Syssitia

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As syssitia ( ancient Greek Συσσίτια , German and Syssitia ) refers to common everyday men Mahle in the Doric states of Greece , especially of Sparta , where she Pheiditien were called (Phiditien).

The Syssitia were meant to strengthen the cohesion among the officially "same" citizens and their love for the state. In addition to the compulsory education, they were one of the essential elements of civil life in Sparta.

Origin and source problem

The communal meals (Syssitia: syn "together" and sition "the food") probably developed from the tent communities of the campaigns, because originally it was also used to describe the smallest military unit ( Herodotus ). The main source for the Syssitia is the biography of Lycurgus , which was written by Plutarch at the end of the 1st / beginning of the 2nd century AD . The Syssitien were, however, from Agis IV. (244-241) and Cleomenes III. (235-219) was newly constituted, which is why it is not clear to what extent Plutarch describes the meal communities of the classical period. The idea of ​​communal feasts in tents (hence also Syskenien: syn "together" and skene "tent") is based primarily on Xenophon : He wrote that the Syskenien had been moved from Lycurgus to the open air, the two kings dined in their own Syskenion and had a special tent made available for the campaigns.

Locality

It is not known where the syssitia took place. From the name "Syskenien" one inferred from the communal meal in tents. However, Demetrios von Skeptisis and Ptolemon mention permanent buildings on the Hyakinthische Straße to Amyklai for the beginning of the 2nd century , which are also possible for the localization of the Syssitia.

The meal community

The communal meal consisted of groups of around 15  Spartians of different ages who were also tent companions during the war. Daily participation was compulsory for all Spartians over the age of 20, only in exceptional cases (hunting, sacrifice) were allowed to eat at home, and each of them had to give a fixed monthly contribution in kind and money to make it possible. Those who were insolvent lost their full citizenship status until their economic situation had improved sufficiently. With the entry into the military service, the table community voted by secret ballot on the admission of new members into a syssition, which had to be unanimous.

The two kings of Sparta should also take part in the syssitia. Plutarch reports that King Agis II was punished because he wanted to eat with his wife after the end of the Peloponnesian War (404 BC). Herodotus indicates, however, that the kings would not have been obliged to participate, because they only received half of their food share in their absence.

Food

Traditionally, black soup (a type of blood soup, pork cooked in blood with vinegar and salt) was eaten as the first dish . In addition, there was a variety of foods (cheese, meat, fruit, vegetables and maza ) as a second dish, and wine was drunk in moderation. Participation in the meal communities was linked to a certain amount. These taxes were one of the conditions for the Spartan citizen status (cf. Aristotle , Politik , 1271a ). According to Plutarch, the monthly contribution to the syssitia was composed as follows: 1 bushel (approx. 74.5 l / 1 medimnos 30.9 kg) of barley for bread, 8 choen (24 l) of wine, 5 mines (approx. 3 kg) Cheese, 2½ mines of figs (approx. 1.5 kg) and a small amount of money for the additional food. In addition, there was meat from their own slaughter or as hunting prey. Dikaiarch, on the other hand, names 1.5 (78 l) Attic medimnoi barley, 12 Choen (36 l) wine and 10 Aiginetic obols for food. The dues were collected from each community and not centrally, although the dates were presumably set by the authorities.

Social Significance of Syssitia

All participants were sworn to secrecy. This also applied to young people, who were occasionally allowed to take part as guests, as a result of which laconic norms, values ​​and way of life were immediately demonstrated to them. The participation of all ages also facilitated the mutual exchange of experiences and cohesion between the generations. The meal communities thus served the education and the creation of a community awareness. Therefore the syssitia represented the smallest unit of public life and founded the male-dominated social order.

In contrast, it must be emphasized that access was determined by the participants, which is why the meal communities were exclusive groups. The fact that the person who provided additional food in addition to the actual contribution was named also meant that, despite uniform basic amounts, some were given priority. The equality of taxes also increased inequality among the participants, since people with lower assets or greater financial burdens (such as younger sons or daughters) were burdened proportionally more.

There were also different relationships of dependency within the group, such as the homoerotic relationship between a boy and an older man (see also Doric boy love ). But the display of drunken helots also brought the power imbalance between Spartan citizens and those who forcibly tilled their fields before the audience. Since the contributions came from lands which - it is generally assumed - were administered by the wives, the man's citizen status would have depended on the good economic management of the lands of their wives, which is why the importance of women in Sparta is highly valued.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Constitution of the Spartans 5.2
  2. ↑ Hellenika 5,3,20
  3. ^ Constitution of the Spartans 13.7; 15.4
  4. ↑ Athenaios 4,173f.
  5. ↑ Athenaios 2,39c
  6. ^ Plutarch, Lykurg 12
  7. ↑ Herodotus 6:57
  8. ↑ Athenaios 4,139c-141
  9. ↑ Plutarch, Lykurgos 28

literature