Herodotus on the Burial Procedure of the Spartan Kings
Pechatnova Larisa G.
The article offers a historical commentary on Herodotus’ account of the funeral of the Spartan kings. The author tries to explain why over the centuries the royal funeral rite continued to exist unchanged, although it was too magnificent for the ascetic Sparta. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the socio-ethnic structure of the participants in the funeral ceremony. It is argued that the participation of representatives of the lower classes – helots and perioikoi – in the funeral ceremony contributed to the separation of elites from both categories of the Spartan subordinate population. The funeral ceremony performed an important ideological and propaganda function: it served as a unifying moment for all ranks of society and instilled in them the conviction of eternity and immutability of the royal power, and with it the entire Spartan state.
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