During the Peloponneisian war, were Spartan-Athenian marriages allowed?

Question

As we all know, the Spartans and Athenians were at war with each other.

We're writing this story and I'm not sure if I could get the Spartan soldier marry the Athenian girl. Was it ever mentioned in the Peloponneisan history that they were allowed to do it?

Thank you!

Answer 1

The Spartans were extremely racist and would kill any woman having an affair with a foreigner and kill the child if she had one. That does not bode good for a Spartan man marrying a foreign girl. As well if a Spartan man married an Athenian girl his children would lose their Spartan citizenship (both parents had to be Spartan) and there's a good chance he would lose his too for soiling the pure blood of Sparta. He would also probably have to get out of Sparta to survive his people's disapproval.

Have a look at the rules to be a Spartan citizen.

Another thing you should know, even if Spartan men were allowed to marry at around twenty they were not allowed to live with their wife until the age of thirty, living and training with their fighting mates until that time.

Answer 2

I don't think mixed marriages were encouraged, there was a lot of hostility between the city states at the best of times, they were always fighting each other and capturing each other as slaves etc.  I don't really know what would have happened if a Spartan soldier had married an Athenian girl, but I imagine it would cause a lot of aggro.

Also, Spartan girls were brought up to be very tough and fit and exercise a lot, so that they would have healthy children.  Also Spartan women were left to run the farms etc a lot while the men spent most of their time away at war, or training for war in military barracks.  Athenian girls tended to lead more sheltered lives, and spent a lot of their time spinning and weaving, only going out to attend religious festivals or to visit friends.  So there might be some cultural difficulties to overcome. An Athenian girl would probably expect to lead quite a different kind of life from a Spartan girl.

Answer 3

Their children (sons, I should say) could definitely not be citizens of either Athens or Sparta.

Answer 4

The Pelopnnesian histories (Thucydides) mainly concern themselves with the Plague of Athens and the war itself.

The main barrier (it would seem to me) would be the logistics - if the Spartan Soldier somehow managed to get to a place where he could marry the Athenian girl I would imagine it would be possible ... but depending on where it happened both individuals would be either losing or gaining rights depending on which civilization they chose to live in.

Answer 5

the first answerer is right but maybe it will be quite hard because those city-states were rivals. hatred existed among the two states. so far, based on what i know, there is no direct evidences that this could have happened. but it is still possible.