Schole
Schole

Leisure in Classical Sparta

Author(s): Sebastian Rajewicz
Subject(s): History, Ancient World
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Sparta; classical period; leisure; schole; private time
Summary/Abstract: In collective memory, the image of Sparta is that of a military encampment. In a world where the citizens devoted their lives to war and other needs of the state, there was no place for leisure. The author calls into question this mythologised perception, adopting a new perspective: instead of focusing, following the ancient authors, on the state and its needs, he pays special attention to the private sphere, which is more befitting for a reflection on the titular schole. He demonstrates that the life of Spartans might have resembled life in a military camp only during the period of the famed state education. Once the education was complete, the citizens had abundant leisure time to engage in various activities, including: family life, extramarital unions, pederasty, entertainment during feasts, sport, hunting, and horse and hound breeding.

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