Posthumous Veneration of King Leonidas in Sparta
https://doi.org/10.26907/2541-7738.2024.2.64-75
Abstract
This article examines several narratives about the posthumous veneration of King Leonidas in Sparta. The details of the funeral ceremony held for him are analyzed. Leonidas was the only ruler to be commemorated with three tombstones and three funerals, all in different locations. These unprecedented honors emphasized the exceptional importance attributed to Leonidas by the Spartan authorities. They affirmed his commanding role in strengthening Sparta’s reputation as the leader of the Greek resistance. Leonidas’ recognition and the annual holiday in his honor were fundamental in shaping the mentality of the Spartan citizens. He and the three hundred Spartans who perished with him at Thermopylae embodied the ideal of a noble death in defense of the homeland and showed the Spartans that they were expected to either triumph over the enemy or meet their fate. This concept became ingrained in the ideology of the Spartiates. The intrigue surrounding the transfer of Leonidas’ remains from Thermopylae to Sparta is discussed. Due to a gap in Pausanias’ text, the identity of those responsible for this action and its timing are still unknown. The speculation is fueled by the discrepancy between the name and date provided in the manuscript. Here, several different options to fill the gap are considered. Out of all the options, the one that involves the least amount of intervention, i.e., simply replacing one digit in the manuscript, stands out.
Keywords
References
1. Lupi М. Sparta and the Persian wars, 499–478. In: Powell A. (Ed.) A Companion to Sparta. Vol. I. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley Blackwell, 2018, pp. 271–290. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119072379.ch10.
2. Grant J.R. Leonidas’ last stand. Phoenix, 1961, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 14–27. https://doi.org/10.2307/1085931.
3. Loraux N. La “belle mort” spartiate. Ktèma, 1977, no. 2, pp. 105–120. (In French)
4. Petropoulou A. The Spartan royal funeral in comparative perspective. Honouring the Dead in the Peloponnese: Proc. Conf. Held in Sparta 23–25 April 2009. Cavanagh H., Roy J. (Eds.). Nottingham, Univ. of Nottingham, 2011, pp. 583–612.
5. Schaefer H. Das Eidolon des Leonidas. In: Probleme der Alten Geschichte. Gesammelte Abhandlungen und Vorträge. Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1963. S. 324–328. (In German)
6. Scott L. Historical Commentary on Herodotus. Book 6. Ser.: Mnemosyne, Supplements. Vol. 268. Leiden, Brill, 2005. 716 p.
7. Richer N. The religious system at Sparta. In: Ogden D. (Ed.) A Companion to Greek Religion. Oxford, Wiley Blackwell, 2007, pp. 236–252. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470996911.ch16.
8. Pritchett W.K. The Greek State at War. Part IV. Berkeley, CA, Los Angeles, CA, London, Univ. of California Press, 1985. 278 p.
9. Richer N. Aspects des funérailles à Sparte. Cahiers du Centre Gustave Glotz, 1994, vol. 5, pp. 51–96. https://doi.org/10.3406/ccgg.1994.1386.
10. Paradiso A. Herodotus’ list of the Three Hundred. Honouring the Dead in the Peloponnese: Proc. Conf. Held in Sparta 23–25 April 2009. Cavanagh H., Roy J. (Eds.). Nottingham, Univ. of Nottingham, 2011, pp. 521–535.
11. Gengler O. Leonidas and the heroes of Thermopylae: Memory of the dead and identity in Roman Sparta. Honouring the Dead in the Peloponnese: Proc. Conf. Held in Sparta 23–25 April 2009. Cavanagh H., Roy J. (Eds.). Nottingham, Univ. of Nottingham, 2011, pp. 151–161.
12. Boehringer D. Zur Heroisierung historischer Persönlichkeiten bei den Griechen. In: Flashar M., Gehrke H.-J., Heinrich E. (Hrsg.) Retrospektive: Konzepte von Vergangenheit in der griechisch-römischen Antike. München, Biering & Brinkmann, 1996. S. 37–61. (In German)
13. Currie B. Pindar and the Cult of Heroes. Ser.: Oxford Classical Monographs. Oxford, Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. 487 p.
14. Ekroth G. Heroes and hero-cults. In: Ogden D. (Ed.) A Companion to Greek Religion. Oxford, Wiley Blackwell, 2007, pp. 100–114. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470996911.ch7.
15. Flower M.A. Spartan ‘religion’ and Greek ‘religion’. In: Hodkinson S. (Ed.) Sparta: Comparative Approaches. Swansea, Classical Press of Wales, 2009, pp. 193–229.
16. Lipka M. Xenophon’s Spartan Constitution: Introduction, Text, Commentary. Berlin, New York, NY, Walter de Gruyter, 2002. 302 p.
17. Parker R. Spartan religion. In: Powell A. (Ed.) Classical Sparta: Techniques behind Her Success. London, Routledge, 1989, pp. 142–172.
18. Cartledge P., Spawforth A. Hellenistic and Roman Sparta: A Tale of Two Cities. London, New York, NY, Routledge, 1989. 304 p.
19. Diller A. The manuscripts of Pausanias. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, 1957, vol. 88, pp. 169–188. https://doi.org/10.2307/283902.
20. Müller K.O. Die Dorier. Bd. 2. Breslau, Max und Komp., 1844. 500 S. (In German)
21. Connor W.R. Pausanias 3.14.1: A sidelight on Spartan history, C. 440 B.C.? Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, 1979, vol. 109, pp. 21–27. https://doi.org/10.2307/284046.
22. Lupi M. Oracoli ed eroicizzazione: il sacrificio, il risarcimento e il recupero delle ossa di Leonida. Verbum Dei. Oracoli e tradizioni cittadine nella Grecia antica. Atti del convegno Roma, Università degli studi “La Sapienza” 11–12 febbraio 2011. Vannicelli P. (Ed.). Roma, 2014, pp. 353–370. (In Italian)
23. Lewis D. Mainland Greece, 479–451 B.C. In: Lewis D.M., Boardman J., Davies J.K., Ostwald M. (Eds.) The Cambridge Ancient History. Vol. V: The fifth century B.C. Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2008. P. 96–120.
24. Lippold А. Pausanias von Sparta und die Perser. Rheinisches Museum für Philologie, 1965, Bd. 108, H. 4, S. 320–341. (In German)
25. Loomis W.T. Pausanias, Byzantion and the formation of the Delian League: A chronological note. Historia, 1990, Bd. 39, H. 4, S. 487–492. (In German)
26. Pechatnova L.G. Pausanias and the Persians. Mnemon. Issledovaniya i Publikatsii po Istorii Antichnogo Mira, 2015, vol. 15, pp. 161–185. (In Russian)
27. Dimauro E. Re contro. La rivalità dinastica a Sparta fino al regno di Agide II. Alessandria, Edizioni dell’ Orso, 2008. 217 p. (In Italian)
28. Tigerstedt E.N. The Legend of Sparta in Classical Antiquity. Vol. I. Stockholm, Almqvist & Wiksell, 1965. 591 p.
29. Scott A.G. The Spartan heroic death in Plutarch’s Laconian Apophthegms. Hermes, 2015, Bd. 143, H. 1, S. 72–82. https://doi.org/10.25162/hermes-2015-0004.
Review
For citations:
Pechatnova L.G. Posthumous Veneration of King Leonidas in Sparta. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki. 2024;166(2):64-75. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.26907/2541-7738.2024.2.64-75
Views:
196
Email this article 