Download SS221: Athens Vs. Sparta

SS221: Athens Vs. Sparta
Name: ____________________________ Per: _________
Group Members:
Facilitator: ___________________________ Scribe: ________________________________
Time Keeper:_________________________ Researcher: ___________________________
Summarizer: __________________________________
Self Evaluation:
Circle the number that is most accurate. 5=Strongly Agree 1=Strongly disagree
I fulfilled my role in the group.
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I helped my group to stay on task.
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I worked hard on this assignment.
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The Facilitator in my group fulfilled their role.
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The Scribe in my group fulfilled their role.
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The Time Keeper in my group fulfilled their role.
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The Researcher in my group fulfilled their role.
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The Summarizer in my group fulfilled their role.
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My group was able to stay focused on the task.
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Everyone in my group contributed.
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I am happy with the work my group did.
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Peer Evaluation:
Instructions: Individually read the information about Sparta and Athens and
contrast Athens and Sparta in the following areas: Society, Government,
Economy/Trade, and Military.
Athens
Sparta
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Both Athens and Sparta hold historic value for Greece and the world.
Athens is the largest city-state of Greece. It was a center for economic, political,
financial and cultural life in Greece. Athens is the symbol of freedom, art, and
democracy in the conscience of the civilized world. Athens took its name from
the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge.
Sparta, a town near the river Evrotas, is located in the center of the
Peloponnese in southern Greece. Sparta was the Dorian Greek military state,
considered as the protector of Greece as it provided a large army to Greece
for many years.
In Sparta not all inhabitants of the state were considered to be citizens.
Only those who had undertaken the Spartan education process known as the
agoge were eligible. However, usually the only people eligible to receive the
agoge were Spartiates, or people who could trace their ancestry to the original
inhabitants of Sparta.
Others in the state were the perioikoi, who were free inhabitants of
Spartan territory but were non-citizens, and the helots, the state-owned slaves.
Descendants of non-Spartan citizens were not able to follow the agoge and
Spartans who could not afford to pay the expenses of the agoge could lose
their citizenship. These laws meant that Sparta could not readily replace citizens
lost in battle and eventually proved near fatal to the continuance of the state
as the number of citizens became greatly outnumbered by the non-citizens
and, even more dangerously, the helots.
The Athenian elite lived modestly and without great luxuries, compared to
the elites of other ancient states. There were very few great fortunes and land
ownership was not concentrated. The economy was based on maritime
commerce and manufacturing. Agriculture was also important, but it did not
produce enough to feed the populace, so most food had to be imported.
In Athens only free, land owning, native-born men could be citizens
entitled to the full protection of the law (later Pericles introduced exceptions to
the native-born restriction). Social prominence did not allow special rights and
sometimes families controlled public religious functions, but this ordinarily did not
give any extra power in the government. In Athens, the population was divided
into four social classes based on wealth. People could change classes if they
made more money.
Compared to the simple lifestyle of the Spartan people, Athenians had a
very modern and open outlook. Unlike Sparta, in Athens, boys were not forced
to join the army. As an Athenian, the education of boys began in their own
home up until the age of seven when they had to attend school. There, they
had several teachers who taught them to read and write, as well as subjects
such as mathematics and music. Boys also had to take part in physical
education classes where they were prepared for future military service with
activities such as wrestling, racing, jumping and gymnastics. At eighteen they
served in the army and were instructed on how to bear arms. Physical
education was very intense and many of the boys ended up becoming true
athletes. In addition to these compulsory lessons, the students had the chance
to discuss and learn from the great philosophers, grammarians and orators of
the time. Some poor people had to stay at home and help their parents.
However Aristophanes and Socrates, though they were poor, became famous
and successful.
Spartan women, of the citizenry class, enjoyed a status, power, and
respect that was unknown in the rest of the Greek world. The higher status of
females in Spartan society started at birth; unlike Athens, Spartan girls were fed
the same food as their brothers. Nor were they confined to their father's house
and prevented from exercising or getting fresh air as in Athens, but exercised
and even competed in sports. Most important, rather than being married off at
the age of 12 or 13, Spartan law forbade the marriage of a girl until she was in
her late teens or early 20s. The reasons for delaying marriage were to ensure the
birth of healthy children, but the effect was to spare Spartan women the
hazards and lasting health damage associated with pregnancy among
adolescents. Spartan women, better fed from childhood and fit from exercise,
stood a far better chance of reaching old age compared to women in other
Greek cities, where the median age for death was 34.6 years or roughly 10 years
below that of men.
Unlike Athenian women who wore heavy, concealing clothes and were
rarely seen outside the house, Spartan women wore dresses (peplos) slit up the
side to allow freer movement and moved freely about the city, either walking or
driving chariots. Girls as well as boys exercised and participated in athletic
competitions.
Spartan women were also literate and numerate, a rarity in the ancient
world. Furthermore, as a result of their education and the fact that they moved
freely in society engaging with their fellow (male) citizens, they were notorious
for speaking their minds even in public.
