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Sparta

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Modern Sparta (Sparti)

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Current Populations

● Athens: 3 700 000 people● Modern Sparta: 32 000 people

Modern Athens is more than 100 times larger than modern Sparta.

= Ottawa vs. Hawkesbury (or 1/7 of Barrhaven)

How could they have ever been rivals? It's difficult to believe today.

Thucydides says:

“Suppose the city of Sparta to be deserted, and nothing left but the temples and the ground-plan, distant ages would be very unwilling to believe that the power of the [Spartans] was at all equal to their fame...it rather resembles a group of villages, like the ancient towns of Hellas, and would therefore make a poor show.”

Spartan History

● Settlers from the Dorian invasion who conquer Lacedaemonia some time during the Dark Ages

● Unlike other Greek cities, never built walls (mountains defend them)

● Dominated the entire Greek world after the Peloponnesian Wars

● Would not submit● Very secretive about their own history –

prohibited from writing anything down

Spartan Society

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Spartan Society

● At the top – Spartiates (about 7% of population)

– citizens are men only (about 3%)

– both parents from citizen families, traceable back to Dorian invasion

– Every citizen was a soldier – no other occupation permitted

– Taken away from family at 7 to be trained

– Top students join Crypteia (Secret Police) at 18

– All join military as full members at 20

– Retire as full soldiers at 30

– Men eat in mess halls with other men

Spartan Society

● Periokoi (“those from around”)– About 30% of population

– freedmen

– did all the jobs that citizens were prohibited from doing (craftsmen, traders)

– heavily taxed and owed military service

Helots

● Everybody else – 60-70% of population - farmers

● Conquered peoples who already lived there

● Property of the state, not owned by individuals

● Can keep 50% of harvest, and save up to buy freedom

● Spartans constantly fear revolt – so Crypteia spies on helots

Women

● No political rights, but...● More social status than anywhere else in

Greece– Could own property

– Valued as mothers

– Rigorous training to promote physical strength (needed to give birth to good soldiers)

Spartan Politics

● Constitution comes from Lycurgus● Cannot be written down● Oligarchy = rule of the few

● Saw themselves as between the extremes of tyranny and “anarchy” (i.e. democracy)

● Order is the most important political virtue● Lycurgus redistributed land to banish envy and

arrogance from Sparta

Spartan Leaders

● Kings (2 at a time!)– Hereditary

– Main responsibility was as generals in war

– Also function as high priests and judges

– Power outside war very limited – overseen by...

● Ephors (means “overseers”)(5 at a time)– Elected by citizens for 1 year – no repeats

– Could follow kings on campaign to supervise

– Kept order between the 2 kings, who squabbled

Council of Elders

● Gerousia

28 Elders + 2 Kings = 30

Made laws,

advised the king,

acted as a court● Elected for life (unlike Ephors – 1 year)

– Had to be over 60

– In theory, all citizens were eligible, but typically these elders came from the royal families

– When died, replaced right away

Spartan Assembly

● Spartan citizens > 30 years old

● They could then participate in the Assembly of Citizens

● Assembly voted on proposals submitted by Gerousia through shouting – loudest shouting wins, not most votes

...but they had no real power:

– No right to debate, propose laws

– Gerousia could veto their vote – or even stop them from voting if it looked like they might vote “foolishly”!

– In practice, rubber stamp – not a real democracy

Today

● Complete both pages of the chart (including the question at the bottom of the second page)

● If you need more information, consult the book at pages 126-128 and 136-137