Utente:Giodesila/Sandbox
The Lacedaemonion Politeia (Template:Lang-grc-gre), conosciuta in inglese come ordinamento politico, Costituzione, o Repubblica degli Spartani, o Costituzione Spartana,[1][2][3] è un trattato attribuito alla/ a un filosofo greco antico Senofonte, che descrive le istituzioni, i costumi, e le pratiche degli antichi Spartani.[4][5] Il lavoro esamina le ragioni del potere e della fama di Sparta, nonostante la scarsa popolazione della città stato . Ci sono quindici capitoli: i primi tredici enumerano/elencano le pratiche e e le istituzioni che resero Sparta grande; gli ultimi due descrivono il declino di Sparta e la sopravvivenza della sua monarchia. L’ ordinamento politico datato nel periodo fra il 387 e il 375 a.C , è l'unico account contemporaneo del sistema politico Spartano che sopravvive .[3] Insieme a Plutarco "Vita di Licurgo", fornisce la più dettagliata descrizione della sopravvivenza dello stato Spartano,[1] ed è considerata la migliore fonte di informazioni riguardante le donne Spartane nell' antichità classica.[6]
Authorship and dating[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
L’ Ordinamento politico degli Spartani è incluso nella collezione dei lavori di Senofonte che sono sopravvissuti ,[1] e la sua attribuzione a Senofonte è supportata de una menzione in tal senso nelle opere di Plutarco.[7] Il consenso dell'opinione pubblica di maggioranza del diciannovesimo e del ventesimo secolo è che Senofonte è l'autore del lavoro/opera.[8] Alcune imperfezioni sono considerate minori in confronto con la sua struttura e composizione complessiva , e sono attribuite a errori di pubblicazione e alla pubblicazione fatta da altri nel corso dei secoli , o anche agli eventi dolorosi nella vita di Senofonte .[7] Il capitolo xiv datato al circa 378 a.C, basato sul contenuto del lavoro, riguarda il periodo della Seconda Lega Ateniese nel 375 a.C.[9] I capitoli precedenti a questo sono datati entro i nove anni prima del 378 a.C, i.e. 387–378 a.C.[9]
Motivazione[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
Nell'introduzione, Senofonte scrive:[4][10]
«But having realised at one time that Sparta, although one of the most sparsely populated of cities, proved to be the most powerful and most renowned city in Greece, I wondered how could this possibly have happened. However, when I perceived the practices of the Spartans, I wondered no longer.»
It is theorised that Xenophon's attention was focused on Sparta following a military victory of some sort by that state. It appears that the event most likely to have impressed Xenophon was the victory of Sparta over Athens during the Peloponnesian War, which occurred when Xenophon was a young man.[4] He describes all Spartan laws and practices as deriving from Lycurgus's reforms which were also believed to have been sanctified by Apollo at Delphi.[2] The majority of modern scholars categorise the work as an encomium for Sparta.[11]
Content and structure[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
The work consists of fifteen chapters, numbered I to XV. In the first thirteen chapters, Xenophon examines the attributes of the Spartan state that contributed to making Sparta such a powerful and renowned city in ancient Hellas.[12] The last two chapters diverge from that focus and concentrate instead on the decline of Sparta, and then on the survival of the monarchy in the declining state.[13]
In Chapter I Xenophon enumerates the parenting methods used by the Spartans to create strong children. Chapters II–IV describe the education of the Spartan children as a lifelong process that starts when they are very young and continues into adulthood. Xenophon explains how this educational process produces humble and law-abiding citizens who at the same time can be daring and ingenious. He also mentions that the Spartans practiced hunting for most of their lives. Chapter V describes the Spartan institutions that produce citizens who are moderate in their habits, possess good public manners, and are physically strong through regular exercise.[12]
Chapter VI explains Spartan egalitarianism, and Spartans' indifference to economic status, as well as their willingness to help those of lesser means. Chapter VII discusses the Spartans' utter disregard for money, their keen interest in civic duty, and their commitment to the freedom of Sparta. Chapter VIII describes the Spartans' deference and obedience to their laws and authorities, and the power of the Spartan government to administer justice.[12]
Chapter IX refers to the Spartan sense of honour, which compelled them to prefer an honourable death in battle to surrendering. Chapter X details how Spartan society promotes good citizenship though public awards, while Chapters XI to XIII detail Spartan military strategy, leadership, and ethos.[12]
In Chapter XIV, Xenophon changes direction, and instead of further explaining the things that made Sparta great, he enumerates how the contemporary state of Sparta has become corrupt, and no longer obeys the laws of Lycurgus. In the same chapter, Xenophon further explains how this decline in Spartan morals and prestige has caused the other Greek states to no longer look up to Sparta for leadership, but instead to team up against Sparta to prevent it from ruling over the rest of Greece. In Chapter XV, Xenophon ends by telling how, despite its decline, the city state has remained faithful to the institution of the king.[12]
See also[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
References[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
Notes[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
- ^ a b c Hall 204.
- ^ a b Marincola 349.
- ^ a b Lipka 9: "Both arguments carry all the more weight since the SC is the only surviving Spartan constitution".
- ^ a b c Proietti 44–58.
- ^ Xenophon, Hellenica 73–74.
- ^ Vincent Azoulay, Xenophon and His World: Papers from a Conference Held in Liverpool in July 1999, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2004, p. 201, ISBN 978-3-515-08392-8.
- ^ a b Xenophon, Hellenica 73.
- ^ Lipka 6: "Despite these doubts, the majority of scholars of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries regarded the SC as genuine".
- ^ a b Xenophon, Hellenica 74.
- ^ Xenophon, Constitution of the Lacedaimonians, Chapter 1, section 1, su perseus.tufts.edu.
- ^ Xenophon: Ethical Principles and Historical Enquiry, BRILL, 28 August 2012, p. 63, ISBN 90-04-22437-8.
- ^ a b c d e Proietti 45.
- ^ Proietti 44–45.
Bibliography[modifica | modifica wikitesto]
- Vincent Azoulay, Xenophon and His World: Papers from a Conference Held in Liverpool in July 1999, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2004, p. 201, ISBN 978-3-515-08392-8.
- Jonathan M. Hall, A History of the Archaic Greek World: Ca. 1200-479 BCE, Malden, Blackwell, 2007, ISBN 978-0-631-22668-0.
- Xenophon: Ethical Principles and Historical Enquiry, BRILL, 28 August 2012, p. 63, ISBN 90-04-22437-8.
- Michael Lipka, Xenophon's Spartan Constitution: Introduction. Text. Commentary, Berlin, New York, Walter de Gruyter, 2002, ISBN 978-3-11-088724-2.
- John Marincola, The Landmark Xenophon's Hellenika: A New Translation, Pantheon Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-375-42255-3.
- Gerald Proietti, Xenophon's Sparta: An Introduction, Leiden, Brill, 1987, ISBN 90-04-08338-3.
- Xenophon, The Works of Xenophon: Hellenica, Macmillan and Company, 1892.