ABSTRACT
The Greek historian Thucydides lamented that when later generations viewed the crumbling physical remains of Sparta, they would have no indication of what a mighty force this city had been in Antiquity (1.10.2). Obviously, Thucydides was contrasting Sparta’s modest architecture with the magnifi cent marble edifi ces of Athens. Such comparisons between Sparta and Athens are not limited to archaeological remains but include other features of their respective cultures. In terms of our interest in discourse, Athens is seen as the center for the study and practice of oral and written rhetoric. Sparta, on the other hand, provides little evidence of any interest in rhetoric or even literacy in general; in fact, the prominent Roman rhetorician Quintilian even believed that rhetoric had been banned from practice in Sparta (Institutio Oratoria 2.16.4). However, it is important to remember that generalizations not only have exceptions but are also based on perspective. When we examine our perspectives, the exceptions to Spartan illiteracy often reveal a more sensitive understanding than is offered by such sweeping characterizations as those that troubled Thucydides. Based on primary accounts and the reconstruction
of material evidence, this essay examines the methods that the Spartans used to compose secret messages. This study reveals that the Spartans created pragmatic and sophisticated literate systems that challenge their stereotype as a “nonliterate” culture and, more importantly, in at least one instance developed their own (non-Athenian) “rhetoric.”
