ATHENS AND SPARTA
Chapter 7
Section 2
COMPARING AND
CONTRASTING
• What countries have governments or
lifestyles that are similar to ours?
• What countries have governments or
lifestyle that are different to ours?
KEY TERMS
• Tyrant
• Someone who takes power by force and rules with total
authority
• Oligarchy
• A few people hold the power
• Democracy
• All citizens share in running the government
• Helot
• Spartan slaves; captives of war
KEY PLACES/PEOPLE
• Key Places:
• Sparta
• Athens
• Key People
• Solon
• Peisistratus
• Cleisthenes
TYRANNY IN CITY-STATES
• Kings ruled the first city-states
• At the end of the Dark Age, nobles have power
• Nobles rule was challenged by small farmers
• Needed money till they could harvest and sell their crops
• Promised to give up their fields if they did not pay back
• Most lost their land
• Had to work for nobles or move to city as a laborer
• Sometimes sold themselves into slavery
TYRANNY IN CITY-STATES
• 650 B.C., demand in power structure by
• Owners of small farms
• Merchants and Artisans
• Became wealthy from trade
• Because they did not own land, they were not considered citizens
• No say in running the polis
• Growing unhappiness led to rise of tyrants
• 600s B.C., tyrants overthrow nobles
• Backed by the common people
• Support from hoplites in the army
TYRANNY IN CITY-STATES
• Tyrants became popular, built new
• Marketplaces
• Temples
• Walls
• Rule by 1 person – opposite of what Greeks wanted
• Wanted rule by law with ALL citizens participating
• 500s B.C., tyrants fall our of favor
• City-states become
• Oligarchies - Sparta
• Democracies - Athens
CHECK & USING GEOGRAPHY SKILLS
• Gather with your 1 st Base Partner
• Check:
• Why were tyrants popular in the city-states?
• Tyrants had built new marketplaces, temples and walls.
• Turn to Page 345 and answer the following questions:
• How many miles apart were Sparta and Athens?
• Sparta and Athens were about 100 miles apart.
• Which city-state’s geography might make it more open to attack in a military
battle? Explain.
• Athens was more open to attack because it is located closer to the water.
Sparta’s central location within the mountains would make an attack on it
more difficult.
SPARTA
• Founded by the Dorians
• Sparta needed more land as it grew
• Did not set up colonies
• Conquered and enslaved neighboring city-states
• Called their captives: Helots
• Conquered people did the farming and manual labor
• Sparta focused on military strength and dominance
SPARTAN MILITARY
• Focused on military strength
• Feared that helots would
rebel someday
• Government controlled
people of Sparta
• Young boys began training
for war at 7 years old
• Training
• Age 7 –boys left home to
live in the barracks
• Harshly treated to make
them tough
• Age 20, men join regular
army
• Remained in army for 10
more years
• Ate all meals together in a
dining hall
• Returned home at the age
of 30
• Stayed in army till 60
SPARTAN MILITARY
• Men trained for battle every day
• Expected to win on the battlefield
or die
• Never surrender
• “Come home carrying
your shield or being
carried on it” – Spartan
mother
• Spartan Soldier
• Spartan Women
• Trained in sports
• Running
• Wrestling
• Throwing discus and javelin
• Kept fit to be healthy mothers
• Lived at home
• Freer than other Greek women
• Could own property
• Could go where they
wanted
SPARTA’S GOVERNMENT
• Oligarchy
• 2 kings headed a council of elders
• Council:
• 28 citizens over age 60
• Presented laws to an
assembly
• Assembly:
• Ephors:
• All Spartan men over 30
• Voted on council’s laws
• Chose 5 ephors each
year
• Enforced laws and managed
tax collection
• Visits from foreigners was discouraged
• Banned travel abroad except for
military purposes
• Frowned upon citizens who studied:
• Art
• Literature
• Kept control over helots for 250 years
• Focus on military
• Spartans fell behind in trade
• Knew less about science and
other subjects
CHECK
• Turn to Page 347
• Look at the painting of Spartan boys training for the military.
• Why did the Spartan government want its young people to be
physically fit?
• They wanted their young to be prepared for battle.
• What opinion of Sparta does the artist want you to see? How
does the artist portray this opinion in the painting?
• Why did the Spartans focus on military training?
• They focused on miilitary training so they could conquer
their neighbors and control the large helot population.
ATHENS - LIFE
• Unlike Spartans, Athenians were more interested in building a
democracy than building a military force
• Athenian Children went to school:
• One teacher taught them to read, write, and arithmetic (math)
• Another teacher taught sports
• A third teacher taught music
• Sing and play lute
• Instruction created well-rounded Athenians
• Good minds and bodies
• Age 18, boys finished school & became citizens
ATHENS – LIFE: GIRLS
• Girls stayed at home
• Mothers taught
• Spinning
• Weaving
• Household duties
• Wealthy families taught daughters to read, write, and play the lyre
• When they married
• Stayed at home to
• keep house
• Teach their own daughters
ATHENS = DEMOCRACY
• 600s B.C., Athens ruled by landowning nobles
• Assembly of citizens existed, but had few powers
• Government was an oligarchy
• 600 B.C., Athenians citizens rebel against nobles
• Wanted an end to all debts from farmers to nobles
• Wanted land for poor
ATHENS = DEMOCRACY
• 594 B.C., nobles turn to a trusted man Solon
• Canceled farmers’ debts
• Freed those who became slaves
• Allowed all male citizens to participate in
• Government
• Law courts
• Council of 400 wrote laws
• All citizen assembly had to pass the laws
• His reforms were popular among common people
• Farmers continued to want Solon to give away wealthy nobles’ land
• He refused
ATHENS = DEMOCRACY
• 560 B.C., Tyrant, Peisistratus seized power
• Won support of poor
• Divided large estates among landless farmers
• Loaned money to poor people
• Gave poor jobs building temples and other public works
• Died in 527 B.C.
• More tyrants ruled until Cleisthenes
CLEISTHENES
• Came to power in 508 B.C.
• Reorganized assembly = Central
role in governing
• Credited for make Athenian
democracy
• All male citizens
• Belonged to assembly
• Voted on laws
• New powers
• Debate matters openly
(free speech)
• Hear court cases (jury)
• Appoint army generals
• Created new council of 500 citizens
• Helped carry out daily business
• Dealt with foreign countries
• Oversaw treasury
• Athenians chose members in a
lottery
• Believed this was fairer than
election
• Might favor rich
• Not all Athenians given political rights:
• Women
• foreign-born men
• slaves
CHECK
• How did Cleisthenes build a democracy in Athens?
• Cleisthenes
• made the assembly the center of government
• Gave citizens more powers
• Created a citizens council to help the assembly
• Study Central
CLOSE
• How might a Spartan citizen complete this sentence:
• “I’m proud of my city-state because . . .”
• Draw a picture representing the above quote and
Spartan culture.
Change language