Download Sparta vs Athens 10.3.16

Warm up 10/3/16

After watching a short video list 5 facts
about ancient Greece.
Sparta

Unlike many city
states, Sparta was
located in a valley and
not on top of a hill
 This may explain their
rigid, militaristic lifestyle
Spartan Society

Sparta had three social
groups
Equals-descendents of the
invaders. Controlled the citystate and owned most of the
land.
2. Half Citizens- paid taxes,
served in the army, free
citizens. Had no political power
3. Helots- the conquered natives
of the land. They became
slaves and greatly
outnumbered the Spartans
1.
Spartan Govt

Two kings were at the head of the
government
 One led the army while the other took care of
matters at home
A Council of Elders, made up of 28
aristocratic men, proposed laws and
served as a criminal court
 The final group was made up of men over
30. They voted to accept or reject laws.

 The group also elected 5 ephors who made sure
the king stayed within his power
Sparta’s military

Sparta controlled the lives
of its citizens from birth to
death
 The Spartan military worked
to keep helots under control
and expand its power

When children were born
they were examined by
officials who decided
whether they were worthy
to live
 If they were sickly they were
left to die’
Video Clip Agoge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoQziDiznU&feature=related
Cont

At the age of 7, boys were sent to live in the
military barracks for training
 Taught reading and writing; just enough to get by


Age 20 they began military service
At 30, they were allowed to move home and
become an equal
 Available for military service until 60

At age 60, they were expected to be devoted
to serving the public rather than their private
life
Spartan Phalanx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL3GpZQdS4&list=PL2474282673657212
Women in Sparta
Spartan women were
expected to be strong and
healthy as well
 Equally devoted to the citystate
 Studied music and received
physical training in order to
learn discipline and
coordination
 Head of the household and
could divorce without penalty

Athens

Vastly different from
Sparta
 Did not have fertile soil
so relied on trading
and the sea
 Built their city inland to
protect it from pirates
 Typical polis built
around rocky hill with
strong walls to protect
the inner city
Society

Three levels of society
1. Citizens-could be rich or poor ; only
Athenian born men had full political rights
2. Metics- born outside of Athens; often
artists or merchants. Paid taxes and were
free but could not take part of govt or own
land
3. Slaves- captured during wars. Could be
freed and become metics
Government

In 507 B.C. Cleisthenes seized power
from a tyrant and turned Athens into a
democracy
 He divided the citizens into 10 tribes
○ Each tribe chose 50 men to represent them .
These men formed the Council of Five
Hundred
○ Laws had to be proposed and accepted by the
assembly
Cont.

Athens' courts were also democratic
 Jurors were citizens chosen by lot and each
man could plead his case to the jury.
 The jury voted on each case by secret ballot

This system is called a direct
democracy-that is all citizens
participated directly in making decisions
Education

Education was very
important in Athens
 Boys went to elementary school
for a small fee
 In 400 B.C. Sophists (wise
men) opened a school for older
boys where they studied
government, mathematics,
ethics, and rhetoric

Education helped spread the
Greek language, many of our
words come from the Greek
language
Military

At age 18, Athenian males
received a year of military
training
 Wealthy young men who
could afford armor became
hoplites and served in the
army for a year
 Poorer men served on the
army’s flanks
 During wartime, citizens
rowed the warships
Athenian Women

Family and marriage life was very
important
 Girls married At 13 or 14 to much older men. If
the couple could not afford to raise children they
were left to die

However, women were considered inferior
 Could not vote, own land, expected to be in the
background
 Could only appear in public with their husband’s
permission
 Some daughters of wealthy families did learn to
read and write

In about 500 B.C., Greeks in Asia Minor
rebelled against the Persian empire.
 Athens and Sparta helped the city-states during
their uprising in a series of conflicts knows as the
Persian Wars