For this class, we'll be doing a close reading of an excerpt from Plutarch's Life of Lycurgus. Start with the block quote beginning on page 206, "An extraordinary and revolutionary action..."

While reading through the passage, consider the following topics:

• AUTHORITY. Who is writing this passage? What expertise or viewpoint do they have?
• PURPOSE. Why did the author write this? Do you think he had an agenda or a reason for portraying the Spartans a specific way?
• ACCURACY. Based on what you've learned about ancient Sparta, what do you think of the information presented here? Does anything sound incorrect, exaggerated, or biased? If so, why?

For more information on reading for content, argument, analysis, and evaluation, consider these guides as well:

The discipline of Classics typically uses Chicago style for citations:

Notes-Bibliography System (Humanities Style)