Download 11-4 Sparta and Athens Notes

11-4 Notes: Sparta and
Athens
Sparta’s Military State
• 715 BCE - Sparta
conquered a neighboring
area to gain land and
forced the defeated
people to become slaves,
called helots
• Worked on farms, gave
Spartans half their crops
• Despite being
outnumbered, the
Spartans put down
revolts
• Fear of these revolts led
Sparta to become a
military state focused on
making a strong army
Government and Society
• Part monarchy, oligarchy,
and democracy
• Two kings rule Sparta
• 5 elected supervisors run the
government
• Council of Elders, made up of
30 older citizens, proposed
laws
• All Spartan citizens were part
of the Assembly, who elected
officials and voted on laws
proposed by the council
• Society divided into 3 social
groups: citizens, free
noncitizens from nearby
villages, and helots
Education and Women
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Goal of Spartan society was to have
a strong army
At age 7, boys moved into military
houses called barracks
Education stressed discipline,
toughness, military skill, duty, etc.
All male citizens entered the army at
age 20 and served until 60
Spartan women were expected to be
tough, emotionally and physically
Spartan girls had athletic training and
learned to defend themselves
Emphasis on military made family life
less important
Women had more freedom, were
allowed to own property
Wife was expected to watch over
property while husband was away at
war
Athens’ Democratic Way of
Life
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Athens had two governing bodies
Council of 400 took care of day-today problems
Assembly voted on policies
proposed by the council
Citizens had to serve in the army
when needed and on juries, which
could have hundreds of people
In Athens citizens were equal in
the courts
No judges or lawyers, citizens
defended themselves
Foreigners, women, children,
slaves are not citizens
Slaves made up 1/3 of the
population
Some worked in homes,
agriculture, mining, industry
Some earned wages and bought
their freedom
Education and Women
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Boys of wealthy families started
school at age 6 or 7
Studied logic, public speaking,
reading, writing, poetry,
arithmetic, music, and athletics
Athenian women were supposed
to be good wives and mothers to
keep families strong
Some women had important
priestess roles in temples
Athenian society had much less
freedom
Women could only inherit
property if their fathers had no
sons
Girls did not attend school
They learned how to perform
household duties
The Persian Wars
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500s BCE - Persian conquered
Anatolia, east of Greece
499 BCE - Some Greeks revolted
Athens sent ships to help them, and
Persia decided to punish Athens for
interfering
490 BCE - Persians arrived on the
plain of Marathon
Athens sent a runner to ask Sparta
for help but they came too late
The Athenians, though badly
outnumbered, won by luring the
Persians in and then surrounding
them, killing 6,400 and only losing
192
480 BCE - Persia invaded Greece
again
300 Spartans guarded the narrow
pass at Thermopylae, giving the
Athenians time to prepare for battle
Athenians defeated the Persians in a
naval battle with smaller, more
mobile ships