Sparta and Athens Reading PDF

# **Formation of Heavily Armed Foot Soldiers** - Long hours of drill required to master - Created strong sense of unity among citizens - Put defense of the city-state in hands of ordinary citizens - Reduced class differences # **Athens vs. Sparta** - Athens developed a very different way of life...

# **Formation of Heavily Armed Foot Soldiers** - Long hours of drill required to master - Created strong sense of unity among citizens - Put defense of the city-state in hands of ordinary citizens - Reduced class differences # **Athens vs. Sparta** - Athens developed a very different way of life from Sparta - Athens glorified the individual and extended political rights to more citizens - Sparta stressed military virtues and stern discipline # **How Did the Sea Coast Contribute to Greek Commerce?** - This question is not answered in the text. # **Discipline and Warfare in Sparta** - Spartans were Dorian invaders from the north who conquered Laconia (in the southern part of Greece) - Built the city-state of Sparta - Turned conquered people into state-owned slaves (called helots) - Spartans made helots work the land - Because helots greatly outnumbered their rulers, Spartans set up a brutal system to control them ## **Spartan Government** - Included two kings and a council of elders who advised the monarchs - An assembly made up of citizens approved major decisions. - Citizens were male, native-born Spartans over 30 - Assembly also elected five ephors (officials) who ran day-to-day affairs ## **Discipline Rules Daily Life** - Spartan children were examined at birth; sickly children were abandoned to die - Spartans wanted future soldiers and mothers of soldiers to be healthy - Boys began training for the military at age 7 - Moved into barracks and were toughened by a coarse diet, hard exercise and rigid discipline - This made Spartan youths excellent soldiers - Boys were encouraged to steal food; if caught, they were beaten severely - At age 20, men could marry but they continued to live in barracks for 10 years, eat there for 40 years, and train - At age 30, after further training, men took their place in the assembly ## **Spartan Women** - Received a rigorous upbringing - Expected to produce healthy sons for the army - Required to exercise and strengthen their bodies - something no other Greek women did - Had to obey their fathers or husbands - Had the right to inherit property - Took on responsibilities such as running the family's estate because men were occupied with war ## **Citizens and Noncitizens** - To be a citizen of Sparta, a person had to be descended from the Dorians who invaded the land - Owned land but did not farm it (that was the job of the helots) - Foreigners lived in Sparta, but were unwelcome guests and could be expelled - Noncitizens outnumbered citizens but had few rights and were strictly controlled by government ## **Sparta Stands Alone** - Spartans isolated themselves from other Greeks - Looked down on trade and wealth - Forbade own citizens to travel - Had little use for new ideas or the arts - Other Greeks admired their military skills, but no other city-state imitated their rigorous way of life - Some suggested "Spartans are willing to die for their city... because they have no reason to live." # **In the Long Run, Sparta Suffered from Its Rigid Ways and Inability to Change.** - Warrior class shrank - Power declined ## **Why is Discipline Important in Sparta?** - This question is not answered in the text #**Democracy Evolves in Athens** - Located in Attica, just north of the Peloponnesus - Athenian government evolved from a monarchy into an aristocracy - By 700 BC, noble landowners held power and chose chief officials, judged major court cases, and dominated the assembly ## **Discontent Drives Change** - Merchant class, soldiers, and artisans resented the power of the nobles - Argued that their service to Athens entitled them to more rights - Farmers demanded change because many were forced to sell their land to nobles and some sold themselves into slavery to pay debts ## **Solon Makes Reforms** - Solon was appointed archon (chief official) in 594 BC - Athenians gave Solon a free hand to make needed reforms - Outlaws debt slavery and freed those who had already been sold into slavery for debt - Opened high offices to more citizens, granted citizenship to some foreigners, and gave the Athenian assembly more say in important decisions - Introduced economic reforms: encouraged the export of wine and olive oil; helped merchants and farmers by increasing demand for their products ## **Despite Solon's Reforms** - Citizenship remained limited and many positions were open only to wealthy landowners - Continued unrest led to the rise of tyrants (people who gained power by force) and won support from the merchant class and the poor by imposing reforms to help those groups # **Steps to Democracy** ## **Aristocratic Landowners Hold Power in Athens; Many People Discontented** - Solon cancels existing debts, outlaws debt slavery, grants poor the right of appeal, opens high offices to more citizens, grants citizenship - Wealthy remain in power ## **Unrest Continues; Tyrants Appear** - Pisistratus (tyrant of Athens) makes government more efficient, gives loans and land to farmers, starts public-building program - Economy flourishes - The poor gain greater voice in government - Ruling after him, his sons are repressive ## **Cleisthenes Regarded As Founder of Athenian Democracy - Cleisthenes was a member of a politically active family and allies with the popular assembly against nobles to reform government - Changes political base from family or clan membership to citizenship of a location - Sets up Council of 500 - All male citizens participate in making laws in the Athenian assembly # **Democracy Within Limits** - Only citizens could participate in government - Citizenship was restricted to landowning men over 30 years of age - Citizenship meant a responsibility to serve in government and fight for their polis as soldiers when needed - Women were excluded from political activities, even if their families were Athenian citizens - Other groups who had no political rights included merchants and people whose parents were not citizens - Tens of thousands of Athenians were slaves without political rights or personal freedom - The labor of slaves gave citizens the time to participate in government - Despite the limits on democracy, Athens gave more people a say in decision making than any other ancient civilization # **Athenian Women** - They had no share in political life - Respected Athenian thinker Aristotle believed women were imperfect beings who lacked the ability to reason as well as men - He wrote that "the man is by nature fitter for command than the female just as an older person is superior to a younger, more immature person" - In court, fathers or guardians represented women - In well-to-do Athenian homes, women lived a secluded existence, shut off and protected from the outside world - Greek playwrights featured women or families in their tragedies and comedies - Social, political, and religious issues often were played out within family dramas - Women played their most significant public role in religion: participation in sacred processions was considered essential for the city's well-being - Women managed the entire household, spun and wove, cared for their children, and prepared food, but lived a secluded existence - Only poor women went shopping alone in Athens - Worked outside the home alongside their husbands - They obtained water, did the family wash in a stream, and tended sheep or worked as spinners, weavers, or potters #**Educating the Young** - Boys attended school if families could afford it; learned to read and write, studied music and memorized poetry - Boys received military training, participated in athletic contests, and explored many areas of knowledge - Girls received little or no formal education # **How Was Democracy Limited in Athens?** - This question is not answered in the text. # **Forces for Unity** - Strong local identification, an independent spirit, and economic rivalry led to fighting among the Greek city-states - But despite divisions, Greeks shared a common culture: - They spoke the same language - Shared similar religious beliefs - They admired the same heroes - They were united by their common heritage.