Transcript Athens and Sparta

Athens vs. Sparta
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From the rise of the “city state”
to the establishment of
“Classical Greece”
Complete the Venn Diagram as
we go through the slideshow
Definition: City State
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A city-state is a region controlled
exclusively by a city, and usually having
sovereignty.
city-states often part of larger cultural areas,
as in the city-states of ancient Greece.
Though sovereign, many such cities joined
in formal or informal leagues under a high
king. In some cases historical empires or
leagues were formed through conquest, but
many were formed under peaceful alliances
or for mutual protection - the Peloponnesian
League
Athens vs. Sparta
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Things to compare
Locations and time period
Government and Legal Systems
Slavery and Social Roles
Roles of Men, Women, and children
Military (training and active service)
Systems and Styles of Education
Overall Strengths
Overall Weaknesses
Athens – Location and Time Period
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Ionian heritage
By 1400 BC Athens had
become a powerful center
of the Mycenaean
civilization.
not sacked and
abandoned at the time of
the Dorian invasion of
1200 BCE
By the 8th century BCE
Athens had re-emerged
central location in the
Greek world
Surrounding region of
Attica
Athens’ Government
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Echoes the general patterns of change in
various Poleis
c. 600 BCE – farmers burdened with debts
– threat of prison or slavery
– no voice in government so they began to protest
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590 BCE – grant aristocrat Solon with “special
powers”
Direct democracy (508 BC): only men over 18
could vote (called the demos), all classes in
society participated
Public assembly pivotal: met 3 or 4 times a
month to discuss policy
Pericles on Athenian Democracy
Golden Age
Athenian
Slavery
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Most of the slaves were
war captives
About 1/5 worked in
mines while the rest
has domestic lives
Protected by laws and
could earn money to
buy their freedom
Few slave revolts
Athens – Roles of Men and Women
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Women kept in seclusion and rarely
talked with their husbands
– Marry and stay indoors, oversee
household and perform domestic duties
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Respectability was the “ideal”
though education stressed for all,
there was still a lack of public
education for women
Women were to be modest and
teachable, did not participate in
public affairs
A women’s father chose her
husband
Excluded by law from government
and military
Athen’s Military
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Focused on a strong navy
– “Tri-reams”
A small but well prepared
army
“oppressive policies”
alarm neighbours
478 BCE – Delian League
Athens attacked by
Thebes and Sparta
30 Years Peace (14
years) before the
Peloponnesian War
Athens – Strengths & Weaknesses
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Pursued the Arts, architecture,
education
Achieved greater artistic,
intellectual and literary heights
than any other polis
Free thought of primary
importance
Encouraged great thinkers
such as: Plato, Socrates,
Aristotle
Lacked a strong military
Possible for 1 person to
dominate the assembly
Sparta – Location and Time Period
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Created by invading
Dorian Greeks (c.735–
715 B.C.). For a long
time the Spartans had
no city walls, trusting
to the strength of their
army for defense
against invaders
7th cent. B.C. Sparta
enjoyed a period of
wealth and culture,
By the 6th cent. B.C.,
Sparta was the
strongest Greek city.
Sparta – Government & Law
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Strict and uncompromising policies
Oligarchy (rule by a few) constitutional
Two kings, one for military and one
for government, both hereditary
roles
5 Ephors elected each year who had
the real power
Men over the age of 30 met monthly
in an assembly but it had little power
Passed laws forbidding immigration,
limiting material possessions, and
restricting creativity
Sparta’s Slavery
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Earliest Spartans enslave
the Helots – originally
lived in the lower
Peloponnesus.
Conquered people
became slaves controlled
by secret police
Needed strong military to
keep slaves in line
– always on alert
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Slaves had no rights and
worked very hard
Many serious slave
revolts
Sparta – Roles of Men and
Women
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Society of well trained, tough, athletic men,
women and children
Men served in the military from the age of 7 to
50, lived in barracks until the age of 30: bravery
and obedience stressed
Women had great freedom and controlled the
household – spent time outside and spoke freely
with men
Largely equal rights for men and women
– Able to own land and manage own property
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Respect and influence as strong mothers
Women publicly educated
– Choral singing and dancing, athletics (stripped just like
men did)
Sparta’s Infamous Military
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The State was
considered more
important than the
individual
Reputation for being a
brutal and disciplined
force
Developed the
“Phalanx” technique
Young men from the
age of 7 were recruited
to their ranks
Video: “Footsoldier”
Sparta’s Strengths &
Weaknesses
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Admired for loyal, brave soldiers and stable social
order
– but at what cost?
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An obedient and disciplined society
Isolated, not open to attack
Efficient, but shunned “frivolity”
Amazing army
– but what other contributions did they make?
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Could not change with the times, narrow minded
– Effects of conservative social order – keep things the same
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Corrupt, brutal leaders
Sacrificed individuals for the state
City States & the
Persian Threat
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Democratic institutions, humanistic values,
and cultural landmarks would have been
lost if the Persians had won.
Ionian Greeks (in Persia) were forced to pay
taxes
Athens and Marathon invaded in 490 BCE
by Darius (king of Persia)
Athens outnumbered but victorious
(particularly at sea)
The Peloponnesian War
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431-404 BCE
Athenian League
Peloponnesian League
– Sparta as leader
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Pericles – Athens will win a
war of attrition (last longer)
Plague in Athens (430 BCE)
Athens asks for peace in
421 BCE
Sparta and Thebes emerge
as dominant city states but
are greatly weakened