Download History: Chapter 27 Life in Two City

History: Chapter 27
Life in Two City-States: Athens and Sparta
1. Athens - a city near the sea surrounded by walls. Master potters and
sculptors work inside the city walls. The citizens (free men) debate
the issues, the wealthy and their slaves walked in the streets.
potters
sculptors
2. Sparta - a farming city on a plain without walls. The buildings and people
were simple and soldiers roamed the streets.
farmers
ancient Greek soldiers
3. Geography - Why were Athens and Sparta different?
Athens is in central Greece and Athenians were eager to spread their ideas
and to learn from others. They were proud of their art and culture.
In contrast, Sparta was more isolated, located between the mountains and
the sea in the part of Greece called Peloponnesus. Spartans were suspicious of
outsiders and their ideas. They grew what they needed and took those they didn’t
from their neighbors through their strong armies. They produced soldiers rather
than artists and thinkers.
4. Athenian Government - Athens became a democracy in 500 BCE.
4.1. It only allowed free men over 18 yrs old, born in Athens, to be
citizens (NOT the women or slaves).
4.2. A group called the Council of 500 met everyday to run day-today business and suggested new laws.
4.3. The Assembly was made up of 6,000 citizens, met every 10 days
on a hill, to approve proposed laws. If not enough people came,
slaves rounded up more citizens who would appear with red
marks on their robes (they were marked to embarrass them for
not being present in the first place)
Athenian men liked to gather and debate issues. They were
proud of their freedom as Athenian citizens.
5. Athenian Economy - based on trade because it was close to a
good harbor.
economy - the way a community or region organizes the manufacture
and exchange of money, food, products, and services.
agora - a marketplace in ancient Greece. Athenians bought
and sold goods at a huge marketplace like the one shown in the picture.
Athens made its own coins to make trade easier. Coins were made of
gold, silver, and bronze. One of their coins had an image of the goddess Athena
on one side and the picture of their favorite bird, the owl, on the other side.
6. Education in Athens - Athenians believed that producing good
citizens was the main purpose of education.
Boys:
From age 6 to 14, boys went to school and were taught reading,
writing, arithmetic, and literature. Books were expensive, so they
read them aloud and the boys memorized their content. They
engaged in sports like wrestling and gymnastics. They also learned
to sing and played the lyre.
At 18, they begin their military training. After their service, rich
young men studied with tutors to become political leaders.
Girls:
They were not taught to read or write. They were taught to cook,
Clean, spin thread, and weave cloth in their homes by their mothers.
They also learned songs and dances for religious festivals. They
usually married at age 15.
7. Women and Slaves in Athens -
Athenian Women: They did not inherit or own much property. They did not
vote or attend the Assembly. Most could not even choose their
own husbands. Some sold goods in the market and others were
priestesses. Most Athenian women took care of their families
at home and supervised the slaves.
priestess - a female priest
Athenian slaves: Most people in ancient Greece owned at least one slave, if
they were not poor. Some slaves were born into slavery, others were
captured in wars. Some did household chores and tutored the
children. Others worked in factories or farms. Still others worked as
craftsmen and city clerks.
The unlucky ones worked in the silver mines.
8. Spartan Government - Sparta’s government was an oligarchy, the
ruling power was in the hands of a few people.
8.1. They had an Assembly made up of male citizens.
8.2. Important decisions were made by the Council of Elders – made
up of 2 kings and 28 other men. The kings inherited their power
while the 28 men were elected by the Assembly.
8.3. To be elected to the Council of Elders, a man had to be at least
60 years old and from a noble family. Once elected, they served
for life.
8.4. The Council of Elders prepared laws for the Assembly to vote on.
8.5. The Assembly could only vote yes or no on laws suggested by the
Council and did not debate issues like the Athenian’s Assembly.
9. Spartan Economy - Sparta’s economy relied on farming and on
conquering people. They did not have enough land so they took
the land from their neighbors. Most Spartan men were warriors.
They used slaves and noncitizens to produce needed goods.
Those they capture in wars, they turned into slaves called helots.
The helots continued to live in their villages but gave much of the
food they grew to the Spartans.
Perioikoi were free men, not slaves, but were noncitizens. They
may be in the military but did not become part of the government.
Most of them were craftsmen and traders.
helots in the farm
perioikoi in the military
NOTE: Sparta discouraged trade. They feared contact with other city-states
would lead to new ideas and weaken their government. Their system
of money was the use of heavy iron bars, so they were harder to
steal.
10.
Education in Sparta - The purpose of education in Sparta was to
produce men and women who could protect the city. Both boys
and girls received military training from the age of 7.
Spartan boys lived and trained in buildings called barracks.
They learned wrestling, boxing, footracing, and gymnastics.
They were also taught to read and write, but the Spartans did
not feel this was important.
At age 20, Spartan men were given difficult test of
fitness and if they passed, they became Spartan soldiers and
full citizens. They continued to live in barracks. A man could
not live with his wife and family until he was 30 years old.
11.
Women and Slaves in Sparta –
Spartan women: They lived the same simple life as Spartan men with
plain clothing and with little decoration. They were expected
to be ready to fight. A woman was expected to guard her
husband’s property in times of war against invaders and
revolts from slaves. Spartan women were free to speak with
other men. They could own and control their own property.
A Spartan woman could marry another man if her husband
had been away at war too long.
Spartan slaves: The helots were slaves captured by the Spartans. There
were more helots than citizens in Sparta. The Spartans were
very harsh to the helots for fear that they may revolt against
them. Helots had some rights, they can marry whomever and
whenever they wanted. They can pass their names to their
children. They can sell any extra crops after their master got
his share. If they have enough money, they can even buy
their freedom.
Practice Questions: Chapter 27
Name: __________________________
1.
Date: ________________
Important decisions in Spartan government were made by the ___________________________
made up of 2 kings and 28 other men who were citizens.
2.
_________________ were buildings where Spartan men lived to be trained as soldiers.
3.
________________ was a city-state near the sea and surrounded by city walls.
4.
In Athenian government, the _____________________________ met everyday to run day-today business and suggested new laws.
5.
In Spartan economy, there were _____________________ , who were free men, not slaves,
but noncitizens who were soldiers, craftsmen, and traders.
6.
Athenians bought and sold goods in a huge marketplace called __________________.