Sparta and Athens

Spartan Kings

- 2 kings who inherited their position - Served as supreme military commanders and performed some religious duties - Part of the Council of Elders

Ephors

- Part of the Spartan government - A group of 5 officials that helped govern Sparta and run its day-to-day business - Elected by the Assembly - Had the power to charge the kings with misconduct, fine them, dethrone them, and sentence them to exile

Council of Elders

- Part of the Spartan government that had the REAL power in Sparta - Like a military oligarchy - Made up of 28 retired Spartan warriors over the age of 60 who were elected by the Assembly along with the 2 Spartan kings - Once elected, they served for life - Prepared laws for the Assembly to vote on, could veto Assembly actions

thete

- Poorest and lowest class of free men in Athens - Did not own land - rented land from wealthy landowners - Regardless of wealth COULD be a citizen if they met the standard of citizenship

Athenian Common Defense

- Athens had no standing (permanent) army, but instead all citizens were expected to fight for Athens when needed. In times of peace, citizens had regular jobs. - Athens had a very strong navy, city walls to protect the city, and long walls to protect the path to and from the harbor

How did geography impact Athens?

- Athens was near the coast on mainland Greece and had easy sea access and a protected harbor - As a result, it developed into a seafaring city-state with trade ties to other civilizations and a strong navy. It welcomed foreign ideas and products. - It did not have a great deal of farmable land, however. As the population grew, Athens became dependent on foreign trade and colonization to meet its food needs.

Athenian Slaves

- Either born into slavery or captured during war - lowest social class - NOT citizens and had no legal or social rights - Worked for Athenians in a variety of jobs including household chores, artisans, tutors, farm workers, and mine workers (mining was the most difficult and dangerous of the tasks) - Generally, Athenian slaves received better treatment than slaves in other Greek city-states - Most Athenian slaves were owned by individuals, but a few were owned by the government. - Most free people who lived in Athens owned at least one slave - About 1/3 of the population of Athens consisted of slaves

Education in Sparta

- Focused on toughening boys and training them on military tactics and how to be prepared for war - Boys were separated from families at young age and lived in military barracks. Were given little clothing and food and taught to endure hardship. - Girls also received some education, including physical training, because Spartans believed that strong women would produce strong babies who would make strong soldiers

Perioikoi

- Foreigners living in Sparta - NOT CITIZENS - Neighboring free men who lived on the outskirts of the city-state but recognized the authority of the Spartan kings. - Produced many necessary items such as shoes, red cloaks for the soldiers, iron tools like knives and spears, and pottery that the Spartans used. They also conducted some trade with other city-states for goods that Sparta needed - Considered inferior to Spartan citizens and had no political rights in the Spartan government. - For the most part, in times of peace the Spartans left the Perioikoi communities alone and let them govern themselves.

metics

- Free foreign-born men living in Athens (included not only non-Greeks but ALSO Greek men from other city-states) - could NOT be citizens of Athens, regardless of wealth or how long they lived in Athens (no naturalization process) - had to pay taxes but had no political power in Athens - many were merchants, artisans, or teachers - as non-citizen, could not own land and could not vote

Spartan Assembly

- Least powerful part of Spartan government - Contained all citizens eligible to vote (adult Spartan men) - Had very little power - like a rubber stamp. Could not debate issues and participants could not make proposals. The only thing citizens could do was to vote yes or no on proposals. Even if the Assembly passed the proposal, it still could be vetoed by the Council or ephors.

Athenian Economy

- Most citizens made their living by farming but Athens did not have enough farmland to produce enough grain for its growing population - imported 2/3 of the grain it needed from other areas. This was so important that it was a capital offense (subject to the death penalty) to export grain from Athens -Athens also had many artisans, teachers, artists, etc. and people could buy and sell luxury goods and practical items at the agora - Athens traded with many other city-states and civilizations. Athenians shipped goods like pottery, jewelry, and products like olive oil and wine to other lands. Ships returned to Athens with timber, minerals and luxury goods such as ivory, glass, and perfume. - As a result of trading with other regions, they exchanged ideas with many other cultures - Many metics (foreigners) were traders or merchants

