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Athens v Sparta
Y5/6
History – The Ancient Greeks
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Today, we will be looking at the feud between the two most important cities in Ancient Greek time – Athens and Sparta.
Athens
We know a lot about Athens because there were many writers and artists there whose work has survived to this day. Athens was originally ruled by a king but later came to be ruled by the people as a democracy. Athens was the largest Greek state with lots of beautiful buildings, shops and public baths. The people in Athens lived below the Acropolis (rocky hill). A marble temple was built on top of the highest Acropolis. Slaves were common in Athens and made up about ¼ of the working population.
Sparta
There is much less evidence about Sparta than there is about Athens. Sparta was originally ruled by a king but later was ruled by a small group of powerful people called oligarchies. Sparta was surrounded by mountains which protected it from invaders. Sparta was also the only city to have a full time army. The Spartan men spent from age 7 training to fight so that they could be a part of the army. People who lived in Sparta were given land which was farmed for them by slaves.
Which city would you like to live in?
Challenge
These two cities were the largest and most important in Ancient Greece, but which would you have
liked to live in?
Think about the way both cities were ruled. Athens was ruled by the people whilst Sparta was ruled
by a group of powerful people. Which do you think would be the best way to run the city? Why?
Think about reasons why you would like to live there (for) and reasons why you wouldn’t (against).
Activity 1
Athens
AgainstFor
Sparta
AgainstFor
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Activity 1
These two cities were the largest and most
important in Ancient Greece, but which would
you have liked to live in? Think about reasons
why you would like to live there (for) and
reasons why you wouldn’t (against).
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Now let’s look at what happened between the two cities.
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In the year 430bc the soil around the two cities was
not good enough to grow crops. They were both
struggling to find enough food to feed their
people. But instead of joining together, they took
sides. Athens asked other states to join their side.
All they had to do was provide food and Athens
would provide protection against Sparta. Sparta
did the same and soon Ancient Greece was divided.
Athens
Sparta
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Discussion Time
Do you think it was a good idea to take sides?
Do you think it would have been better if they tried
to solve the problem together?
Talk with your partner before we discuss as a class.
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Next, Sparta invaded Attica which was the
area surrounding Athens. The people of
Athens knew that the Spartan army were too
strong for them. They had trained for this their
whole lives! So they locked themselves inside
their city instead of trying to defeat them.
The Spartan Army tried to get in but couldn’t.
Meanwhile, the people of Athens were getting
food through the port of Piraeus. The Spartan
army could not stop this because they did not
have warships.
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This was not a short war. The people of Athens stayed
locked in and the Spartan army sat outside for years.
It looked like the war would never end! So they decided
to call a truce. The truce meant that the fighting was
over and everyone was able to go home. It also meant
that Athens got to keep their land and Sparta got to
keep all the lands they had invaded in the war.
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It wasn’t many years until the fighting started again.
Athens wanted to cut off Sparta's supply of food.
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Athens or Sparta?
Athens
Athens had a very powerful navy.
They could get supplies via the port.
They had warships.
The patron goddess of Athens was Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.
The people of Athens lived at the bottom of the Acropolis (rocky hill).
Sparta
Sparta was the only city to have a full-time army.
The people of Sparta were well known for being brave and fierce.
The Spartan army were trained from the age of 7 so were highly skilled.
Their city was surrounded by mountains.
Which city do you think will win the war?
Challenge
Use the facts you’ve been given to make a decision about which city you think will win the war.
Give reasons for your answers.
I think will win because
What do you think will happen if Athens wins?
Activity 2
What do you think will happen if Sparta wins?
Athens Sparta
Athens had a very powerful navy.
They could get supplies via the port.
They had warships.
The patron goddess of Athens was
Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.
The people of Athens lived at the
bottom of the Acropolis (rocky hill).
Sparta was the only city to have a
full-time army.
The people of Sparta were well known
for being brave and fierce.
The Spartan army were trained from the
age of 7 so were highly skilled.
Their city was surrounded by mountains.
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Activity 2
Think about these two cities and the resources
they have for the war.
Use the facts you’ve been given to make a deci-
sion about which city you think will win the war.
Give reasons for your answers.
We will then share our thoughts with the class.
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The war continued until the Spartans defeated the
people of Athens at the Aegospotami River. They
then invaded Attica itself and after a short struggle
forced Athens to surrender.
Sharing Time
Tell your partner one interesting fact that you have learnt today.
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