Sparta42

=Sparta Society to the Battle of Leuctra, 371 BC =

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Myths and legends: Lycurgus and the Dioscuri
See text: p.140 The Cult of Lykourgos; p144 The cult of the Dioskouroi


 * Hero: a human who achieved great things and was venerated as more than human.
 * A founding father; ancestral figure; associated with a locality; a model of behaviour
 * //Heroon// – hero shrine


 * [[image:Lycurgus_Capitol_1950.jpg width="253" height="320" align="right" caption="Lycurgus (from US Capitol - 1950)"]]Cult of Lycurgus**


 * Ancestral hero; lawgiver; credited with creating the institutions of Sparta which made her unique and great.
 * ** Herodotus **: oracle of Apollo at Delphi recognised his divinity; a temple built in his honour. The cult was well established by Herodotus’ time (5th C. BC).
 * ** Plutarch **: wisdom and virtue – after his death a temple was built with annual sacrifices.
 * ** Pausanias **: A ‘god’s sanctuary’ for Lycurgus, with his son Eukosmos buried behind it. An ‘altar’ to Lycurgus.


 * Cult of the Dioscuri**
 * Castor and Pollux: divine twins, Helen’s brothers. Sons of Zeus and Leda – half human, half divine. There are different traditions in Greek mythology regarding their divine status.
 * Protectors of the kings.
 * Took turns protecting Sparta. One lived at Therapne, the other on Mt Olympus. ** Alkman **: both lived in a ‘god-built home beneath the earth’.
 * Aided in battle; associated with horsemanship; associated with athletic contests (** Pausanias **: ‘starters of races’).
 * A number of ** marble reliefs ** of the Dioscuri now in the Sparta Museum.


 * Alkman **, Fragment 2B: “O Castor – yet tamers of swift steeds, ye skilful horsemen – and noble Polydeuces.” (http://www.theoi.com/Text/LyraGraeca1B.html)