From: "Chris" 
Subject: Re: (urth) Ares & Aphrodite & Other Latro Stuff
Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 17:42:03 +0000

Greetings,

>3.  Why does Latro have blood on his fingers after seeing the armor of King
>Leonidas (ch. 36, pp. 290, 291)?

It's implied (I think) that Latro slew Leonidas at Thermopylae. The blood is 
Leonidas', and if I recall correctly Latro feels guilt, and tries to hide 
the blood (which no one else would probably be able to see anyway); also, he 
tries to rationalize just how he knows so much about the way Leonidas died. 
He gives a fairly rational explanation, but it's clear that this is not the 
real reason he knew what happened.

>4.  Perhaps my biggest question: What exactly happens at the end of the
>manumission ceremony (ch.37)?

This was extremely confusing to me as well. This is a historical event, 
though I have not actually seen where it's recorded originally - I know 
Thucydides talks about it, though. The ceremony is one in which a large 
number of Spartan slaves are being freed, for serving in the war. However, 
the Spartans had something up their sleeve. After the ceremony, the Spartans 
slaughtered the now-free slaves, on the pretext that slaves are prohibited 
by law from bearing arms (which they of course were forced to do during the 
war). If I had to guess, the purpose of the whole scheme was to get them all 
in the same place and unawares, and also to make an example to the other 
slaves.

Latro isn't very clear in his account of what goes on, but the reason he was 
in danger was that he was freed during this same ceremony. His 
sponsor/bodyguard tears the crown off his head because this crown identifies 
him as someone who took part in the ceremony, and thus a target to be killed 
(and Pausanius apparently did *not* want Latro killed along with the rest).

Hope that helps,
Chris

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