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SPARTA IN THE ARCHAIC AGE. When studying Sparta we are constantly given a very negative image. History does not seem to have anything positive about Sparta.

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Presentation on theme: "SPARTA IN THE ARCHAIC AGE. When studying Sparta we are constantly given a very negative image. History does not seem to have anything positive about Sparta."— Presentation transcript:

1 SPARTA IN THE ARCHAIC AGE

2 When studying Sparta we are constantly given a very negative image. History does not seem to have anything positive about Sparta. Spartans are usually described as ‘an armed camp’, ‘brutal’, ‘culturally stagnant’, ‘economically stagnant’, and ‘politically stagnant’. When we read about Sparta we must of course look somewhere behind the value judgments, as we must always remember that we get our history of Greece from its rival Athens. Sparta and Athens represent diametrically opposed concepts of the Greek polis and its relations to other city-states. They also represent diametrically opposed concepts of the individual’s relationship to the state. They both believed they were the best which brought them into constant conflict. Something to think about…

3 Spartan Government The Spartan political system was a democratic timocratic monarchical oligarchy made up of the following: MONARCHY-a dual monarchy which was hereditary COUNCIL-two kings and 28 nobles (retired military men) -debated and set legislative and foreign policy -Supreme Criminal Court ASSEMBLY-made up of all Spartan males -selected the council and approved or vetoed council proposals EPHORATE-(Above all the aspects of the government system) -a small group of 5 men which led the council -ran the military/education system/infant selection -had veto power over everything -could depose the king with divine proof

4 Spartan Society Ideology oriented around the state-individuals lived and died for the state. The military and city state was at the centre of Spartan existence. The state determined whether children, both male and female, were strong enough to serve the state when they were born; weakling infants were left in the hills to die of exposure. Spartan society was divided into three main classes. At the top was the Spartiate (native Spartan) who enjoyed the full political and legal rights of the state. Secondly, were the perioeci (foreigners) who carried out most of the trade and commerce in Sparta. The Perioeci also served as a buffer between the Spartiates and the Helots. At the bottom were the helots (serfs) that did all manual labour including farming the Spartan personal lands.

5 Spartan Men The life of the Spartan male was a life of discipline, self-denial, and simplicity. He refused luxuries, expensive foods or leisure time. At the age of 7, every male was sent to military and athletic school. They were taught toughness, discipline, endurance of pain, and survival skills. At the age of 20 (after 13 years of training) they become a soldier.

6 Spartan men spent their lives with their fellow soldiers. They lived in barracks and ate all their meals together. Spartan Man also married, but did not live with his wife. At age 30, Spartan became an equal and was allowed to live in his own house with his own family. He continued to serve in the military until the age of 60. Each soldier was granted a piece of land. The land was farmed by the helots.

7 Spartan Women This soldier-centered state was the most liberal state in regards to the status of women. While women did not go through military training, they were required to be educated along similar lines. The Spartans were the only Greek not only to take the education of women seriously; they instituted it as state policy. Women went through a physical and gymnastics education which could be grueling. They were also taught that their lives should be dedicated to the state. In most Greek states, it was customary that women be required to stay indoors at all times; Spartan women, however, were free to move about, and had an unusual amount of domestic freedom as their husbands did not live at home.

8 The Beginnings of the Spartan Model Sparta began similar to other Greek City States, a Monarchy with a limited Oligarchy. In 725 BCE, needing land to feed a dramatically growing population, the Spartans marched over the Taygetus Mountains and annexed all the very fertile territory of their neighbour, Messenia. In 640 BCE the Messenians revolted against the Spartans with the help of the city state Argos. The Messenians almost won Faced with near defeat and the reality that the subject population outnumbered them 10 to 1 and had the potential of overrunning them, the Spartans invented a new political system and became a military state. The Messenians were turned into agricultural slaves called helots, and the Spartan city state was changed forever.

9 Spartans capable of Change??? In the 6 th Century BCE The Spartans started to become a little paranoid, fearing that neighbouring states would initiate riots/revolts among their helots. They began to set their sights on neighbouring states. But, when they conquered their neighbour, Tegea, they set up a truce with them rather that annex their land and people. The demanded an alliance where Tegea would follow Sparta in all its foreign relationships, including wars, and would supply Sparta with a fixed amount of soldiers and equipment. In exchange Tegea could remain independent. In a short time, Sparta formed alliances with a huge number of states in the southern part of Greece (the Peloponnesus) and had become the major power in Greece when the Persians invaded in 490 BCE. Their power eclipsed Athens at that time.


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