Sparta Research Journal - Research Questions and Reflections

46 Pages • Complete Study Notes • Year: Pre-2021

Rationale: I devised my initial thesis after listening to class discussions and by briefly reading sources that described how male Spartans had to undertake harsh, often cruel, military training. It was very easy for me to formulate my own focus research questions because doing modern history has enabled me to understand concepts and connotations that are linked to militaristic societies. However, due to my lack of declarative knowledge of Spartan Society I was very confused and didn’t know where to begin. I was disturbed when I discovered that boys were taken from at seven years of age and were sent to the Agoge. The militaristic nature of Sparta appeared like other modern totalitarian regimes that demanded total loyalty to the state. It shocked me that despite the fact the two civilizations are 2000 years apart, however, they have similar aspects. After perusing, a few sources from both primary and contemporary historians they appear to mostly they corroborate. The first few modern sources that I consulted tend to privilege a feminist perspective, often disparaging Lycurgus; who is considered one of the fiercest misogynists of all time. Athenian and Spartan sources and perspectives often conflicted. I had to consult primary German sources too, the workload to prove my contention was overwhelming due to the content and sources that had to be considered. The thesis I have devised is very difficult to prove because its so time consuming because I will basically be doing two assignments in one. This challenging task will require me to prove my thesis. three aspects of similarity to Nazi Germany have been investigated.

This document is 25 Exchange Credits