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Directions: Please follow along with your teacher as we begin this assignment.
City States: Athens and Sparta
Pre Quiz on Athens
What do you know about Athens? Athens is a very modern city with an amazing past. Take this WorldWise Quiz:
Athens from National Geographic and see how much you already know!
Link: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/athens-quiz/
(Or use the following key words in an online search engine to find the quiz: National Geographic WorldWise Quiz:
Athens).
Directions: Please take the quiz and write in the correct answer as you move along.
1. When did the first modern Olympic games take place in Athens?
2. Athens is the third capital of the modern Greek state. Which city was the second to hold this honor?
3. What is the tallest building in Athens?
4. Lord Thomas Elgrin removed the Acropolis treasures now known as the Elgrin Marbels in the 19th
Century. Where are they now?
5. The Parthenon is dedicated to which deity?
6. The Greek Parliament was designed as the royal residence for which Greek monarch?
7. About how many ancient artifacts were unearthed during the construction of the Athens Underground?
8. What are you enjoying if you are listening to rebekito?
Impact of Ancient Civilizations on the Modern Day World
Section from Greek Manuscript of Politics by Aristotle
The ancient Greeks established the very blueprint of Western civilization—our societies, institutions, art, and
culture. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western Civilization and the birthplace of Democracy, largely
due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BCE on the rest of
the then known European Continent.
Today, we can see the impact of ancient Greece most clearly in our own system of government. Athens had an
established system of government as well as an organized judicial system very similar to modern government in
the United States. The Athenian justice system decided not only criminal and property cases, but it also decided
whether or not laws were legal. The earliest democracy in the world can be traced back to Athens. It began in
510 BCE. The very word Democracy comes from a Greek word meaning government by the people. The Greek
suffix kratia or kratos means “power” or “rule,” and the Greek word demosmeans “people.” The Greeks even
had leaders, called strategoi, who acted much like our President acts today. The strategoi were elected by the
Greek Assembly and controlled the navy and army and basically ran the government.
The impact of ancient Rome can also be seen in our modern system of government. Beginning as early as 509
BCE, Rome was a republic ruled by wealthy landowners and elders, who were called Senators, and by the
people. Today, the United States would be considered a democratic republic.
The English language has its roots in several languages, including Greek, Latin, and older forms of English,
German, and French. Learning to recognize common roots and affixes (prefixes and suffixes) will help you
build your vocabulary and improve your ability to make educated guesses about unknown words you encounter
in reading and test-taking situations. If you are unsure of a word, break it down into its component parts. Now
that you know the parts of the word democracy, you can determine other words with similar components. Look
at the chart below for a few examples.
Democracy Demos + cracy Rule by the people
Autocracy
Auto + cracy
Rule by one (ex:dictator)
Theocracy
Theo + cracy
Rule by God (ex: Saudi Arabia)
Bureaucracy Bureau + cracy Literally means rule by an office
WebQuest: Daily Life in Athens and Sparta: © KC Distance Learning
Directions: Go to the following website and answer the questions below.
http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/dailylife/story/sto_set.html
(If the link is broken, please use the following keywords in an online search engine and then select “Story”:
British museum ancient Greece daily life)
First, compare the lives of an Athenian Male and a Spartan Male.
1. How does the birth of an Athenian male differ from the birth of a Spartan Male? (2 points)
2. What do olive leaves represent to an Athenian family? (1 point)
3. What happens to unwanted Athenian and Spartan babies? (1 point)
4. What is a deme? (1 point)
5. At what age are Athenian boys considered to make the transition to the world of men? (1 point)
6. What is the agoge? (1 point)
7. What happens when a Spartan boy turns 7? (1 point)
8. Compare the education of a Sparta boy and an Athenian boy. (2 points)
9. How does the adolescent instruction of an Athenian male compare to that of a Sparta
male? (2 points)
10. When is an Athenian male finally considered a citizen? (1 point)
11. How does the military commitment of an Athenian male compare to a Spartan male? (2
points)
12. What happens to a Spartan male at age 30? (1 point)
13. What is a duty of older Athenian men? (1 point)
14. What is the significance of the oikos in Athenian culture? (1 point)
Now compare the lives of an Athenian female and a Spartan female.
15. What is the future life’s work of an Athenian female and a Spartan female at birth? (2 points)
16. Compare the education of an Athenian girl and a Spartan girl. (2 points)
17. Who does all of the household work for Athenians and Spartans? (2 points)
18. Compare the daily life of Athenian and Spartan girls. (2 points)
19. Compare marriage of an Athenian and Spartan girl. (2 points)
20. Compare the relationship between the state and the individual in Sparta and Athens. (2 points)
How well do you understand the major differences between Athens and Sparta? Enter the various characteristics distinct
to each people as well as the characteristics they shared into the Venn Diagram. Remember that in a Venn Diagram the
part of the circles that overlap in the middle are characteristics shared by both communities.