The Spartan Assembly “ A collection of warrior citizens, to settle questions of great moment.” Michel

Criteria for Membership 1.Had to be born of two Spartiate parents 2.Pass the examination by Elders at Birth 3.Had to pass all stages of the Agoge 4.Had to be a member of a syssition 5. Male over the age of 30 years

Excluded from Membership Perioicoi Inferiors Helots Women

Roles and Responsibilities Questions of War and Peace Signing of Treaties Election of Gerousia and Ephors Issues of disputed Succession Freeing of helots

Process of Decision Making “ After them the commoners Shall make response to direct proposals With conscientious speech and all just consequence, Making no twisted plans against our realm And commoner’s majority shall win the day” Tyrtaeus “ But the people must have the ultimate authority and power…( rider ) But if the people shall speak crookedly, the elders and founder chiefs are not to ratify the motion, but must refuse to do this and they are to dismiss the people for perverting and changing the motion contrary to what is best.” Plutarch

Problems of Evidence On the vast majority of cases when the Spartan state took action, historians do not specify the authority which ordered the action, but simply say that “the Spartans decided that….”

Process The Assembly met once a month at the full moon, in the open air “appelaze between Babyka and Knakion” under the chairmanship of the Ephors Pausanius speaks of a Parliament house called the Skias, or canopy where the Spartans hold their meetings, “ This canopy they say was made by Theodorus of Samos”.It may be likely that the shade area was for the Elders or Ephors rather than the whole Assembly The system was probouletic, in that resolutions were discussed by the Gerousia and Ephors and then presented to the Assembly Voting was by acclamation

Historic Decisions Xenophon tells us of the conspiracy of Cinadon in the first year of Agesilaos’ reign. The conspiracy was reported to the Ephors;” they did not even summon what is called the little Assembly but collected the gerontes from wherever each one happened to be, and their joint decision was to send Cinadon oit of town and arrest him quietly at Aulon Thucydides gives us a record of the debate in 432 on whether to go to war with Athens. It seems to exclude the Gerousia in any serious consideration. The Spartans “ held their usual assembly” which was addressed both by their allies and by an Athenian delegation; then all foreigners were removed while they debated among themselves and at the end a formal vote was taken. “ After this speech, Sthenelaidas, himself as Ephor, put the question to the Spartan Assembly. They actually make their decisions by shouting and not by voting, and he said that he could not distinguish which acclamation was louder, because he wanted them to show their opinion clearly and thus be all the more eager for war…” Thucydides

Limitations to Power Public voting could be manipulated and result in intimidation. Acclamation did not rest on one man one vote. If the decision was crooked the Ephors could withdraw the resolution and allow it to lapse. The Assembly could not amend the resolutions.

Historian’s Views “The Assembly included everyone, but it seemed to have been a rather passive role. It could never initiate action nor amend proposals. It could only approve or reject and one may wonder how much independence of judgment was exercised by a body of men for whom strict military obedience was the paramount virtue.” Finlay “ The fact that it met so constantly gave it considerable power and the acts of the Ephors were always under review.” Michel

Understanding Create a visual representation of Spartan Government. Your image must reflect understanding of roles and responsibilities, power structure, limitations and other factors such as prestige that may affect the relationship between the three elements.