Hippeis, not Hippies

[Paullus Scipio]

Whoa, there, Xenophon! That's exactly what Jameson argues was the case on Crete,a s well--the cream of the young men chosen and called "hippeis" and he has several dozen nice pieces of evidence--including a series of quotations on just how they were chosen. And I think that it goes without saying that Lykurgus went to Crete and came back with his notions of running Sparta--yes? And that any "leveling" in Sparta was merely an agreement among all the "barons"--they're all aristocrats, aren't they? Just exactly like Crete, in fact. They have serfs, they do no work, they hunt all day, they have formalized "relationships" with religious overtones...

I knew you'd make me look this up--it's in Herodotus, I think. The whole Olympic champion automatically included--in something. I have to find it. It's not what I'm researching right now!

Oh well. Sparta.

...I don't think we are in disagreement here...as Paul B. remarks above, there was considerable cross-fertilisation between Spartans and Cretans, who shared a common 'Dorian' heritage - but similarities are not the same and it is unsafe to push those similarities to far.......The Cretan reference is from Ephorus via Strabo X.4.18, quoted in this thread earlier by "Spartan JKM" on 18 Nov. Ephorus is apparently a little confused - saying that the Spartan 'Hippeis' "no longer kept horses", whereas in fact the Spartan 'Hippeis' were no longer drawn from the 'Horse owning class' - who still existed in Sparta in the form of richer 'Homioi' who were obliged to provide horses for the cavalry.
So don't waste time looking up Herodotus! ....or Plutarch's 'Moralia' for the 'Olympic Champions anecdote! ( see my post above)