In the first place, by trying to conceal the numerical insignificance of the ruling class, aristocracies exploit the psychological fact that the unknown itself appears to be fearsome, mighty, threatening. In Sparta, the number of war-

XREF: Plausibly connects to Arendt and other theorists on how concentrated power maintains authority through mystique and unreachability.

Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simm…, loc. 8829