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Study Guide Greece Test 1 Name _____________________________
Each city-state or POLIS had its own form of government in ancient Greece. The city-state was the only
political unit because Greece had no CENTRAL government like some of the other civilizations that
we have studied. MOUNTAINS kept the city-states of Greece separated from each other. If a citystate couldn’t provide everything it needed, it would TRADE for it. Pride in one’s city-state was built
because of the AGORA or
MARKET PLACE where men gathered to discuss political issues,
buy and sell goods, and WORSHIP at the nearby temples. Therefore, a fierce loyalty was ingrained in
the citizens of each city-state.
Around 800 B.C. most city-states in Greece had a MONARCHY which meant that they had one
absolute leader. By the 700s B.C. most city-states had evolved into an ARISTOCRACY which was
led by the upper class, some of whom claimed to be descendants of mythical HEROES. Sometimes the
government was more of an OLIGARCHY because the few people who led did so not because of
their high social rank but because of their wealth and great land holdings. Eventually the
MERCHANTS and poor FARMERS felt that they should also make some political decisions.
They helped men known as TYRANTS seize power. This name today has negative connotations, but in
ancient Greece they were often kind to the poor sometimes canceling DEBT that the poor owed to the
rich. This gave the poor the feeling that they could and should be able to make their own political decisions.
By the 6th century B.C. some city-states, led by ATHENS, had some form of DEMOCRACY or
rule by the PEOPLE.
The beginning of democracy in Athens was in 621 B.C. when DRACO wrote down the laws of Athens.
This stopped leaders from arbitrarily interpreting laws. However, his new constitution was far too
HARSH since the punishment for almost all crimes was DEATH. Today, punishments which are too
strict are called DRACONIAN after him. In 594 B.C., SOLON did away with all debts which the
poor citizens owed to the state and to creditors. He declared that no CITIZEN of Athens could be
ENSLAVED. In 507 B.C., CLEISTHENES made many democratic changes which allowed
more people to be involved in the decision-making. He organized Athens into ten TRIBES based on
where they lived not on how rich they were. He set up the BOARD of Ten GENERALS with each
tribe electing its own commander for a one year term. All freeborn male citizens had the DUTY to help
pass laws by coming to the GENERAL ASSEMBLY to vote. Here they could speak freely
about the issues and debate any law proposed by the COUNCIL of FIVE HUNDRED. This
body was chosen each year by LOT. Each tribe would randomly choose 50 members to serve for that
year. No citizen could serve on the council for more than 2 terms. Only citizens over 30 years old qualified.
The above mentioned Board of Ten Generals was in charge of the ARMY and the very powerful
NAVY. One of the biggest defenders of the individual and democracy in Athens was PERICLES
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Study Guide Greece Test 1 Name _____________________________
who served on this board for around 30 years. The General Assembly had the power to declare WAR
and spend TAX money.
PERICLES was born in 495 B.C. so he was just a boy when the Greeks had to unite to fight against the
mighty PERSIANS. His entire family had been firm believers in democracy. He persuaded the
Assembly to allow all male citizens, RICH or POOR, to serve Athens on the Assembly. He also made
the JURY system more fair by insuring that jurors got paid by the city-state. This allowed POOR
citizens the opportunity to serve on the jury which usually consisted of hundreds up to
THOUSANDS of jurors. How did this change help make the system more fair? YOUR
ANSWER HERE Pericles attempted to avoid war with SPARTA but near the end of his life
the PELOPONNESIAN Wars began. He died because of a PLAGUE which broke out in only
the second year of the wars. One of his greatest accomplishments was convincing the Assembly to pay for
the building of the PARTHENON on the ACROPOLIS in honor of Athens’ patroness,
ATHENA.
SPARTA
Unlike Athens, Sparta remained an ARISTOCRACY. Although all male citizens over 30 belonged
to the assembly, CITIZENSHIP was restricted to only those who descended from the original
inhabitants of Sparta. HELOTS (slaves) and free NON-CITIZENS (PERIOECI) had no
say in the government even though they made up a majority of the population. Far more powerful than the
assembly was the COUNCIL
of ELDERS which consisted of two KINGS and 28 citizens
over the age of 60. Perhaps most powerful of all was the group of five men who supervised everything
which was going on in Sparta. They were known as the EPHORS They were responsible for controlling
the helots and carrying on business with foreign powers and formulating Sparta’s foreign policy. There was
very little change in Sparta because in order for change to occur the ASSEMBLY, the
COUNCIL of ELDERS, and the EPHORS had to all agree to the change.
COMPARING ATHENS AND SPARTA
Unlike Athens, where FREEDOM,
EDUCATION, and KNOWLEDGE were highly
valued, Sparta was more concerned with OBEDIENCE, STRENGH, AND
PHYSICAL fitness so that they could defend their city-state and control all of the HELOTS.
Sparta did not have WALLS like most Greek city-states. A Spartan king once bragged that they didn’t
need one since each citizen was a PART of it. As mentioned above the STATE-owned slaves far
outnumbered the number of Spartan citizens. Only the very richest Spartan citizens had their own slave.
Most citizens of Athens had their own slaves. Sometimes they were even PAID by their owner and could
buy their freedom. Athens had state-owned slaves as well.
ATHENIAN women had very little
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Study Guide Greece Test 1 Name _____________________________
freedom, but SPARTAN women had a great deal of it. Women in ATHENS could not leave the
house without their husbands, but women in SPARTA ran their own businesses and owned land. Like
all Greek women, Athenian and Spartan women were in charge of the HOUSEHOLD. Normally,
Athenian and Spartan men did not do the work around town but for different reasons. The SPARTAN
men were busy training in the military, while ATHENIAN men were at the Assembly or hanging out
at the marketplace or GYMNASIUM. In Sparta, the boys were taken from home and sent to live in
military BARRACKS where they would live until they were 30. Most Spartan men picked a bride
when they became a citizen at the age of 20, but they had to live in the barracks for another 10 years.
Name three reasons why we can say that the Spartan military was demanding on young boys:
USUALLY DIDN’T WEAR SHOES, NO CHANGE OF CLOTHING,
SHOWED LITTLE EMOTION, BEATEN TO TOUGHEN THEM UP,
EXPECTED TO STEAL Most business was carried on by merchants who were usually
NON-SPARTANS. In Athens they were called METICS, while in Sparta they were called
PERIOECI. Neither polis considered them CITIZENS. While traveling to SPARTA a
foreigner once commented that he understood why they weren’t afraid to die (He had just eaten food from
Sparta.) The Spartans considered HUNGER to be the best seasoning.” In Athens, the food was
seasoned and tasty.
Name three ideas that the U.S. has borrowed from Athens: 1.
the right to speak freely
2. right to vote 3. citizens have a say in the government 4. architecture
5. 12% of our words
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