Sparta vs Athens 10.3.16
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Transcript Sparta vs Athens 10.3.16
Warm up 10/3/16
After watching a short video list 5 facts
about ancient Greece.
Sparta
Unlike many city
states, Sparta was
located in a valley and
not on top of a hill
This may explain their
rigid, militaristic lifestyle
Spartan Society
Sparta had three social
groups
Equals-descendents of the
invaders. Controlled the citystate and owned most of the
land.
2. Half Citizens- paid taxes,
served in the army, free
citizens. Had no political power
3. Helots- the conquered natives
of the land. They became
slaves and greatly
outnumbered the Spartans
1.
Spartan Govt
Two kings were at the head of the
government
One led the army while the other took care of
matters at home
A Council of Elders, made up of 28
aristocratic men, proposed laws and
served as a criminal court
The final group was made up of men over
30. They voted to accept or reject laws.
The group also elected 5 ephors who made sure
the king stayed within his power
Sparta’s military
Sparta controlled the lives
of its citizens from birth to
death
The Spartan military worked
to keep helots under control
and expand its power
When children were born
they were examined by
officials who decided
whether they were worthy
to live
If they were sickly they were
left to die’
Video Clip Agoge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoQziDiznU&feature=related
Cont
At the age of 7, boys were sent to live in the
military barracks for training
Taught reading and writing; just enough to get by
Age 20 they began military service
At 30, they were allowed to move home and
become an equal
Available for military service until 60
At age 60, they were expected to be devoted
to serving the public rather than their private
life
Spartan Phalanx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL3GpZQdS4&list=PL2474282673657212
Women in Sparta
Spartan women were
expected to be strong and
healthy as well
Equally devoted to the citystate
Studied music and received
physical training in order to
learn discipline and
coordination
Head of the household and
could divorce without penalty
Athens
Vastly different from
Sparta
Did not have fertile soil
so relied on trading
and the sea
Built their city inland to
protect it from pirates
Typical polis built
around rocky hill with
strong walls to protect
the inner city
Society
Three levels of society
1. Citizens-could be rich or poor ; only
Athenian born men had full political rights
2. Metics- born outside of Athens; often
artists or merchants. Paid taxes and were
free but could not take part of govt or own
land
3. Slaves- captured during wars. Could be
freed and become metics
Government
In 507 B.C. Cleisthenes seized power
from a tyrant and turned Athens into a
democracy
He divided the citizens into 10 tribes
○ Each tribe chose 50 men to represent them .
These men formed the Council of Five
Hundred
○ Laws had to be proposed and accepted by the
assembly
Cont.
Athens' courts were also democratic
Jurors were citizens chosen by lot and each
man could plead his case to the jury.
The jury voted on each case by secret ballot
This system is called a direct
democracy-that is all citizens
participated directly in making decisions
Education
Education was very
important in Athens
Boys went to elementary school
for a small fee
In 400 B.C. Sophists (wise
men) opened a school for older
boys where they studied
government, mathematics,
ethics, and rhetoric
Education helped spread the
Greek language, many of our
words come from the Greek
language
Military
At age 18, Athenian males
received a year of military
training
Wealthy young men who
could afford armor became
hoplites and served in the
army for a year
Poorer men served on the
army’s flanks
During wartime, citizens
rowed the warships
Athenian Women
Family and marriage life was very
important
Girls married At 13 or 14 to much older men. If
the couple could not afford to raise children they
were left to die
However, women were considered inferior
Could not vote, own land, expected to be in the
background
Could only appear in public with their husband’s
permission
Some daughters of wealthy families did learn to
read and write
In about 500 B.C., Greeks in Asia Minor
rebelled against the Persian empire.
Athens and Sparta helped the city-states during
their uprising in a series of conflicts knows as the
Persian Wars