Download What is a city-state? Ancient Sparta

What is a city-state?
• Known as a “polis”
• Small, independent,
self-governing community
• Why would city-states
have remained small?
Ancient Sparta
SPARTA: A military state
- Ruled by monarchs (two kings), who were
advised by oligarchs
- Only men older than 30 who were native to
Sparta could be citizens
- Citizens made up an assembly to approve all
major decisions
SERVITUDE IN SPARTA
• Believed in enslaving foreigners,
abandoned children, and prisoners of
war
• Sparta had a large population of
enslaved people who weren’t happy
being slaves. How could this have led
to Sparta focusing on military
training?
EDUCATION
• Only purpose of education was to
prepare to be a soldier
• Age 7: boys go off to military
school
• Men spent their lives living in
barracks and training in the army
GROWING UP SPARTAN
• Young boys had to shave their
heads and were not allowed to
wear sandals.
• Boys were given little food and
could only wear one piece of
clothing in the winter to “toughen”
them up for war.
• Had to hunt or steal food
Ancient Greek Art: Spartan Women
SPARTAN WOMEN
• Were taught reading and writing
• Girls exercised to be physically fit for
child-birth
• A woman’s role was to produce healthy sons
for the army; Sick children were left to die
• Had to obey husbands and fathers
• Allowed to own property
ISOLATIONISM
• Didn’t trade or engage in contact
with other Greek city-states
• Close-minded, regimented
lifestyle that focused on
self-preservation
• Didn’t flourish culturally like
other city-states
The role of the individual…
• Considering Sparta’s
characteristics, do you think
Sparta focused on the value of the
individual person? Or was the
individual more important than the
city-state? Back up your claim
with evidence.
ANCIENT ATHENS
Athens: The Rise of Democracy
• Free and open society where the
ideas common man dominated
• Direct democracy: the citizens
themselves made the laws, not
elected representatives
• Assembly was open to adult men
only
• All free men were considered
equal under the law
Characteristics of Athenian
Democracy
1. All citizens (free men) have the
duty participate in government
2. Law results from human
intelligence and the needs of the
community, not gods
3. Common men are capable of
making decisions that affect the
entire community
EDUCATION
• Only boys whose family could
afford school were educated
• Studied music, reading, writing,
and poetry
• Emphasized public speaking skills
• Competed in athletic events
ATHENIAN WOMEN
• No role in public life
• Married at 14
• Lived in isolation; rarely left the
home
• Not taught to read or write
SPREAD OF ATHENIAN
CULTURE
• Unlike Sparta, Athens spread its
culture all over Greece
• Valued political freedom and
cultural creativity
• Do Athenians value the individual
more or the city-state? How do
you know?