A Tale of Two City-States: SPARTA

Objectives SWBAT understand the founding ideals of the city-state of Sparta. SWBAT analyze a documentary film for information about Spartan society.

Do Now What comes to mind when you think of these people?

What was Sparta? Sparta was one of the two military powers of ancient Greece. It was located by the Eurotas River on the Peloponnese Peninsula. At its height, Sparta had 8,000 Spartiates (adult male citizens) ruling over 100,000 enslaved people.

What does it mean to be Spartan? Sparta was a society designed entirely for war. Boys underwent severe, brutal military training from age 7 through adulthood. Spartans were the most feared warriors in Greece.

What does it mean to be Spartan? Spartans lived without comfort, fancy food or clothes, even gold and precious gems. Anything that interfered with military readiness was banned. Today, the term “spartan” means bare, rough, unadorned.

“Either with your shield or on it.” ~ Plutarch ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τὰς “Either with your shield or on it.” ~ Plutarch

Spartan Women Though they weren’t involved in government, Spartan women had more rights than most women in ancient Greece. They received a formal education, could own and control property, even protect her husband’s property while he was at war. The main goal of Spartan women was to produce children for the state.

Activity You will see a piece of the film “Last Stand of the 300.” During the film, answer the following questions in your notebook: Why did the Spartans need to train boys this way? Cite evidence from the film. The Spartans saw their treatment of infants as “humane.” Why? Cite evidence from the film.

Group Questions Besides war, what would Spartan society be capable of achieving? What were the limits of Sparta’s military power? Do you think Sparta understood its own limitations? Why/Why not? Cite evidence from the film.