‘The real political leadership of Sparta rested with the elders and the Ephors. To what extent is an accurate description to the government of Sparta?
‘The real political leadership of Sparta rested with the elders and the Ephors. To what extent is an accurate description to the government of Sparta?
In the Spartan political system, power was divided among kings, Ephors and the Gerousia which was the council of elders. There were five magistrates called Ephors, one that was from each territorial region. It is supposed that the Ephors were established as part of the political system early in the Spartan history. The five Ephors were selected yearly from among the Spartiates. Even though the Ephors could not be re-elected, they obsessed over their significant power and implemented control over most aspects of Spartan Life. Xenophon states in source 3.5 “so the Ephors have the power to fine anyone they wish, the right to secure payment on the spot, the right also to dismiss office-holders, and actually to imprison and put them on trial for their lives”. This tells us that in the political system the Ephors had more power than the kings to make decisions based on judicial and government matters.
Plutarch says in Source 3.7 “for the institution of Ephors served to reinforce the constitution rather than weaken it, and even though it appeared to be to the people’s advantage, in fact it strengthened the aristocracy’. Here Plutarch is implying that the Ephors wanted to strengthen the constitution so it would keep the government and political system strong and to keep it continuing with the success rate that with was going with the Ephors.
In source 3.6 Aristotle states “the Ephorate has supreme authority in the most important matters, but its members come from the whole people, so that frequently men who are extremely poor get onto this board, and their poverty used to make them over to bribery”. Aristotle is declaring that the Ephorate’s got people who were poor, bribed them with goods and got them to join their side so there would be more of a bigger and powerful political system. They could have also done
In the Spartan political system, power was divided among kings, Ephors and the Gerousia which was the council of elders. There were five magistrates called Ephors, one that was from each territorial region. It is supposed that the Ephors were established as part of the political system early in the Spartan history. The five Ephors were selected yearly from among the Spartiates. Even though the Ephors could not be re-elected, they obsessed over their significant power and implemented control over most aspects of Spartan Life. Xenophon states in source 3.5 “so the Ephors have the power to fine anyone they wish, the right to secure payment on the spot, the right also to dismiss office-holders, and actually to imprison and put them on trial for their lives”. This tells us that in the political system the Ephors had more power than the kings to make decisions based on judicial and government matters.
Plutarch says in Source 3.7 “for the institution of Ephors served to reinforce the constitution rather than weaken it, and even though it appeared to be to the people’s advantage, in fact it strengthened the aristocracy’. Here Plutarch is implying that the Ephors wanted to strengthen the constitution so it would keep the government and political system strong and to keep it continuing with the success rate that with was going with the Ephors.
In source 3.6 Aristotle states “the Ephorate has supreme authority in the most important matters, but its members come from the whole people, so that frequently men who are extremely poor get onto this board, and their poverty used to make them over to bribery”. Aristotle is declaring that the Ephorate’s got people who were poor, bribed them with goods and got them to join their side so there would be more of a bigger and powerful political system. They could have also done