This paper examines the development of heroic cults in Sparta and the establishment of a communal identity reached through a policy of expansion. The general spread of hero-cults followed steps, rituals and cults that are common to the whole Greek world; nonetheless, the Spartan “appropriation” of some specific Pan-Hellenic entities resulted in the formation of a peculiar system of heroic cults established on the creation of a mythical ancestry of founders, trying to relate Sparta’s recent history to a more ancient mythical past.
Heroic cults at Sparta between mythological past and supranational relations / Golino, Stefania. - (2022), pp. 97-127. [10.13133/9788893772273].
Heroic cults at Sparta between mythological past and supranational relations
STEFANIA GOLINO
2022
Abstract
This paper examines the development of heroic cults in Sparta and the establishment of a communal identity reached through a policy of expansion. The general spread of hero-cults followed steps, rituals and cults that are common to the whole Greek world; nonetheless, the Spartan “appropriation” of some specific Pan-Hellenic entities resulted in the formation of a peculiar system of heroic cults established on the creation of a mythical ancestry of founders, trying to relate Sparta’s recent history to a more ancient mythical past.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.