Athens and Sparta

Athens Men had more rights than women Boys were educated Women usually stayed at home while men gathered in the city Boys were educated Girls stayed home with their mothers and learned how to raise children and do domestic work Athens was the center of Greek culture Sculpture, music, drama, temples, etc. Athens had a democracy, but only men could participate in government Athens had a strong navy

Sparta Men trained for the military at a very young age. Women ran the household and businesses while the men trained. Helots (Spartan slaves) did the manual labor Men were sent to military school at age 7. Women were also trained and encouraged to stay fit and ready to defend Sparta. Daily life and culture centered around the military. Sparta did not have the arts that Athens did. Ruled by a military oligarchy Military controls the people. A council of elders made important decisions Sparta had a very strong military and made allies with many city-states that disliked Athens

Ancient Greece was not united! Geography City-states began to emerge because Greece was divided by geographic features Rugged mountains Islands and bodies of water Ancient Greece was not united!

City-States Polis- A Greek city-state City-states were governed differently Monarchy- Ruled by a king or queen Oligarchy- Ruled by a small group of wealthy people Tyranny- Ruled by a military leader who overthrew the previous government Democracy- Ruled by the people

Athens Athens became the world’s first direct democracy Citizens participated in major government decisions Solon- A man who made a law that all free male citizens are allowed to vote (no matter how poor)

Training When males turned 18, they took a pledge to defend Athens and its gods Males were required to train and serve in the military After the military, males were chosen to participate in the government of Athens

Limits to Democracy Athenian democracy was only for males Women, slaves, and others that were not born in Athens had no political or legal rights As a result, Athens was ruled by a minority, not a majority of its residents

Education Boys went to school and studied poetry, music, geometry, astronomy, geography, and public speaking Boys also participated in sports like wrestling, swimming, running, discus and javelin Girls stayed at home and learned to be wives and mothers Girls usually married between the ages of 14-16

Philosophers Socrates (470-399 BC): A philosopher who taught people to search for truth. He often questioned authority and angered government leaders

Philosophers Plato (427-347 BC): A student of Socrates. He established a school called “The Academy” and taught students philosophy, science, and math. He also wrote “The Republic”, a book that describes the ideal form of government

Philosophers Aristotle (384-322 BC): A student of Plato. He opened his own school called “The Lyceum”. He wrote hundreds of essays on government and science

Dramatists Aeschylus (525-456 BC), Sophocles (496-405 BC), and Euripides (484-406 BC) wrote plays called “The Tragedies”. These plays dealt with war, death, justice, and the gods. Aristophanes (448-385 BC) wrote comedies. He often made fun of politicians and philosophers

Poets Homer- The most famous of the Ancient Greek poets. He wrote “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” The Odyssey is a sequel and tells the story of the war hero Odysseus and his journey home after the Trojan War The Iliad is set in the city of Troy during the Trojan War and tells the story of the warrior Achilles

Sparta Sparta was much different than Athens. They ignored new ideas and focused on building a strong military Others considered Spartan life to be harsh and had no desire to live this way The Spartans isolated themselves from the rest of Greece

Way of Life All males were required to be soldiers At the age of 7, all males were sent to military training camps Spartan males were required to marry by the age of 30 They served in the military until age 60

Women Women had equal rights with men in Sparta They had more freedom than women of any other Greek city-state They also went through military training because they would be counted on to defend Sparta in case of an attack

Trade and Agriculture Spartan citizens were not allowed to participate in trade or manufacturing Non-citizens carried out these activities Helots: Non-Spartan slaves Sparta was mainly agricultural and had little trade with other city-states

Peloponnese The southern-most Peninsula of Greece Sparta is located here

Peloponnesian War Lasted from 431-404 BC Almost every city-state in Greece was involved The Spartans had a stronger army The Athenians had a stronger navy

Spartans Victorious After 27 years of fighting, the Spartans were victorious and became the most powerful city-state in Greece The war took a large toll on Sparta and Athens. Their militaries were not as strong as they once were The city-states declined and were eventually captured by the Romans

Sample MSL Questions Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with the institutions of others. We do not copy our neighbors, but are an example to them. It is true…the administration is in the hands of the many and not the few. Pericles, statesman, 5th century B.C. What form of government does this quote describe? a) Monarchy b) Oligarchy c) Theocracy d) Democracy