Sparta - Ms. Myers Classroomfxhmyers.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/7/2/12728232/lesson_8_sparta.pdf ·...
Transcript of Sparta - Ms. Myers Classroomfxhmyers.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/7/2/12728232/lesson_8_sparta.pdf ·...
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Sparta
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Modern Sparta (Sparti)
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Current Populations
● Athens: 3 700 000 people● Modern Sparta: 32 000 people
Modern Athens is more than 100 times larger than modern Sparta.
= Ottawa vs. Hawkesbury (or 1/7 of Barrhaven)
How could they have ever been rivals? It's difficult to believe today.
Thucydides says:
“Suppose the city of Sparta to be deserted, and nothing left but the temples and the ground-plan, distant ages would be very unwilling to believe that the power of the [Spartans] was at all equal to their fame...it rather resembles a group of villages, like the ancient towns of Hellas, and would therefore make a poor show.”
Spartan History
● Settlers from the Dorian invasion who conquer Lacedaemonia some time during the Dark Ages
● Unlike other Greek cities, never built walls (mountains defend them)
● Dominated the entire Greek world after the Peloponnesian Wars
● Would not submit● Very secretive about their own history –
prohibited from writing anything down
Spartan Society
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Spartan Society
● At the top – Spartiates (about 7% of population)
– citizens are men only (about 3%)
– both parents from citizen families, traceable back to Dorian invasion
– Every citizen was a soldier – no other occupation permitted
– Taken away from family at 7 to be trained
– Top students join Crypteia (Secret Police) at 18
– All join military as full members at 20
– Retire as full soldiers at 30
– Men eat in mess halls with other men
Spartan Society
● Periokoi (“those from around”)– About 30% of population
– freedmen
– did all the jobs that citizens were prohibited from doing (craftsmen, traders)
– heavily taxed and owed military service
Helots
● Everybody else – 60-70% of population - farmers
● Conquered peoples who already lived there
● Property of the state, not owned by individuals
● Can keep 50% of harvest, and save up to buy freedom
● Spartans constantly fear revolt – so Crypteia spies on helots
Women
● No political rights, but...● More social status than anywhere else in
Greece– Could own property
– Valued as mothers
– Rigorous training to promote physical strength (needed to give birth to good soldiers)
Spartan Politics
● Constitution comes from Lycurgus● Cannot be written down● Oligarchy = rule of the few
● Saw themselves as between the extremes of tyranny and “anarchy” (i.e. democracy)
● Order is the most important political virtue● Lycurgus redistributed land to banish envy and
arrogance from Sparta
Spartan Leaders
● Kings (2 at a time!)– Hereditary
– Main responsibility was as generals in war
– Also function as high priests and judges
– Power outside war very limited – overseen by...
● Ephors (means “overseers”)(5 at a time)– Elected by citizens for 1 year – no repeats
– Could follow kings on campaign to supervise
– Kept order between the 2 kings, who squabbled
Council of Elders
● Gerousia
28 Elders + 2 Kings = 30
Made laws,
advised the king,
acted as a court● Elected for life (unlike Ephors – 1 year)
– Had to be over 60
– In theory, all citizens were eligible, but typically these elders came from the royal families
– When died, replaced right away
Spartan Assembly
● Spartan citizens > 30 years old
● They could then participate in the Assembly of Citizens
● Assembly voted on proposals submitted by Gerousia through shouting – loudest shouting wins, not most votes
...but they had no real power:
– No right to debate, propose laws
– Gerousia could veto their vote – or even stop them from voting if it looked like they might vote “foolishly”!
– In practice, rubber stamp – not a real democracy
Today
● Complete both pages of the chart (including the question at the bottom of the second page)
● If you need more information, consult the book at pages 126-128 and 136-137