Helots

- NOT CITIZENS - Virtual slaves to the Spartans - Responsible for farming but forced to give most of their crops to the Spartans - Owned not by individuals, but by the Spartan state - Treated harshly by Spartans to discourage rebellions

Spartan women

- NOT CITIZENS but had many more rights than Athenian counterparts - These women owned land, ran their households, received some education and physical training and had much social freedom - Had to take care of city-state when men were away fighting and this gave them much greater independence

Athenian Women

- NOT citizens - could not vote or have a say in the government - Under the guardianship of a male relative and had very few legal, economic, or social rights - Spent most of their time in segregated women's quarters in their house and generally could not leave their house unless escorted by a male guardian - Could not own property - Role of a woman was to run the household, bear children and take care of them, manage slaves and servants, and attend to her husband's needs - Most received no education other than learning to spin, weave, and take care of the house

Athenian Standard for Citizenship

- Open only to free men over the age of 18 whose father and mother's father were citizens - NOT based on wealth - rich and poor could be citizens - EXCLUDES women, metics (foreigners), slaves, and children - NO process for naturalization (to become a citizen) - only about 15% of the population of Athens qualified as citizens

Council of 500 (Boule)

- Part of Athenian government - Consisted of 500 Athenian citizens (50 from each of the 10 tribes of Athens) - - Members were randomly selected to serve for one year (NOT elected) so that any citizen would have equal opportunity to participate - Council members were paid for their services to enable poorer people to participate, but there were still more aristocrats than commoners on the council - Responsible for day-to-day business of government, setting the agenda for the Assembly, and proposing new laws and policies for Assembly to vote on

Athenian Assembly

- Part of Athenian government - Consisted of a meeting open to ALL citizens (regardless of wealth) - Met every 10 days on the Pnyx Hill - ALL citizens had the right to speak their mind and to debate topics at the Assembly - Example of DIRECT democracy - citizens voted directly on whether to pass laws proposed by the Council, decisions about how to spend tax money, whether to declare war, whether to form an alliance, etc. - Decisions were made by majority rule

Athenian Jury Courts

- Part of the Athenian government - Every citizen's duty to participate if chosen by random lottery -Jurors were paid a wage for their work, so that the job could be accessible to everyone and not just the wealthy (but, since the wage was less than what the average worker earned in a day, the typical juror was an elderly retiree). - no judges or lawyers in Athens, so it was the citizens themselves who brought court cases, argued for the prosecution and the defense and delivered verdicts and sentences by majority rule - Often had thousands of jurors on a jury - Jurors were randomly selected for participation and juries used secret ballot voting to try to ensure fair verdict - Water clock was used to make sure both sides got equal time to present their arguments

Ostracism

- Power of the Athenian Assembly to kick people out of the city-state for 10 years -Process started with vote on whether to exile anyone that year. If the majority voted in favor of ostracizing someone, then each citizen at the Assembly was given a piece of pottery called an ostracon and could write the name of ANY person they thought should be exiled on it. The votes would be counted, and as long as there were at least 6,000 votes cast, they would kick the person who got the most votes out of the city. - Purpose of ostracism was to keep any one person from becoming too powerful although people often voted based on personal grudges

How did geography impact Sparta?

- Sparta was located on the Peloponnese on a fertile plain, surrounded by mountains - It was located much farther inland without easy sea access - As a result, Spartans had farmable land, but were isolated - They grew suspicious of foreigners and new ideas and became aggressive, seeking to expand their territory to gain new farmland and helots (slaves) to farm it. This contributed to the growth of their military values and culture.

How did the Spartan government affect the economy?

- The government forbid any Spartan citizen from any job other than being in the military - The government owned all of the helots (slaves) but gave each Spartan citizen a piece of land farmed by state-owned helots. The helots had to give the Spartan who owned the land much of the crops they grew. - The government used heavy iron bars as money rather than coins to discourage trade, accumulating wealth, luxury, and theft.

