SECTION 2 Sparta and Athens What You Will Learn… If YOU were there... Main Ideas Rhnk_Zma^k%ZpZg]^kbg`mkZ]^k%aZl]^\b]^]bmblmbf^mhl^mme^ 1. The Spartans built a military ]hpg'A^h__^klma^_ZfberZ\ahb\^[^mp^^gmph\bmb^l'Bghg^\bmr% society to provide security ^o^krhg^pZgmlmh[^Zmae^mb\%mhn`a%Zg]lmkhg`'Ma^rÍk^`hh]Zm and protection. 2. The Athenians admired the ^g]nkbg`aZk]labilZg]_heehpbg`hk]^kl'Ma^hma^k\bmrbl]b__^k& mind and the arts in addition ^gm'Ma^k^%rhnÍ][^Z]fbk^]b_rhn\hne]mabgd]^^ierZg]li^Zd to physical abilities. 3. Sparta and Athens fought i^klnZlbo^er%b_rhndg^pZehmZ[hnmZlmkhghfrhkablmhkr%hkb_rhn over who should have power lZg`Zg]ieZr^][^Znmb_nefnlb\' and influence in Greece. Which city do you choose? Why? The Big Idea The two most powerful city-states in Greece, Sparta and Athens, had very differ- ent cultures and became bitter ;NBE=BG@;:<D@KHNG= Two of the greatest city-states in enemies in the 400s BC. Greece were Sparta and Athens. Sparta, like the first city mentioned above, had a culture that valued physical strength and military might. Key Terms The Athenian culture placed more value on the mind. However, both alliance, p. 270 city-states had military strength, and they both played important Peloponnesian War, p. 271 roles in the defense of ancient Greece. HeVgiVch7j^aYVB^a^iVgnHdX^Zin Use the graphic organizer online to Spartan society was dominated by the military. According to take notes on Athens and Sparta. Spartan tradition, their social system was created between 900 IDENTIFY: According to legend, who was and 600 BC by a man named Lycurgus (ly-KUHR-guhs) after a responsible for the beginnings slave revolt. To keep such a revolt from happening again, he of the Spartan social system? increased the military’s role in society. The Spartans believed that military power was the way to provide security and protec- tion for their city. Daily life in Sparta refl ected this belief. 7dnhVcYBZc^cHeVgiV Daily life in Sparta was dominated by the army. Even the lives of children refl ected this domination. When a boy was born, government offi cials came to look at him. If he was not healthy, the baby was taken outside of the city and left to die. Healthy boys were trained from an early age to be soldiers. 266 6-8_SNLAESE485805_C09S2.indd 266 5/11/10 12:38:18 PM As part of their training, boys ran, The Spartans believed that the most RECALL: jumped, swam, and threw javelins to increase important qualities of good soldiers were What two qualities did their strength. They also learned to endure self-discipline and obedience. To reinforce the Spartans think the hardships they would face as soldiers. For self-discipline they required soldiers to live were most important in example, boys weren’t given shoes or heavy tough lives free from comforts. For exam- clothes, even in winter. They also weren’t ple, the Spartans didn’t have luxuries like given much food. Boys were allowed to steal soft furniture and expensive food. They food if they could, but if they were caught, thought such comforts made people weak. they were whipped. At least one boy chose Even the Spartans’ enemies admired their to die rather than admit to his theft: discipline and obedience. “DcZndji]!]Vk^c\hidaZcV[dmVcY]^YYZc ^ijcYZg]^hXdVi!VaadlZY^iidiZVgdji]^hkZgn <^gahVcYLdbZc^cHeVgiV WdlZahPdg\VchRl^i]^ihXaVlhVcYiZZi]VcY Because Spartan men were often away at ANALYZE: Y^ZYgVi]Zgi]VcWZigVn]^hi]Z[i#” war, Spartan women had more rights than In a society organized –EajiVgX]![gdb Life of Lycurgus such as Sparta was, other Greek women. Some women owned why might women have To this boy—and to most Spartan soldiers— land in Sparta and ran their households more rights and courage and strength were more important when their husbands were gone. Unlike responsibilities than in a society organized as than one’s own safety. women in other Greek cities, Spartan Athens was? Soldiers between the ages of 20 and women didn’t spend time spinning cloth 30 lived in army barracks and only occa- or weaving. They thought of those tasks as sionally visited their families. Spartan men the jobs of slaves, unsuitable for the wives stayed in the army until they turned 60. and mothers of soldiers. Life in Sparta The Spartans valued discipline, obedience, and courage above all else. Spartan men learned these values at an early age, when they were trained to be soldiers. Spartan women were also expected to be strong, athletic, and disciplined. The Life of a Spartan Soldier :`^l0È*+3OZen^lmkZbgbg` ;hrle^_mahf^Zg]`hmZ[Zlb\ ^]n\Zmbhg' :`^l*+È*13Iarlb\ZemkZbgbg` ;hrl]^o^ehi^]iarlb\Zeldbeel makhn`a^q^k\bl^' :`^l*1È+)3FbebmZkrmkZbgbg` F^ge^Zkg^]ahpmh_b`amZliZkmh_ ma^Zkfr' :`^l+)È,)3FbebmZkrl^kob\^ Lhe]b^kl_hkf^]ma^[h]rh_ma^ LiZkmZgZkfr' :`^,)3?nee\bmbs^glabi Lhe]b^kl\hne]iZkmb\biZm^bgma^ Zll^f[erZg]fho^[Z\dahf^' 267 6-8_SNLAESE485805_C09S2.indd 267 5/11/10 8:13:54 AM Primary Source POINTS OF VIEW Lycurgus, a Spartan lawgiver, Views of Education thought education for boys Plato, an Athenian, thought that education for should teach them how to fight. young boys should train both the mind and the The historian Plutarch described body. He wanted students to be prepared for how education was handled in all aspects of life as adults. Sparta under Lycurgus: :g]paZmlaZee K^Z]bg`Zg]pkbmbg`ma^r [^ma^bk^]n\Zmbhg8Ê `Zo^ma^f%cnlm^ghn`amhÊ <Zgp^_bg]Z[^mm^k l^ko^ma^bkmnkg4ma^bk\ab^_ ]boblbhgmaZgma^mkZ& \Zk^pZlmhfZd^ma^f`hh] ]bmbhgZelhkm8ÉZg] ln[c^\ml%Zg]mhm^Z\ama^f mablaZlmph]boblbhgl% mh^g]nk^iZbgZg]\hgjn^k `rfgZlmb\l_hkma^ bg[Zmme^'Ë [h]r%Zg]fnlb\_hk —Plutarch ma^lhne'Ë _khfEb_^h_Er\nk`nl —Plato _khfMa^K^in[eb\ Å Å ÅÅ How do Plato’s and Lycurgus’s viewpoints reflect the ideals of Athens and Sparta? Spartan women also received physical 6i]Zc^Vch6Yb^gZi]ZB^cY training. Like the men, they learned how Sparta’s main rival in Greece was Athens. to run, jump, wrestle, and throw javelins. Like Sparta, Athens had been a leader in The Spartans believed this training would the Persian Wars and had a powerful army. help women bear healthy children. RECALL: But life in Athens was very different from How many kings officially ruled? <dkZgcbZci life in Sparta. In addition to physical train- Sparta was offi cially ruled by two kings ing, the Athenians valued education, clear who jointly led the army. But elected offi - thinking, and the arts. cials actually had more power than the 7dnhVcYBZc^c6i]Zch kings. These offi cials ran Sparta’s day-to- From a young age, Athenian boys from day activities. They also handled dealings rich families worked to improve both their Å Å between Sparta and other city-states. bodies and their minds. Like Spartan boys, Sparta’s government was set up to con- How can the Athenian boys had to learn to run, jump, words like and trol the city’s helots (HEL-uhts), or slaves. and fi ght. But this training was not as harsh unlike help you These slaves grew all the city’s crops and compare and or as long as the training in Sparta. contrast Athens did many other jobs. Their lives were mis- Unlike Spartan men, Athenian men and Sparta? erable, and they couldn’t leave their land. didn’t have to devote their whole lives to DRAW CONCLUSIONS: Although slaves greatly outnumbered Spar- Why did Spartan elected the army. All men in Athens joined the tan citizens, fear of the Spartan army kept officials have more power army, but for only two years. They helped than the kings? them from rebelling. defend the city between the ages of 18 and Å Analyzing What was the 20. Older men only had to serve in the most important element of Spartan society? army in times of war. 268 CHAPTER 9 6-8_SNLAESE485805_C09S2.indd 268 5/4/10 8:59:54 AM In addition to their physical training, <^gahVcYLdbZc^c6i]Zch Athenian students, unlike the Spartans, While many boys in Athens received RECALL: also learned other skills. They learned to What were Athenian good educations, girls didn’t. In fact, girls girls taught? read, write, and count as well as sing and received almost no education. Athenian play musical instruments. Boys also learned men didn’t think girls needed to be edu- about Greek history and legend. For exam- cated. A few girls were taught how to read ple, they studied the Iliad, the Odyssey, and and write at home by private tutors. How- other works of Greek literature. ever, most girls only learned household Boys from very rich families often con- tasks like weaving and sewing. CONTRAST: tinued their education with private tutors. What was the basic Despite Athens’s reputation for free- difference between These tutors taught their students about dom and democracy, women there had life in Sparta and life philosophy, geometry, astronomy, and fewer rights than women in many other in Athens? other subjects. They also taught the boys city-states. Athenian women could not how to be good public speakers. This train- ing prepared boys for participation in the s SERVEINANYPARTOFTHECITYSGOVERN Athenian assembly. ment, including the assembly and juries, Very few boys had the opportunity s LEAVETHEIRHOMES EXCEPTONSPECIAL to receive this much education, however. occasions, Boys from poor families usually didn’t get s BUYANYTHINGOROWNPROPERTY OR any education, although most of them s DISOBEYTHEIRHUSBANDSORFATHERS could read and write at least a little.