.
Theme: Spartan Customs: An Offense to Human Dignity?
Directions: Write one unified essay, which assesses Spartan customs and values. The document provided must be integrated into the body of your essay. You may paraphrase or quote the documents, but in all cases you must cite the source. Do not abuse quotations (your essay must be less than 20% quotes). When analyzing the material, be sure to provide specific historical references—utilizing both the documents provided and previous historical knowledge—to support your thesis.
- Identify and clearly describe five Spartan customs.
- Carefully analyze the document given which delineates the habits, manners and morals of the Spartans.
- Based on your assessment of Spartan customs, write a thesis-driven essay which evaluates the following assertion:
“Even when one takes into account the harsh conditions of the Peloponnese during the reign of Spartan hegemony, Spartan values and customs were terribly uncivilized. Sparta was a brutal society that blatantly disregarded human dignity and undermined human potential.”
If you are not sure how to do so, here is a tip sheet on how to write a klausur.
Let’s be honest, this is just an experiment. It’s a first attempt at a klausur for this class. Do your best, but don’t stress too much.
