Spartans, Athenians, and Persians Test
What was the story of Helen and the child?
Helen was known as the most beautiful woman to have ever lived. In Sparta, A mother/nanny took an ugly baby girl to the tomb of Helen. The mother/nanny prayed for the baby girl, and the spirit of Helen came and stroked the child. The girl grew up to be a very beautiful young woman. She ended up marrying a king.
What is ostracism? When was it used? Where? Why? Who was targeted?
Ostracism was introduced to the Athenian society by Cleisthenes. Each year, the people of Athens would decide if they wanted to hold an ostracism. At least 6,000 people had to vote to hold an ostracism for there to be one. In an ostracism, each Athenian citizen would write the name of a person that they wanted to be exiled from the city on a potsherd. The person who had the most votes would be exiled for 10 years. This process targeted the Elites who the people believed were a threat to Athenian society. It was a way to keep the Elites in check and it also gave more power to the people.
Describe what happened at the battle of Salamis? Why was it important?
After the Battles of Thermopylae and Artemisium, Xerxes was deciding what to do. Of his 15,000 soldiers, only one of them was a woman. The men advised Xerxes to take part in another naval battle. However, Artemesia, the woman, advised for a land battle. She said that the Greeks had a superior navy, but the Persians had a superior army. She wanted to battle at the Isthmus. The Greeks, meanwhile, were camping out at Salamis. A Greek slave escaped and went to the Persians. He pretended to betray the Greeks and told Xerxes that the Greeks were planning on trying to escape Salamis. He said that if they went and blocked them, they could take out the entire Greek fleet. They took the bait and met the Greeks in the narrow straits near Salamis. This was perfect for the Greeks because they knew how to fight well in the narrow areas. The Greeks yet again defeated the Persians despite their numbers. During the battle, Artemesia was in charge of a ship. Aminias, a Greek general, ordered his ship to attack Artemesia's ship. To escape death, she rammed her ship into a Persian boat. This caused Aminias to believe that she was Greek, and he left her alone. She killed all of the Persians on that ship so they couldn't tell anybody that she had rammed into them. Xerxes, who was watching, was also tricked. He thought that she had rammed a Greek ship. She escaped death and punishment by doing so. Also, The Persians had blocked themselves in. Reinforcements blocked the exit, so the escaping persians were stuck.
Describe what happened at the battle of Marathon? Why was it important?
At the beginning of 490 B.C., the Persians decided to send 25,000 men to attack at Marathon. They landed on August 4, 490 B.C. They chose to land at Marathon because of the Pisistradids owned territory. Hippias chose to go there thinking he would be greeted with open arms. The Athenians heard of their plan and sent Philippides to Sparta. He was an athlete in Athens and was sent to ask for help. The Spartans, however, were in the middle of a holy festival and did not agree to help. Philippides ran the whole way. Since they could not get immediate help, the Athenians decided to fight the Persians at Marathon and hoped the Spartans would meet them later. After a few days of standstill, the Athenians and Persians fought. Miltiades and Callimachus (the archon) courageously led the Athenians into battle. The Athenians ran the entire mile between them and ran straight into the Persians. The Persians were startled and were destroyed, despite their overwhelming amount of soldiers. However, the Persians had sent 10,000 soldiers by sea to attack Athens while the soldiers battled at Marathon. Once the Athenians beat the Persians, they realized that their city lay undefended and had to rush back. They ran back the 26 miles (that's why it is called a Marathon). They made it there just in time and the Persians were surprised. They expected the city to be completely undefended, and when they saw the soldiers, they fled. This battle was important because it showed the Athenian's victory. They beat the Persians without the help of the Spartans. It was also the first battle of the war. The Spartans got there 3 days late, but they were impressed with their victory.
Who were the 4 main individuals at Athens and what did they do to help Athens toward democracy?
