Crypteia
The Crypteia, also referred to as Krypteia or Krupteia (Greek: κρυπτεία krupteía from κρυπτός kruptós, "hidden, secret"), was an ancient Spartan state institution involving young Spartan men. It was an exclusive element of Sparta's state-sponsored child-rearing system in which participation afforded its members, known as kryptai (κρύπται, members of the Krypteia), the opportunity to test their skills further and to prove themselves worthy of the Spartan polity. As an organisation, the Crypteia's mandate and practices are still debated by historians.[1]
Overview
The ranks of the Crypteia comprised young Spartan men, probably between the ages of 21 and 30, who were described as "those judged to have the most intelligence."
According to Plato, the kryptai did not use footwear during the winter and slept without shelter. Plato describes them as being unsupervised and as depending on themselves alone for survival. Plato's description might seem to imply that the kryptai were forced to be independent, but some scholars think that they may have had attendants at certain times to watch over them.[3][need quotation to verify]
The duration of service in the Crypteia is also largely unknown, but it has been suggested that one year of service may have been all that was required of the men.
Much of the debate surrounding the Crypteia comes from the differing accounts provided by Plutarch and Plato. Plutarch, in his Life of Lycurgus, describes the brutal killing of helots on behalf of the Crypteia, but in the Laws, Plato makes no mention of such killings.[1]
History and function
According to
Military affiliation
In Cleomenes, Plutarch describes the Crypteia as being a unit of the Spartan army.[17] The Crypteia did not act in a similar fashion to hoplite soldiers, however. Hoplite soldiers were armored and acted as a part of a phalanx while members of the Crypteia acted on their own, often rested during the day, and were most likely naked and armed with only a dagger.[1] During the Battle of Sellasia, the Spartan king Cleomenes III "called Damoteles, the commander of the Crypteia, and ordered him to observe and find out how matters stood in the rear and on the flanks of his army."[18][19][20] Various scholars have speculated function of the Crypteia as a part of the army because Plutarch's account provides a completely different understanding of their role when compared to the accounts provided by Aristotle and Plato.[21] Plutarch's account has led to the Cryptiea being described as a reconnaissance, special operations or even military police force.[20][21] However, Jean Ducat argues that source should no longer be associated with the understanding of the Crypteia as known from Aristotle and Plato. He proposes that the understanding of the Crypteia as part of the army is just that, a separate understanding that defines the Crypteia as a corps in the Spartan army.[22] Plutarch's account of the Crypteia describes the organisation as a military unit that has a commander, which differs from Aristotle and Plato's interpretation since the Crypteia is described as being independent and without overseers. Ducat also takes up query with the task of observation that the Crypteia are given in Plutarch's account.[21] Again, that differs from Aristotle and Plato's interpretation in the fact that the Crypteia's mandate was not to observe or provide intelligence but to seek out purposely and kill helots. Unlike its unknown origins, the Battle of Sellasia is considered to provide a potential date for the disbandment of the Crypteia.[23] With the Spartan revolution in jeopardy, Cleomenes III began to emancipate helots in exchange for money and then military service.[24] With the emancipation of many helots and Spartan's subsequent defeat at Sellasia, helotage ceased to exist, and without a helot population, by mandate, the Crypteia should have ceased to exist as well. The Crypteia's disbanding after that battle, however, is only speculation.[23]
Ritualistic activity
The French historian Henri Jeanmaire points out that the unstructured and covert activities of the Crypteia are unlike the disciplined and well-ordered communal life of the Spartan hoplites (see Homonoia). Jeanmaire suggests that the Crypteia was a rite of passage, possibly predating the classical military organization, and may have been preserved through Sparta's legendary religious conservatism. He draws comparison with the initiation rituals of some African secret societies (wolf-men and leopard men).[25] Members of the Crypteia may have not shared the commonality with Spartan hoplites that Jeanmaire describes during their service as a part of the institution, but they eventually returned to their communities and were integrated back into the complex Spartan social system.[2]
Modern reception
In popular culture
The Crypteia (as The Krypteia) are key to the indie horror film
The Crypteia are briefly mentioned in the comic book series Three by Kieron Gillen. They make their first appearance in issue one of Three and are depicted naked, armed with only daggers, attacking a group of unsuspecting helots as they tend to their crops. Gillien used the Crypteia to highlight the harshness of the Spartan system and describes their function as "a rite of passage to life where all vocations are barred, bar one. Once a year, the masters declare war on the helots. If they bloody their hands, they are not polluted. So they are free to do whatever is required to keep the helots on their knees. And so they do."[27][28] One of Sparta's leading historians, Stephen Hodkinson, is noted as being the historical consultant employed by Gillen throughout the series. Hodkinson describes Gillien's depiction of the Crypteia as a "perfect amalgam" of the information available in the two source traditions; those being Plato's Laws and Plutarch's Life of Lycurgus.[27] The reason for this, according to Hokinson, is that these two sources portray the Crypteia in different, almost contradictory, ways. Aristotle's account, which is taken from Plutarch, depicts kryptai hunting helots, while Plato's account does not mention the killing of helots and views the Crypteia as a mode of endurance training. Hodkinson claims that the differing accounts have led modern scholars to adopt a "composite" understanding of the Crypteia.[27]
The Krypteia are also mentioned in the book Gates of Fire. They are described as being a "secret society among the peers (full citizens)."[citation needed] They also are described as being assassins and being "pitiless as iron." The author also mentions that they are the youngest and the strongest of the Spartan military.
