Political structure
is a term frequently used in political science. In a general sense, it refers
to institutions or groups and their relations to each other, their patterns of
interaction within political systems and to political regulations, laws and the
norms present in political systems in such a way that they constitute the
political landscape of the political entity.
The issue of lykurgus (the great rhetra)
*rules and structure
of the Spartan state reputedly established by legendary law-giver, lykurgus
(Plutarch)
*different accounts
of lykurgus birth, travels, death and activities as a law maker and leader
(Plutarch)
*the rhetra (spoken
directions about how Sparta was to be organised) were supposedly given to
lykurgus by the Delphic oracle (Plutarch). This is unlikely as it is generally
agreed in modern scholarship that Spartan society evolved over a period of
centuries and that significant changes were made after the conquest of messene.
*lykurgus allegedly
laid out the institutions that would provide eumonia-an excellent order of
things (Xenophon)
political change in greece
early sparta, like other early greek city states of the 8th and 7th centuries BC, was a kingdom. however sparta instead of having one king had two, one descended from the family of the agiads, the other may have been due to two competing dynasties in the early state, or stem from the amalgamation of the villages that came to make up the polis of sparta.
Roles and privileges of the two kings
·A
dual kingship- two hereditary and co-equal kings, who held office for life were
at the head of the Spartan state. Their powers, functions and privileges were
in several areas, including
·*
military:
·They
commanded the army on foreign expeditions (Aristotle)
·After cleomenes and demaratos (c510
BC) only one king led the army into battle- the other remained in Sparta
(Herodotus)
social structure & political organisation
egyptian society was hierarchical. it was usual for a son to follow the footsteps of his father-so, for example, the son of a farmee5r usually became a farmer. nevertheless, it was possible for a person of humble background to rise to a position of power. the structure of society is summarised in fig 2.2.