Spartan Economy

- The only job a SPARTAN CITIZEN could have was to be a soldier; they were forbidden from producing goods. This meant they relied on other people to produce goods and services they needed. - Helots (slaves) did the farming - Perioikoi (free noncitizens) produced needed goods like capes, cups, and other simple items - Spartans did NOT believe in luxury items or accumulating a lot of goods - Spartans were very suspicious of outsiders and did not trade much with other areas

What are the key geographic features of Greece?

-Characterized by many hills, mountains, and seas -Only about 1/5 of the land was farmable -Mountains caused isolation and the development of independent city-states

Crete

A Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea, southeast of Greece - the location of the Minoan civilization

Aegean Sea

A body of water by Mediterranean Sea that touches the borders of Greece & the Anatolian Peninsula. It also has many islands in it, including Delos.

Acropolis

A fortified hilltop in an ancient Greek city

Oligarchy

A government controlled by a few powerful people

Phalanx

A military formation of foot soldiers armed with spears and overlapping shields and arranged in rows. The development of this formation gave Greek armies a strategic advantage

Anatolian Peninsula

A peninsula jutting off of Asia Minor - controlled by the Persian Empire in ancient times and now modern-day Turkey

Democracy

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can ultimately control political decisions by either voting: (1) to directly make political decisions (like choosing policies and laws) or (2) to elect people to represent them and make decisions on their behalf

The Persian Wars (500-479 B.C.E.)

A series of wars between the Greeks (mainly Athens) and the Persians in which the Greeks were ultimately victorious.

What was the impact of the Persian Wars?

AT FIRST - Strengthening of Greek unity: The Persian Wars brought together many of the independent city-states of Greece, creating a sense of unity and solidarity against a common enemy. BUT OVER TIME - Emergence of Athens as a dominant power: Athens emerged as a major power in the aftermath of the Persian Wars, due in large part to its leadership during the conflict. This laid the foundation for Athens' Golden Age in the 5th century BCE. Athens growing political and economic power made Sparta uneasy and contributed to the start of the Peloponnesian War. Impact on warfare: The Persian Wars introduced new military tactics and technologies, such as the phalanx formation and the trireme (naval ship), that would have a lasting impact on warfare in the ancient world.

Rights of Athenian Citizens

Athenian citizens were the ONLY people in Athens who could: - vote - hold public office - be a member of a jury - own land

Ionian Sea

Body of water to the west of mainland Greece

Long Walls

Built by Pericles built between 461 and 456 BCE to connect the city of Athens with her port Piraeus

Spartan citizenship

Had to be a male, native born Spartan who completed military training and was in Spartan army

direct democracy

Government in which citizens hold the power and vote DIRECTLY on laws and policies. In Athens, the Assembly is a good example of a direct democracy. ALL citizens could meet on the Pnyx (the hill in Athens) to discuss and vote on issues that affected the city-state

Trireme

Greek ships built specifically for ramming enemy ships. The use of triremes helped Athens defeat Persia in the Battle of Salamis

sortition

The selection of leaders using a lottery. - Also called selection by lot or lottery - Intended to give equal opportunity for all citizens to hold a position - Used for government positions that do NOT require particular expertise (like council and jury in Athens)

What was the impact of the Peloponnesian War?

Ultimately, Sparta prevailed but both were weakened sufficient to be soon conquered by Macedonians, later leading to the Macedonian Empire and Alexander the Great.

Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE)

War between Athens Alliance (the Delian League) and Spartan Alliance (the Peloponnesian League). The war was largely a consequence of Athenian imperialism in the Aegean region. It went on for over 20 years. Ultimately, Sparta prevailed but both were weakened sufficient to be soon conquered by Macedonians, later leading to the Macedonian Empire and Alexander the Great.

Non-citizens in Athens

Women, slaves, foreigners (metics) and children

polis

a city-state (a small, independent country that consists of a city with its surrounding territory and villages)

Sparta

a city-state of ancient Greece located on the Peloponnese and known for its military oligarchy

Agora

a public open space in Greek city-states used as a public meeting area and for markets and was the center of political life

Spartan values

duty, strength, simplicity, discipline over freedom

Peloponnesian Peninsula

large peninsula connected to mainland Greece - location of Sparta