Early America’s Spartan Romance
Republicanism, Feminism and slavery.
The ancient historian Thucydides speculated that if Sparta was completely deserted, and all that remained was their buildings, ‘distant ages would be very unwilling to believe that the power of the Lacedaemonians was at all equal to their fame.’ Despite the scarcity of their art, architecture, literature and poetry, the Spartans have become an object of constant appreciation. While they did not leave much of a material culture, what remains is something arguably more impactful; namely a deeply patriotic and staunch ethos which has garnered praise from a wide variety of authors, politicians and philosophers.
The image of Sparta has and continues to undergo perpetual distortion. Even in the ancient world, Sparta was shrouded in mystery due to its hatred and fear of foreigners. Unlike many eras of ancient history, the problem is not that we lack written records of Sparta, rather we have too many. This excess of sources has intensely romanticized Sparta. The Spartan way of life was so unusual that it attracted many commentators and critics alike. What has emerged is what historians call the ‘Spartan mirage’. An over-idealized image of the…
