syssitia
E1037134
Syssitia were communal messes in ancient Sparta where male citizens regularly dined together, reinforcing social cohesion, military discipline, and equality among warriors.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Spartan institution
ⓘ
ancient Greek institution ⓘ communal meal ⓘ |
| associatedWithPolity | Spartan polis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| attributedToLegislator | Lycurgus of Sparta NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| characteristicFeature |
common table for equals
ⓘ
obligatory attendance for citizens ⓘ simple and frugal food ⓘ |
| culturalContext | Dorian Greek culture NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| documentedBySource |
Aristotle
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Plutarch NERFINISHED ⓘ Xenophon NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| emphasizedValue |
collective over individual
ⓘ
discipline ⓘ equality ⓘ |
| enforcedBy | social sanctions for non-attendance ⓘ |
| excludes |
helots
ⓘ
perioikoi ⓘ women ⓘ |
| financedBy |
contributions from participants
ⓘ
produce from kleros (land allotment) ⓘ |
| hasNameInGreek | συσσίτια ⓘ |
| languageOfTerm | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
| linkedTo |
Spartan citizenship
ⓘ
Spartan military training ⓘ agoge NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainParticipants |
Spartan male citizens
ⓘ
Spartiates NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mealType | evening meal ⓘ |
| militaryFunction |
building unit cohesion
ⓘ
preparing for collective warfare ⓘ |
| politicalFunction |
control of citizen body
ⓘ
informal political discussion ⓘ |
| practicedIn |
Crete
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Sparta NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| purpose |
maintenance of Spartan martial ethos
ⓘ
promotion of equality among warriors ⓘ reinforcement of military discipline ⓘ reinforcement of social cohesion ⓘ |
| regulatedBy | Spartan law ⓘ |
| relatedConcept | andreia (Cretan common meals) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| requirementFor | full Spartan citizenship ⓘ |
| socialFunction |
fostering camaraderie among hoplites
ⓘ
reducing display of private wealth ⓘ reinforcing group identity ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
Archaic Greece
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Classical Greece NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.