Spartan Race
Spartan Race, the obstacle course racing series, calls their event leaders the "Krypteia".[29]
Golden Dawn
Maniot leaders of the far-right Greek political party, Golden Dawn, reinstituted the Crypteia as a part of their adoption of Spartan ideologies.[30]
See also
- Agoge
- Kóryos
References
- ^ a b c d e Nafissi, Massimo (2018). Powell, Anton (ed.). A Companion to Sparta. Wiley Blackwell. p. 109.
- ^ a b Richer, Nicolas (2018). Powell, Anton (ed.). A Companion to Sparta. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 530.
- ^ Kennell, Nigel (2010). Spartans: A New History. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 268.
- ^ Figueira, Thomas (2018). Powell, Anton (ed.). A Companion to Sparta. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 569.
- ^ Ducat, Jean (2006). Spartan Education: Youth and Society in the Classical Period. The Classical Press of Wales. p. 297.
- ^ Wallon, Henri (1850). Explication d'un passage de Plutarque sur une loi de Lycurgue nommée la Cryptie (fragment d'une Histoire des Institutions politiques de la Grèce). Paris: Dupont.
Grote [...] se refusant, comme Müller et Thirlwall, à voir dans cette institution un massacre périodique et officiel, le reduit de même à n'être tout au plus qu'un système d'espionnage étendu pas les éphores sur les bourgs des périèques comme sur les villages des hilotes : système marqué parfois par des assassinats qui demeuraient inconnus.
- ^ Köchly, Hermann (1835). Commentatio de Lacedaemoniorum cryptia. Leipzig.
- ^ Wachsmuth, Wilhelm (1844–46). Hellenische Altertumskunde aus dem Geschichtpunkt des Staates (Teil 1 & 2).
- ^ Ducat, Jean (2006). Spartan Education: Youth and Society in the Classical Period. Translated by Stafford, Emma; Shaw, P.J.; Powell, Anton. The Classical Press of Wales. p. 284.
- ^ Ducat, Jean (2006). Spartan Education: Youth and Society in the Classical Period. The Classical Press of Wales. p. 307.
- ^ "Plutarch • Life of Lycurgus". penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
- ^ Kennell, Nigel (2010). Spartans: A New History. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 268.
- ^ a b Paul Cartledge, Sparta and Lakonia: A Regional History 1300-362 BC, 2nd Edition, Routledge, 2001
- ^ "Plato, Laws, Book 1, section 633c". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
- ^ a b "Plutarch, Lycurgus, chapter 28". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ a b "A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), CRYPTEIA". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ Ducat, Jean (2006). Spartan Education: Youth and Society in the Classical Period. The Classical Press of Wales. pp. 293–294.
- ^ Ducat, Jean (2006). Spartan Education: Youth and Society in the Classical Period. The Classical Press of Wales. p. 293.
- ^ "Plutarch, Cleomenes, chapter 28". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
- ^ a b Brandon D. Ross Krypteia: A Form of Ancient Guerrilla Warfare
- ^ a b c Ducat, Jean (2006). Spartan Education: Youth and Society in the Classical Period. The Classical Press of Wales. p. 294.
- ^ Ducat, Jean (2006). Spartan Education: Youth and Society in the Classical Period. The Classical Press of Wales. p. 295.
- ^ a b Ducat, Jean (2006). Spartan Education: Youth and Society in the Classical Period. The Classical Press of Wales. p. 307.
- JSTOR 25010562– via JSTOR.
- ^ Henri Jeanmaire, La cryptie lacédémonienne, Revue des études grecques, 26, 1913
- ^ "https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/pledge-1175021/
- ^ a b c Gillan, Kieron (2013). Three. Image Comics, Inc. p. 26.
- ^ Gillan, Kieron (2013). Three. Image Comics, Inc. pp. 5–6.
- ^ "What is a Hurricane Heat?". SPARTAN US FAQ. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- .
External links
- Wallon (1850) in scanned as well as HTML version