Most importantly, Spartan women had economic power because they
controlled their own properties, and those of their husbands. The laws regarding
a divorce were the same for both men and women.
The Athenian woman dedicated herself solely to the care of the home.
Family homes contained a space, called the gynaceum, especially for women,
where they would spend the day with their servants and young children.
Athenian society was a patriarchy in which men held all the rights and
advantages, and had access to education and power.
Spartan girls went through a fairly extensive formal educational cycle,
broadly similar to that of the boys but with less emphasis on military training. In
this respect, classical Sparta was unique in ancient Greece. In no other city-state
did women receive any kind of formal education.
The Athenian form of electing a government was called Limited
Democracy while the Spartan form was called oligarchy" (rule by a few), but it
had elements of monarchy (rule by kings), democracy (through the election of
council/senators), and aristocracy (rule by the upper class or land owning class).
Sparta had rulers who ruled until they died. On the other hand, the ruler of
Athens was elected annually. Athens is said to have been the birthplace of
democracy.
Sparta was an “Oligarchy”. The Ancient Greek “oligos” translates to “few”,
while “archia” means “rule” – ‘rule by the few’. Five Ephors were elected
annually, accompanied by two kings, who passed on their crowns to their
chosen sons. The Spartan equivalent of the senate was its “gerousia”, while
Ephors and the Kings would regularly attend the “apella” (general assembly) to
develop and try to pass “rhetrai”, or motions and decrees. Other purposes of the
general assembly were to vote on and pass legislation and make civil decisions.
The process by which this was undertaken was by a simple shouting of ‘yes’ or
‘no’.
As a whole, the five Ephors had the power to overrule the Kings, but
tended to keep to religious and militaristic duties. Sparta’s system of government
was very exclusive and open to members of only the highest social standing.
On the other hand, Athens was a democracy, which meant “rule by the
people” – “demos” (people, or the masses) and “kratis” (rule). 5000 to 6000 men
were narrowed down to a group of 500, who would then be divided into groups
of 50. Each would take charge for about a month, and ten generals were
automatically elected based on their experience. Others were chosen by a
method called ‘lot’ voting. The Athenian assembly, known as the “ekklesia”, sat
to discuss political, militaristic and social matters and agendas.
Male Spartans began military training at age seven, they would enter the
Agoge system. The Agoge was designed to encourage discipline and physical
toughness and to emphasize the importance of the Spartan state. Boys lived in
communal messes and were fed just the right amount for them never to
become sluggish through being too full, while also giving them a taste of what it
is not to have enough. Besides physical and weapons training, boys studied
reading, writing, music and dancing. Special punishments were imposed if boys
failed to answer questions sufficiently 'laconically' (i.e. briefly and wittily).
Sparta was renowned for their land based military ability, while Athens
owned one of the largest war fleets in ancient Greece. It had over 200 triremes
each powered by 170 oarsmen who were seated in 3 rows on each side of the
ship. The city could afford such a large fleet, it had over 34,000 oars men,
because it owned many silver mines that were worked by slaves.
The primary purpose of Athenian education was to produce thinkers,
people well-trained in arts and sciences, people prepared for peace or war.
Athenian soldiers were required to serve two years in the military. After the
first year, they were given a sword and a shield with the state's emblem on it.
Although they served only two years, they could be called at any moment up to
age sixty. The army consisted of horsemen and hoplites (footsoldiers.) They were
armed with swords, shields, and extremely long lances.
Spartan citizens were debarred by law from trade or manufacture, which
consequently rested in the hands of the Perioikoi. The Periokoi monopoly on
trade and manufacturing in one of the richest territories of Greece explains in
large part the loyalty of the perioikoi to the Spartan state. Sparta was rich in
natural resources, fertile and blessed with a number of good natural harbors. The
perioikoi could exploit these resources for their own enrichment, and did.
Spartiates, on the other hand, were forbidden (in theory) from engaging in
menial labor or trade, although there is evidence of Spartan sculptors, and
Spartans were certainly poets, magistrates, ambassadors, and governors as well
as soldiers. Allegedly, Spartans were prohibited from possessing gold and silver
coins, and according to legend Spartan currency consisted of iron bars to
discourage hoarding.
The flaunting of wealth was discouraged, although this did not prevent the
production of very fine, highly decorated bronze, ivory and wooden works of art
and the production of jewelry.
The land itself was worked by helots, who retained half the yield. From the
other half, the Spartiate was expected to pay his mess (syssitia) fees, and the
agoge fees for his children.
In Athens the economy was based largely on trade. Athens main exports
were olive oil, wine, pottery, and metalwork. They brought into the city pork,
cheese, perfumes, glass, barley, wheat, rugs, and ivory. They traded these
objects from places like Sicily, Arabia, Egypt, Carthage, and Ethiopia.
In Athens and Sparta, most land was held by the aristocracy. In Athens,
this was changed by Solon's reforms, which eliminated debt bondage and
protected the peasant class.