01-22-2009, 07:09 PM
Quote:Giannis wrote:
Quote:They were actually ordered not to die. Otherwise they would have said "do what the Sparta's laws say"(which means fight to death and not retreat). Instead,they were asked not to do something shamefull. Obviously even at that time the "Spartan mirage" was so strong that Sparta could still not order a surrender.I don't think one can say they were ordered not to die. It seems to me that they were given a typical laconic ambiguous order.....
"The Spartans order you to make your own decision about yourselves, so long as you do nothing dishonourable/shameful" ......and to Spartans of the old Lycurgan school, surrender would be seen as 'dishonourable/shameful'. The surprising thing here is that they were given the option of deciding themselves, and that when they did choose capitulation, they were not particularly shamed or shunned for it on their return home.
Another example of how the rest of Greece thought of Sparta as 'conservative' when in fact Spartan atitudes had evolved considerably....
I think this is a good example of how powerful the "Spartan mirage" was. Whilst cowardice or disobeying orders were unthinkable the Spartans accepted that choosing not to die in an impossible situation was not dishonorable. Yet the Spartan PR machine was so effective that the rest of the Greeks believed the notion of the Spartans absolute dedication and refusal to withdraw or surrender under any circumstances. This is why the spartan surrender was so surprising.
I was wondering whether the reference to the pilos not keeping out the arrows might be implying that when attacked by missile troops from the back or sides then this was the only piece of armour protecting them and that the rest of their bodies were exposed, as the shields and greaves only protected their front. Against the arrows this was the only piece of protection they had.
The question of whether it is felt or not is an interesting one as the hoplites are clearly being referred to as heavily equipped.
Colin