Draco: Draco was the creator of Draco's code. Draco's code made it so that the laws were written down. The aristocracy could no longer make up and change the laws however they saw fit. Everybody knew what the laws were. This diminished some of the aristocracy's power, beginning to create equality in political power. Solon: Solon was put into power during Athen's severe time of trouble. He created new laws and concepts that helped improve their region, including agricultural and military, as well as to begin to bring balance to the social class system. He relieved people of all debt that could result in debt-bondage and freed the debt-bondage-slaves. He eased the sufferings of the poor. He also allowed immigrants to become citizens, which not only helped them but helped the economy by introducing their new trades and skills. Pisistratus (and his sons, Hippius and Hipparchus): Pisistratus was a tyrant of Athens, but while in charge, he continued to have the Assembly meet. They elected 400 council members every year and Pisistratus also helped diminish some powers of the elite. He weakened and publicly humiliated his enemies. They became less significant, impressive, and legit(imate) as rulers in the eyes of ordinary people. He also wooed the farmers, businessmen, and potters. He created a circuit court that would make it easier for people who lived far away to get appeals and participate in court. His sons carried out his rule when he passed away. Cleisthenes: After he saw the Spartans begin o take control of Athens (through Cleomenes), he proposed a new form of government: demokratia, which literally translates to the people (demos) possess the political power (kratos) in the state. He was exiled, but while in exile, the Athenian people demanded democracy from Isagoras and Cleomenes. They eventually were able to get democracy. The state was broken into 139 districts of which citizens were a part of. They were responsible for providing political leaders to serve on the council. These districts were then grouped into thirds, which were paired up with 2 others to form tribes. These allowed for more loyalty within the state and ended division between the citizens. He added new rights for people including the freedom of speech.
What are the Spartan "social classes" and practices (Helots, Periokoi, Ephors, Agoge, Paidonomos, Crypteia, Hoplites, Phalanxes)?
Helots: messenian state slaves Periokoi: resident aliens, were responsible for work around Sparta along with women Ephors: 5 of them - they kept the kings in line and controlled their powers - chosen from the elderly Agoge: the training a boy in Sparta went through from age 7-18 in order to be fit for the Spartan army paidonomos: the herder of boys, like a mentor Crypteia: most men ages 18-20 enrolled in Crypteia - like the secret police in Sparta - sent out into the world with a dagger and forced to survive and hunt down a messenian slave
Describe the differences in the role of women between Athens and Sparta.
In Athens, women were not formally educated beyond their domestic duties (cooking, weaving, childcare, household management). In Sparta, women were educated and taught to read so that they could teach their children what it means to be Spartan. They also didn't do any housework. The helots did all the housework. In Athens, daughters were fed smaller rations than their brothers. In Sparta, daughters were fed at the expense of their brothers. Also, girls had a smaller chance of being condemned to the Apothetae (cliff where they were thrown off as babies) than boys because they were breeders. In Athens, once a girl reached puberty, they were married off and not spoken about or seen in public. Only prostitutes were every talked about/seen outside of the house. In Sparta, women exercised in public (running, wrestling, javelin throwing). They sometimes exercised in the nude or almost nude and were called, by the rest of Greece, "thigh-flashers." They also rode horses and were able to compete in the Olympics (one woman won gold). In Athens, women were not allowed to own property or participate in politics. In Sparta, women could own property. Some other things that Spartan women could do/did that were not "common" were that Spartan brides had short hair and sometimes shaved their heads. If a Spartan bride produced 3 sons, the father got out of garrison duty. The fertility of future mothers was gauged by the glowing of their skin and the perfection of their breasts. Parents were alarmed when their daughters were ugly. If a woman died in childbirth, her name was recorded on a tombstone for eternity.
What was the two kings system like in Sparta?
In Sparta, there were 2 kings. One was usually at home and the other was usually at war or with the rest of the Spartan army. Each king was a check on the other one, creating an absolute veto. The 2 kings had military, priestly, and judicial powers. However, there were many limitations on their powers so that they wouldn't be too powerful. The king could send the army into any battle, but he had to be the first to enter a battle and the last to retreat. The king was the one who heard the oracle, but 4 state officials had to be there with him to make sure that he didn't lie about what the oracle said. The only judicial powers that the king had were to decide where public highways go and to decide who a girl should marry if her father dies before deciding who she marries.
Why was Larium a key part at the beginning of the wars?
Larium was a key part of the beginning of the war because it provided silver for the Athenians, and the Athenians used that silver to build its navy. When the silver was discovered, Themistocles wanted to use the silver to build 200 ships, but Aristeides wanted to split the silver up equally among the Athenian people. The Assembly made a compromise: they would only build 100 ships. Themistocles would only agree to 200 ships, so the Assembly decided to hold an ostracism, and see if the people would rather have Themistocles or Aristeides stay. In the ostracism of 482 BC, Aristeides was voted to be ostracized. The Athenians then used the silver from Larium to build more than 200 ships.This Athenian navy will play a crucial role in defeating the Persians in the Battle of Salamis.
