Xenophon of Athens : a Socratic on Sparta /
Xenophon of Athens (c. 430-354 BCE) has long been considered an uncritical admirer of Sparta who hero-worships the Spartan King Agesilaus and eulogizes Spartan practices in his Lacedaimoniôn Politeia. By examining his own self-descriptions, especially where he portrays himself as conversing with Soc...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Language Notes: | Text in English and Ancient Greek. |
| Published: |
Cambridge ; New York :
Cambridge University Press,
[2022].
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| Summary: | Xenophon of Athens (c. 430-354 BCE) has long been considered an uncritical admirer of Sparta who hero-worships the Spartan King Agesilaus and eulogizes Spartan practices in his Lacedaimoniôn Politeia. By examining his own self-descriptions, especially where he portrays himself as conversing with Socrates and falling short in his appreciation of Socrates' advice, this book finds in Xenophon's overall writing project a Socratic response to his exile and situates his writings about Sparta within this framework. It presents a detailed reading of the Lacedaimoniôn Politeia as a critical and philosophical examination of Spartan socio-cultural practices. Evidence from his own Hellenica, Anabasis and Agesilaus is shown to confirm Xenophon's analysis of the weaknesses in the Spartan system, and that he is not enamored of Agesilaus. Finally, a comparison with contemporary Athenian responses to Sparta shows remarkable points of convergence with his fellow Socratic Plato, as well as connections with Isocrates too. |
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| Physical Description: | xxx, 368 pages ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781108479974 1108479979 9781108810470 1108810470 |