Oligarchy in Sparta Chapter 10 Section 4

Introduction Life was simple in Sparta. Most decisions were made for you. If you were a Spartan boy, the state would take you from your family at the age of seven. You would spend more than 20 years training for and serving in the professional army. If you were a girl, you would be raised for the sole purpose of bearing strong children for the state.

The Spartan State Other Greeks regarded Sparta with a mix of fear and admiration. Sparta was like a huge army camp. Its government was an odd mixture of monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy. Instead of using coins, the Spartans used iron rods as money. People in city-states such as Athens were amused by Spartan’s strange customs. They were also frightened by its growing power.

Government in Sparta The center of Sparta was inland, and Sparta was not a sea power. Neither was it a democracy. Sparta was ruled by two kings. The kings served as military leaders. A Spartan army seldom marched into battle without one of the kings as its leader. The kings headed Sparta’s governing body, the council of elders. The council included 28 men over the age of 60. Members were elected for life. This oligarchy was the true government of Sparta.

Government in Sparta Sparta did have a democratic assembly made up of some free adult males, but it had only about 9,000 citizens compared to about 45,000 in Athens. The Spartan assembly also had far less power than the Athenian assembly. It could pass laws, but the council had to approve them. However, the Spartan assembly did have one important power. It elected five ephors (Eh forz). Who were responsible for the day-to-day operation of the government. They made sure that the kings and the council acted within the limits of Spartan law. Ephors could remove a king who broke the law.

Military Conquests To meet its growing need for resources, Sparta turned to conquest. The Spartans conquered the neighboring city-state of Messenia. Some conquered Messenians became helot. Helots belonged not to individual Spartans but to the polis as a whole. Helots were forced to farm the land and turn over half the food they raised to Sparta. They were treated harshly. They were made to wear dog skin caps to show their lowly status.

Military Conquests The helots produced enough food to support the Spartans. As a result, the Spartans did not have to farm for a living. Spartan men were free to become professional warriors.

The Helot Revolts In the early 400s B.C.E., the helots launched a violent revolt. Although the Spartans put down the revolt, they lived in fear of further unrest. The helots outnumbered them. The Spartans faced a choice, They could give up control of the helots and the food they produced, or they could strengthen their control by turning Sparta into a military state. A military state is a society organized for the purpose of waging war.

The Helot Revolts The Spartans chose the second option. Not only did they create a military society, they also tried to control the helots through terror. Every year, the ephors declared war on the helots. This gave any Spartan the right to kill any helot without fear of punishment. At the same time, secret police watched over the helots. Helots who protested might be beaten or even executed.

A Disciplined Society Because of their history of conquest and their need to control the helots, Spartans valued military discipline. Even today, the word Spartan means “highly disciplined or lacking in comfort.” Unlike the Athenians, Spartans did not value luxury goods or beautiful buildings.

Education With the helots working the fields, Spartan males had plenty of time to train for military service. At seven, they were taken away from their homes for schooling at state expense. They lived together in barracks, or military housing. Spartan boys did not receive a well-rounded education. They spent most of their time exercising, hunting, and training with weapons.

Education They were taught to obey orders rather than think for themselves. A Greek writer named Plutarch wrote,” All their education was directed toward prompt obedience to authority, stout endurance of hardship, and victory or death in battle.” At the age of 18, young men began a two-year program of military training to become part of a phalanx. During this time, the trainees could marry, but they were allowed little time for a life at home. Even after the age of 30, when they left the army, they spent most of their time with other men.

Social Classes When they left the school system, Spartan men faced another test. In order to become full citizens, they had to gain entry to a men’s club of soldiers. If they failed they became “inferiors” who would never gain citizenship and would live as outcasts. Men who election to a men’s club became known as “equals.” They had full citizen rights. This included membership in the assembly and the right to a piece of state-owned land worked by helots. At age 60, an equal became a candidate for election to the council of elders.

Role of Women Spartan women were raised to be strong and vigorous. They participated in sports. By staying fit, they could have healthy babies who would grow into good soldiers. Spartan women had a good deal of freedom and responsibility because their husbands spent almost their entire lives away at military camp. Spartan women were responsible for raising future soldiers for the state. For these reasons they had greater independence than women had in other Greek city-states.

Sparta and Athens The discipline and training of Spartan life created a powerful army and a stable government. But Spartan society feared individual differences and change. Spartans valued people who fit in, not who stood out. Unlike the Spartans, the Athenians valued individual expression and new ideas. As a result, Athens was open to change. Athenian democracy evolved over time.

Sparta and Athens Sparta’s rigid oligarchy and society changed very little. These differences led the Greek historian Thucydides to describe the Athenians as “addicted to innovation.” In contrast, he viewed the Spartans as having “a genius for keeping what you have got.” The opposing values of Athens and Sparta helped create tensions between the two city-states. Eventually, their rivalry led to a war.