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Sparta and Athens
Get Ready to Read
Section Overview
This section traces the development of
Greek governments and compares the
systems adopted by Sparta and Athens.
Sparta and Athens
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Focusing on the Main Ideas
• Tyrants were able to seize power from
the nobles with the support of Greek
farmers, merchants, and artisans.
• The Spartans focused on military skills
to control the people they conquered.
• Unlike Spartans, Athenians were more
interested in building a democracy than
building a military force.
Sparta and Athens
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Locating Places
• Sparta (SPAHR·tuh)
• Athens (A·thuhnz)
Meeting People
• Solon (SOH·luhn)
• Peisistratus (py·SIHS·truht·uhs)
• Cleisthenes (KLYS·thuh·NEEZ)
Sparta and Athens
Get Ready to Read (cont.)
Building Your Vocabulary
• tyrant (TY·ruhnt)
• oligarchy (AH·luh·GAHR·kee)
• democracy (dih·MAH·kruh·see)
• helot (HEH·luht)
Reading Strategy
Compare and Contrast Draw a Venn
diagram like the one on page 124 of your
textbook. Compare and contrast life in
Sparta and Athens.
Sparta and Athens
Tyranny in the City-States
• Nobles, who owned large farms, seized
power from the Greek kings.
• Farmers had to borrow money from
nobles and often could not pay back the
debt.
• The farmers lost their land and had to
work for the nobles or were sold into
slavery.
(pages 125–126)
Sparta and Athens
Tyranny in the City-States (cont.)
• Unhappy farmers demanded changes in
the power structure of the city-states.
• This unhappiness led to the rise of
tyrants, or people who take power by
force and rule with total authority.
• Tyrants overthrew the nobles during the
600s B.C.
(pages 125–126)
Sparta and Athens
Tyranny in the City-States (cont.)
• Tyrants maintained their popularity by
building marketplaces, temples, and
walls.
• The Greek people eventually tired of the
tyrants and created oligarchies or
democracies.
• An oligarchy is a form of government in
which a few people hold power.
(pages 125–126)
Sparta and Athens
Tyranny in the City-States (cont.)
• A democracy is a form of government
in which all citizens share power.
• Sparta was an oligarchy; Athens was a
democracy.
(pages 125–126)
Sparta and Athens
Are tyrants today different from those
in ancient Greece?
A. Yes
B. No
Today the word tyrant means a
harsh, oppressive ruler. Today’s
tyrants are not concerned with the
common good of their country’s
people.
Sparta and Athens
Sparta
• To obtain more land, Spartans
conquered and enslaved their
neighbors, calling them helots.
• To keep the helots from rebelling, the
Spartans created a strong military of
boys and men.
• Boys entered the military at age seven.
• At age 20, men entered the regular army
and lived in the barracks for 10 years.
(pages 126–127)
Sparta and Athens
Sparta (cont.)
• They returned home at age 30 but
served in the army until age 60.
• Spartan girls were trained in sports to
become healthy mothers and were freer
than other Greek women.
• The Spartan government was an
oligarchy containing two branches, a
council of elders, and an assembly.
(pages 126–127)
Sparta and Athens
Sparta (cont.)
• The Spartan government kept foreign
travelers out and discouraged its own
citizens from traveling in order to
maintain control of the country.
(pages 126–127)
Sparta and Athens
What was one disadvantage of the
Spartans’ focus on the military?
A. They did not learn as much about
science or practice as much trade
as Greeks in Athens.
B. They beat up everyone and soon
they did not have anyone left to
beat up.
Sparta and Athens
Athens
• Boys in Athens attended school to learn
reading, writing, and arithmetic.
• Athenian girls learned household duties
from their mothers.
• Some wealthy girls learned reading,
writing, and playing the lyre.
• The government of early Athens was an
oligarchy.
(pages 128–130)
Sparta and Athens
Athens (cont.)
• A noble named Solon reformed the
Athenian government in 594 B.C.
• The tyrant Peisistratus seized power 30
years after Solon’s reforms.
• Cleisthenes took power in 508 B.C.
• He created a democracy in Athens.
• Cleisthenes gave the assembly more
power.
(pages 128–130)
Sparta and Athens
Athens (cont.)
• He also created a new council to help
the assembly carry out its duties.
• Members of the council were chosen
by lottery.
(pages 128–130)
Sparta and Athens
Solon refused to give away land of
the wealthy nobles, so the farmers
remained unhappy.
A. True
B. False
Sparta and Athens
Who were the helots?
A. The helots were captive
workers in Sparta.
B. The Helots were the best
Greek heavy metal band.
C. The Helots were a group of
teachers.
Sparta and Athens
Tyrants fell out of favor with the
Greeks because most Greeks longed
for rule by law with all citizens
participating in government.
A. True
B. False
Sparta and Athens
Evaluate Athenians choose
officials by lottery.
A. True
B. False
Would there be drawbacks to this
method? Explain.
Sparta and Athens
Explain How did Greek nobles gain
power?
A. They seized power from
kings during the Dark Age.
B. They purchased the power
with money.
Sparta and Athens
Analyze Why was Solon popular
among some Athenian farmers and
unpopular among others?
A.
B.
He canceled farmers’ debts and freed
those who had become enslaved, but
he refused to give away wealthy
nobles’ land.
He wore a leather jacket and
sunglasses and drove a really cool car.
Sparta and Athens
Civics Link How did Athenian
democracy keep one person from
gaining too much power?
A large council chosen by lottery
kept power distributed among the
people.
Sparta and Athens
Descriptive Writing Imagine that
you are a 28-year-old man living in
Sparta in 700 B.C. Write a letter to
your 6-year-old nephew telling him
what to expect when he leaves home
on his next birthday.
Your letter should discuss early
military training and the importance
of serving Sparta.
Sparta and Athens
How would a citizen of Sparta complete
this sentence:
“I’m proud of my city-state because
_______.”