syssitia

E1037134

Syssitia were communal messes in ancient Sparta where male citizens regularly dined together, reinforcing social cohesion, military discipline, and equality among warriors.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
syssitia canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Spartan institution
ancient Greek institution
communal meal
associatedWithPolity Spartan polis
attributedToLegislator Lycurgus of Sparta
characteristicFeature common table for equals
obligatory attendance for citizens
simple and frugal food
culturalContext Dorian Greek culture
linked to: Dorian Greek states
documentedBySource Aristotle
Plutarch
Xenophon
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
linked to: Agoge
mainParticipants Spartan male citizens
Spartiates
mealType evening meal
militaryFunction building unit cohesion
preparing for collective warfare
politicalFunction control of citizen body
informal political discussion
practicedIn Crete
Sparta
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)
linked to: Triklinos
requirementFor full Spartan citizenship
socialFunction fostering camaraderie among hoplites
reducing display of private wealth
reinforcing group identity
timePeriod Archaic Greece
Classical Greece

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.