Everyday life

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  • Created by: Alice
  • Created on: 31-07-13 12:46

Athletics

- thought that the spartans were the first to play field sports completely naked

- shrine dedicated to dioscuri- patron of athletics and the "starting gods"

- running, discus, javelin, jumping and wrestling

- credited with inventing boxing

- spare hours on campaign practising 

- spartan training was considered rigorous - respected too

- archeological: a vistor to sparta would have seen a statue of Hipposthenes 

- girls were known for running and jumping

- Pausanias: mentions women's athletics groups called the "daughters of Dionysus" also informs us that they ran with their hair down and waring a chiton

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hunting

- one of the most popular leisure activities

- for those without a horse they could still catch things with the aid of dogs and helots

- they used javelon or spear to kill

- boar hunting - great danger for the hunter - confirmsed a mark of great social distinction and a man's andreia (manliness or virtility

- stealth of young boys was not developed into the stealth in the hunter - annual hunting down of helot needed this skill

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equestrian sports

- horses were useful in war and for transport. the spartans appear to be horse mad

- pausanias: mentions a shrine dedicated to horse breeding Poseidon

- caster and polyddeuces were hereos dedicated to horse training

- Archeological: popular subjects on painted pottery and small horse figurines or horses appear at religious shrines

- Alkman compared beautiful girls to fine mares in a herd

- An opportunity for the demonstration of a rider's skill and endurance and an outlet for the competitive display of wealth invested in the beautiful horse and its luxury trappings

- 43 horse chariot races and 21 horse race victories won by a man named damanon - late 5th century

- great equestrian success at olympic games

- women rode chariots around sparta in the hyakinthia and could breed and train horses for competition 

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**** fighting and boar fighting

- strong game birds were symbollic of maleness that was much valued in spartan society

- Archeological: attic vase shows a comparison with a battle between fighting ***** and that of hoplites

- immature wild boars were raised in capacity and matched against simiarly 

- outcome of boar hunting was taken as an omen that might indicate outcome of the struggle between the two boys 

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Banquets

- plutarch mentioned attendance at banquets - "symposion" usually asscioated with relgious festivals

- prohibitation of drunkenness (unlike the rest of Greece)

- Archeological: 35 laconian drinking cups which are painted ("Kylikes)

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