Who were the Kakoi and Eupatridai (Athens)? What were the roles in the democracy?
The Kakoi were rich merchants and farmers that became were prosperous and became rich through trade. The Eupatridai (Eupatrids), or the elite, frowned upon the Kahoi, calling them cheats. The Eupatridai didn't want the Kakoi to be a part of the government.
What happened at the oracle of Delphi? What messages did the Spartans/Athenians receive? How were the messages interpreted? How did each react?
The oracle of Delphi was a place where people would go to hear a prophecy. A priestess would prepare herself by fasting. The oracle of Delphi was located on a fault line, causing fumes to rise and make the priestess ecstatic. In this state, the priestess would receive messages from the gods and then relay them to the people. The message that the Spartans received was that either Leonidas or Leotychides would die and their city would be destroyed by the sons of Perseus. The Spartans did not know if the sons of Perseus were the Persians or the Argives. Even though this message was very alarming to the Spartans, they still fought in the war against the Persians. The Athenians received 2 messages. In the first message, was of the god of war coming, the Temple of Athens burning, and Athens being drowned in black blood. After hearing this message the Athenians left, but then a priest ran after them and urged them to approach the oracle again. The second message that the Athenians received was that everything in Attica would fall, except for a wooden wall. Some Athenians thought that this wooden wall was the wooden fence on top of the Acropolis. However, Themistocles argued that the oracle was referring to ships. After a debate, Themistocles' interpretation was accepted. Themistocles said that everyone should flee to Salamis.
What was the Spartan military process? (children--->adults)
The training program for Spartan boys was called the agoge. When baby boys were born, they were inspected to make sure that they were capable of becoming a hoplite in the Spartan army. If he was approved, the boy would be returned to his parents. If he was not, he would be pushed off a cliff, called the Apothetai. From age 7 to 18, Spartan boys would join a boy herd, led by a boy herder, called the Paidonomos. In the boys herds, the boys were encouraged to forage and have lovers in their herd. From ages 18 to 20, the most promising members of the agoge enrolled in the Crypteia, in which they were sent into the wilderness with only a dagger, and were told to track down a Messenean slave and kill them.
Describe Persian/Greek triremes.
Triremes are three-leveled ships (three levels of rowers). The word trireme comes from the Greek tri res, which means "three-rower" ship. Greek triremes were about 130 ft long and 18 ft wide (with oars extended about 39 ft). They sat about 8 1/2 feet above the water. They would normally travel at about 5 or 6 nautical mph, or 7 or 8 in a hurry. For short bursts of speed, they could even reach 9 or 10. They were very fragile, so they often hugged the coasts. In Athens, crews usually contained a crew of 200 people; 170 rowers, 10 marines, 4 archers, and other officers. Rowers had no armor or weapons, archers had bows and arrows, and marines had armor, shields, and swords or javelins. Persian marines had similar armor and weapons, but also used axes and daggers, among other things. They had 40 archers and marines, and most of their ships were not Persian. The Greeks used a ramming technique where they would ram into the enemy ships and then quickly move away. The Persians tried to fight more, and tried to make it a land battle at sea.
Describe what happened at the battle of Artemisium? Why was it important?
in the spring of 480 B.C., the Greek city-states met and planned out their attack against Persia. They decided that the best place to attack was around Thermopylae. The Peloponnese planned to provide most of the infantrymen, while the Athenians would provide the navy. The Greeks had a total of 280 warships (and Athens sent 53 back-ups later), but this was nothing compared to the Persians's 1327 ships. They fought near Artemisium. The battle began in August of 480 B.C. Right at the beginning, a large storm caused the loss of about 400 ships for the Persians. The Greeks then strategically attacked at sundown, when the Persians couldn't see them as well. They took out a lot of Persian ships. They had also sent 200 around to attack the Greeks from behind, but those too were destroyed in a storm. The Greeks continued to attack the Persians, but eventually they fought back and took out about half of the Greek fleet. It went back and forth like that until the Greeks retreated. The Persians had started with 1,327 ships, and left Artemisium with about 650.
