Mito e identità civica: Agamennone e Oreste a Sparta

Abstract

Main goals of this paper are the reconstruction, analysis, and interpretation of some aspects of the definition and evolution of Spartan civic identity during the archaic and classical period. This process was fulfilled through the invention of mythical traditions about Agamemnon and Orestes and by comparison with the cultural heritage of other regions, such as Argolis, Arcadia and Attica.

Furthermore, it had a threefold purpose. First of all, it was aimed to project the origins of the community in the mythical past of Troy and its heroes, with the clear goal of building an Achaean legacy for Sparta. Besides, through the specific figure of Orestes, it was meant to display the position of Sparta about some socially relevant issues, such as bloody revenge, contamination and purification. Finally, it defined the political and cultural position of the polis in opposition to those of other particularly authoritative communities.