The choral lyrics of Alcman were meant to be performed within the social, political, and religious context of Sparta. Most of the existing fragments are lines from partheneia. These hymns are sung by choruses of unmarried women, but it is unclear how the partheneia were performed. The Swiss scholar Claude Calame (1977) treats them as a type of drama by choruses of girls. He connects them with initiation rites.Calame, Les Chœurs de jeunes filles en Grèce archaïque, 2 vols. (Rome:L'Ateneo and Bizzarri), 1977; translated as Choruses of Ancient Women in Greece: their morphology, religious roles and social functions (Lanham, MD:Rowman and Littlefield), 1996. In Spartan feminine liturgies, Calame detected initiative scenarios in rites of passage interpreted as survivals of archaic "tribal' initiations.
The choral lyrics of Alcman were meant to be performed within the social political and religious context of Sparta Most of the existing fragments are lines from partheneia These hymns are sung by choruses of unmarried women but it is unclear how the partheneia were performed The Swiss scholar Claude Calame (1977) treats them as a type of drama by choruses of girls He connects them with initiation ritesCalame Les Chœurs de jeunes filles en Grèce archaïque 2 vols (RomeL'Ateneo and Bizzarri) 1977; translated as Choruses of Ancient Women in Greece their morphology religious roles and social functions (Lanham MDRowman and Littlefield) 1996 In Spartan feminine liturgies Calame detected initiative scenarios in rites of passage interpreted as survivals of archaic "tribal' initiations