Talk:Pausanias the Regent

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This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 29 March 2021 and 11 June 2021. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): PimpDaddyPeaches. Peer reviewers: Yautja199, FishMan312.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 06:16, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Inventing History

Where does this account of Pausanius come from? Pausanius was recalled by the Spartans at the insistence of the League allies because of his reputed harshness and brutality. At least that is the account given by the leading historians of 5th century Greece (i.e. Meiggs, Rhodes, McGregor, etc.). Where does this account originate from? Stevenmitchell 19:48, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

I am also confused, since this depiction seems definitely mixed from varying historical accounts. How could he be "suspected" of Persian sympathies while also flaunting Persian dress and customs? Aren't they hand in hand and obvious? Probably two separate sources.Lazarus Plus (talk) 05:42, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

I suspect that even in ancient Sparta, "dressing like the enemy" was not quite sufficient to convict somebody of treason, though it likely would have raised suspicions and/or led to rumours. It's also true, though, that corruption was apparently pervasive in ancient Greece at this time. Bribery seems to have been virtually universal, at least in Athens, and was certainly at the very least not unknown in other city-states; ridiculous bribe-counterbribe contests have been described. Besides bribery, politicians were regularly accused of abusing the system to get rid of or discredit political opponents, critics, personal enemies, etc.; they do seem to have done so on a number of occasions, but then, such accusations themselves may have been employed for the same end. Dubious accusations of treason also seem to have been commonplace. I'm not sure how the justice system in Sparta worked, but bribes could have been employed, e.g., to get the state to prosecute and/or convict someone despite lack of evidence, or by the accused, to avoid being prosecuted or convicted.

One thing I couldn't help noticing that the article doesn't mention is, since the Spartans didn't have the incriminating letter (it says they didn't have evidence to convict, and such a letter probably would have sufficed), how do we know of this letter's existence? Mia229 (talk) 05:20, 14 February 2013 (UTC)

This is all from Cornelius Nepos' mini-biography of Pausanias from his only surviving work "Lives of Eminent Commanders" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.154.146.146 (talk) 19:48, 1 February 2012 (UTC)

Stupid Question by ignoramus

I'm sorry to even ask this, but I just saw the movie 300, and while obviously a fictional account, it place Pausanius at the Battle of Thermopylae. Is there any historical evidence of this? Quigonpaj 16:03, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject Military history/Assessment/Tag & Assess 2008

Article reassessed and graded as start class. --dashiellx (talk) 18:54, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

His mother

The most well known part of Pausanias' story is that his mother was the one who brought the first stone when they walled him in the temple. True or not, I'm surprised there's no mention of it — Preceding unsigned comment added by Vampy-Ra the everliving (talk • contribs) 21:12, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

Re his supposed plot with Persia

I've added a number of sources relating to his supposed plot with Persia. It didn't happen. CAH² 5 (1992) p 35 dismisses the story: Thucycides is convinced that he [Pausanias] was guilty of medism; but when recalled to Sparta he was acquitted on that charge; he was not in Byzantium long enough to send and receive the letters which Thucydides quotes, and there is no reason why after his victories over the Persians he should at this point have begun to collude with them. I may take a look at reworking some portions in this article but not any time soon. Ifly6 (talk) 05:48, 9 July 2023 (UTC)