Download Greece Newspaper Project

Greece Newspaper Project
2nd 8 article set
Sparta: The Military ideal
Invaders from the north conquered much of the land in Greece, and one area was
called Sparta. Sparta was controlled in 3 groups, the high politics and warriors which
consisted of direct descendents of the invaders; the Half-citizens, which were the farmers
and basic warriors of the society; and last were the helots, the slaves of Spartan society.
One of the reasons for a military society was to keep control of the helots, which
outnumbered the rest of their society. Using fear, the Spartans controlled the helots,
though the helots in effect greatly despised the Spartans.
Athens: The Birth of Democracy
Athens was formed on the Attic peninsula, a very unfertile area. Because of this,
Athenians turned to the sea, for trading and a source of food. The main cities were more
inland, for protection from pirates. Athenian society was formed into 3 parts; Citizens
were the highest part, though ranging from rich aristocrats to poor farmers, and had full
political rights; Metics made up the 2nd part, and were people not born in Athens. These
people paid taxes and were free, but they had no political involvement and could not own
land; the lowest level in Athenian society was the slaves, which had no rights and were
considered property. The slaves though were often freed, and then became metics.
Daily Life in Athens
Life I Athens was usually calm and steady-pace. The main economic activity
though was trading, which is importing and exporting goods. Home life was controlled
by the mothers and daughters. While men went away to school or to work, women
stayed home and did house chores such as clean, cook, and teach their daughters to do
these same things. The men went in pursuit of a sound mind in a healthy body, meaning
becoming both strong and smart. Boys went to school and learned about government,
mathematics, moral duty, the difference between good and bad, public speaking, and
debating. Once 18, Athenian men had the chance to become soldiers, which served in the
army for about a year.
The Athenian Economy
Most Athenians were farmers who grew crops such as olives, grapes, and figs.
Others were merchants and seafarers who concentrated on trading processed and raw
goods such as olive oil, wine, foodstuffs, and household items.
Home and Family Life
Although many Athenians built great monuments and sculptures, very few people
lived in them. The house most people lived in was very basic, sun-dried, 1-story homes.
Marriage was important to Athenian life, women married at the age of 13 or 14, while
men might be twice their age or more. Women were considered inferior and were always
kept aside or out of sight. The boys who went to school and were still young had a
pedagogue, who would follow them around until they got home. Young girls stayed
home to be taught how to do household chores such as cooking and cleaning.
Education and Military Service
Though many people were poor and hardworking, the wealthy people of the
society went in pursuit of intellectual and physical excellence. The Athenians stressed
education and those who could afford it had their on personal trainers. Those who trained
physically did so by training, this included running, jumping, boxing, discus throwing,
and the javelin. People called sophists opened schools for older boys who were taught
government, mathematics, ethics, and rhetoric. Ethics deals with good and bad, and
moral duty. Rhetoric was the study of oratory, public speaking, and debating. At age 18,
men were given a year of military training and served in the military for a year. The
position in the military depended on the wealth of your family.
The Expansion of Greece
In about 500B.C, Greeks in Asia Minor rebelled against the Persians, with the
help of Athens. The uprising was crushed, but the Persians wanted to punish Athens, so
they set to war. This was known as the Persian and included the Spartans and Athenians.
With the help of the Spartans the Persians were defeated and were driven back to their
homeland. After the war, the Athenians tried to unite Greece under one rule for a more
prosperous and stable society. Granted confidence from the victory against the Persians,
the Athenians rebuilt their cit states and invoked diplomacy to form the Delian league,
which was an alliance of city states with Athens as leader. During this time, Pericles was
the leader of Athens, and under his rule, Athens reached its peak of power and wealth.
Keeping the Persians at bay with their large fleet in the Aegean Sea, they set up a system
of democracy. Though, regardless of repeated efforts, Pericles failed to unite Greece
under Athens. Quarrels over trade continued until war broke out between Sparta and
Athens, called the Peloponnesian war. The Spartans had the stronger army and made a
blockade around Athens, though the Athenians had a greater fleet and traded by sea.
Though eventually, the Spartans defeated Athens after a devastating plague which killed
most of their people including Pericles. After the war, many city states tried to unite
Greece, but none succeeded. Only later would a foreign power unite them.
The Persian Wars
At about 500B.C, Greeks in Asia Minor rebelled against the Persians, with the help of the
Athenians. Although easily crushed, the Persians wanted to punish Athens for assisting
the rebels. The Persians invaded Greece and attack the Athenians. Although
outnumbered, the Persians were defeated at the battle of marathon. After an uneasy
peace of 10 years, the Persians yet again attacked Greece. This time, several city states
united to defeat the much larger Persian army. In order to get to the city-states, the
Persian army had to cross a narrow mountain pass, which was currently being occupied
by 300 Spartans which met them there. For three days the pass was held until the
Persians found a way around and surrounded the remaining Spartans. Refusing to
surrender, the Spartans were all killed there. Though their brave actions bought the city
states time to prepare their forces. The Greeks mobilized their forces, destroyed much of
the Persian fleet, and ran the enemy army out of Greece, thus ending the Persian Wars.