Greece History

Geography of Greece Greece is a small country in Europe near the Mediterranean Sea. The main part of Greece is on a peninsula. The rest of Greece is made up of islands.

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MACEDONIA Mt. Olympus  Athens   Troy Aegean Sea Corinth  Sparta   Olympia Present day Turkey Rhodes

Greek Trade

Greek City-States Because Greece is made up of many islands, and has many tall mountains, the Greeks began to build city-states instead of one country. A city-state is a city with its own laws, rulers, and money. City-states were cities that acted like countries.

Sparta Sparta was a Greek city-state. Sparta was very powerful and had its own army. Sparta conquered other city-states to gain wealth and power. There were three classes of people in Sparta. Citizens, non-citizens, and slaves.

Sparta’s Classes Only men born in Sparta were citizens. Women were not allowed to become citizens, however, women were allowed to own land and businesses, which gave them more freedom than other Greek city-states. The second class in Sparta was people who came from other city-states or other countries. They could own businesses but not become citizens. The third class was slaves.

Sparta Warriors Learning to read and write in Sparta was not very important. Training to become a good soldiers was important. Young boys were taken from their parents and trained to be soldiers as well as good in sports such as running. Girls were also trained to be good in sports.

Athens Athens was another important Greek city- state. The people of Athens wanted to rule themselves and not have a king or queen. Athens became the world’s first democracy around 508 B.C. A democracy is a government in which all citizens can vote and have equal say in what happens.

Education in Athens Education was very important in Athens. Boys went to school to learn to read and write. They also learned many sports. Girls were not allowed to go to school or learn to play sports.

Democracy in Athens Athens was a democracy because all citizens could vote, but only half the people in Athens were citizens. Women, people born outside of Athens, and slaves could not vote.

Pericles Pericles was the leader of creating democracy in Athens. He had many buildings constructed. Pericles had the Parthenon and the Acropolis built.

Parthenon and Acropolis

Athens & Sparta

More on Athens and Sparta A Contrast in Cultures Although these city states were only 300 miles apart, their cultures were vastly different in many ways. Three of those are the treatment of children, women in society, and customs.

Boys were taught by their mothers until age seven and then sent to a day school. Other than reading, writing, and math, they were educated in the arts, government, and drama. They also learned how to play a lyre. At eighteen, they entered military school for two additional years. They were taught how to be a good citizen of Athens and have good morals. Child Upbringing in Athens Boys in Athens had to learn about Plato (above) and Socrates (right)

Child Upbringing in Sparta Once a son was seven years old, he was taken from his mother to go to military school where they, they trained to be a disciplined warrior. School courses were very painful and difficult. They were taught the very basics of reading and writing, but warfare was the only thing that mattered to the Spartans. The boys weren’t fed well and were taught to steal –but were punished if they were caught. The boys had to live in barracks away from their family. They lived apart until the age of sixty. Spartans thought that any kind of luxury made a person spoiled, so they did not believe in entertainment or comfort. Their food was bland and their clothes were plain.

Women Athens—Women were only a small step above slaves. Sparta—Girls were taught wrestling, gymnastics and combat skills. Sparta—If she passed the test for strength, she was allowed to be a citizen. Athens—women were not citizens and were under their husband’s authority. Athens & Sparta—Marriages were arranged by the father of the bride. Sparta—Since their husbands didn’t live at home, the women enjoyed a great deal of freedom. Athens—Women could not own property. Sparta—women could not wear jewelry, make-up, or colored clothing.

Weird Customs 1. Spartan babies were washed in wine. 2. If Spartan infants were not strong enough then they were thrown over a cliff. 3. Spartan boys marched without shoes to make them strong. 4. In Sparta when a woman was married, her head was shaved and was made to wear men’s clothing until the ceremony was over. 6. Parents in Athens considered their children “youths” until the age of thirty. 5. In Athens, a naked father carried his newborn around the house in a ritual dance.

Conclusion Although Sparta did not produce much art or philosophy or any written work, but its people were admired for keeping alive the Greek values Athens was famous for its literature, poetry, drama, theater, government, ( our own government is modeled after it ) and producing the world’s greatest thinkers. It is clearly the shining star of all the Greek city-states.

If you lived in Ancient Greece, which city-state (Athens or Sparta) would you have chosen to live in? Why???