Spartan Women and the Downfall Thesis

In conclusion, based on the available historical evidence concerning ancient Sparta and its culture and the viewpoints of Aristotle, the Spartan women obviously played a major role in the downfall of the Spartan empire; however, like related historical events, one cannot place all of the blame on this role, for there is certainly a conglomerate of reasons why Sparta failed to survive as a major Greek polis. In basic terms, Aristotle may be trying to persuade us that a society like Sparta cannot survive if it is ruled by women instead of men, for after all, women are "useless" and are second-rate when compared to men. Perhaps Aristotle should have considered the possibility that if the Spartan men had not been so militarily aggressive toward their neighbors and instead stayed at home with their wives as proper fathers and guardians, Spartan society might have survived to eventually rival the city of Athens as one of the homes of Western democracy.ENDNOTES

1 Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2005, 68.

2 Ibid, 69.

3 Fitzhardinge, L.F. The Spartans. London: Constable, 2001, 56.

4 Ibid, 59.

5 Martin, 78.

6 Fitzhardinge, 77.

7 Martin, 79.

8 Halsall, Paul. "Ancient History Sourcebook: Aristotle: Spartan Women." 2000. Internet.

9 Ibid, Internet.

10 Ibid, Internet.

11 Ibid, Internet.

12 Ibid, Internet.

13 Ibid, Internet.

SOURCES CITED

Fitzhardinge, L.F. The Spartans. London: Constable, 2001.

Halsall, Paul. "Ancient History Sourcebook: Aristotle:….....