Constitution of the Lacedaimonians

Books

• 1
  Book 1

  Introduction. Xenophon asks how Sparta, with so few citizens, became the most powerful city in Greece. The answer: Lycurgus' constitution.

  10 lines
• 2
  Book 2

  The upbringing of Spartan children. Boys are taken from their families at seven and raised by the state. Hardship is the curriculum.

  15 lines
• 3
  Book 3

  Education of boys: they go barefoot, wear one garment year-round, sleep on rushes, and are deliberately underfed. They must steal to eat — but are punished if caught.

  5 lines
• 4
  Book 4

  The training of young men. Physical fitness, military discipline, and controlled aggression. Spartan youth are always under observation.

  7 lines
• 5
  Book 5

  Marriage and reproduction. Wives are shared for eugenic purposes. Jealousy is considered a sign of weakness, not love.

  9 lines
• 6
  Book 6

  Adult citizens and the common meals (syssitia). Every Spartan eats at the common table. Luxury is forbidden. Equality is enforced through shared austerity.

  5 lines
• 7
  Book 7

  Economic regulations. Trade and commerce are discouraged. Iron money makes accumulation impractical. Spartans do not work — the helots farm for them.

  6 lines
• 8
  Book 8

  Obedience to law. Spartans obey not from fear but from conviction. The laws of Lycurgus are unwritten — they are habits bred into the bones.

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• 9
  Book 9

  The training of soldiers. Battle formations, coordination between units, and the famous Spartan discipline under fire.

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• 10
  Book 10

  The Spartan army on campaign. March order, camp layout, reconnaissance. Everything is systematic, practised, and deadly efficient.

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• 11
  Book 11

  The powers of the kings. Two kings reign simultaneously, checked by the ephors and the council. A constitutional monarchy within an oligarchy.

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• 12
  Book 12

  Royal privileges and religious duties. The kings sacrifice on behalf of the state and lead the army in war.

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• 13
  Book 13

  The relationship between kings and ephors. A delicate balance of power, maintained by mutual oaths.

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• 14
  Book 14

  Xenophon's critical coda. Modern Sparta has betrayed Lycurgus' constitution. The laws are ignored, wealth has crept in, and the old virtues are fading.

  7 lines
• 15
  Book 15

  The decline of Spartan power. The system that produced Thermopylae and Plataea cannot survive its own corruption.

  9 lines