Spartan women could own property which they often gained through dowries and inheritances. Ch.5 Classical Greece Flashcards | Quizlet Also known as: Lacedaemon, Na Spart, Spart. Sparta and Athens are known as city-state with many contrasting beliefs. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In preparation for marriage, Spartan women had their heads shaved; they kept their hair short after they wed. Married couples typically lived apart, as men under 30 were required to continue residing in communal barracks. They were encouraged to break the exclusive ties with their own natal families and to consider all Spartans of their fathers age to be [their parents]. Updates? The professional and well-trained Spartan hoplites with their distinctive red cloaks and long hair were probably the best and most feared fighters in Greece, fighting with distinction at key battles against the Persian army at Thermopylae and Plataea in the 5th century BCE. Sparta was located in the fertile Eurotas valley of Laconia in the southeast Peloponnese. Corrections? Sparta was leader of an alliance of independent states that included most of the major land powers of the Peloponnese and central Greece, as well as the sea power Corinth. Mark, Joshua J.. "Agoge, the Spartan Education Program." Neither view captures the complexities not to say conflicting accounts of the city-state known anciently as Lacedaemon. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. The assembly (Ekklsia) met once a month and was open to all citizens who voted by the simple method of shouting. Submitted by Mark Cartwright, published on 28 May 2013. In time of peace, power was concentrated in a Senate of 30 members. Sparta's position as the number one city-state in Greece, though, was to be short-lived. This is Sparta: Fierce warriors of the ancient world - Craig Zimmer, Art and Craft in Archaic Sparta | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Greek city-state imposed brutal training and contests that began at age 7. At the end of 411 the rebuilt Athenian navy, fresh from several victories, acted to restore democratic rule. Helots could not own property and so could not rise to become full-citizens, and this lack of social mobility would come back to haunt Sparta in later centuries. Whether they were in Sparta or deployed elsewhere, every man of that mess was required to bring food to be shared in common and so, obviously, had to be present. Thank you! The agoge was the ancient Spartan education program, which trained male youths in the art of war. Sparta prohibited any new ideas while Athens accepted it. This weekend on In Focus, the conversation turns to financial literacy. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Spartan system of government | Short history website Lycurgus may have been a mythological figure (his dates are given as anywhere between the 9th and 6th century BCE), but whether he was history of myth, the program he is credited with establishing became the foundation of Spartan society and military might. Soldiers were trained as hoplites, or heavily armed foot soldiers. In the meantime (430429), the Spartans attacked Athenian bases in western Greece but were repulsed. After a number of years, he was contacted by the Spartans asking him to return home. The agoge gradually declined in support from the 4th century BCE, though some form of it existed during the early years of the Roman Empire. Troy Mayor Madden on municipal spending and city projects Indoctrination into this lifestyle began early. Corrections? (16.6), Young Spartans Exercising by DegasNational Gallery (Public Domain). Did you know? What was spartas focus as a city-state? - Answers Related Content But led by Brasidas, hero of the Battle of Delium, a Spartan force gained important successes in Chalcidice in 424, encouraging Athenian subject states to revolt. The kings were also priests of Zeus and they sat on the council of elders known as the gerousia. Spartan troops drilled relentlessly, until they could execute tactics with perfection. Please donate to our server cost fundraiser 2023, so that we can produce more history articles, videos and translations. The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece, Plutarch's Lives, The Complete 48 Biographies, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. The Spartans constant military drilling and discipline made them skilled at the ancient Greek style of fighting in a phalanx formation. The modern-day term laconic, meaning to express much in few words, comes from Laconia, the home of the Spartans. The boys lived communally under austere conditions. There were many different dining messes, and it was imperative that a young man be elected to one of them. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. They attacked the Sicilian city Syracuse and campaigned in western Greece and the Peloponnese itself. (2.13-14). Indeed, the Spartan king Menelaus instigated the war after the Trojan prince Paris abducted his wife Helen, offered to Paris by the goddess Aphrodite as a prize for choosing her in a beauty contest with fellow goddesses Athena and Hera. To the Spartans, women had the most important responsibility of all: giving birth to warriors. Sparta, Modern Greek Spart, historically Lacedaemon, ancient capital of the Laconia district of the southeastern Peloponnese, southwestern Greece. In Sparta, only the strongest males and females survived. And even this story gains credence from what their youths now endure, many of whom I have seen expiring under the lash at the altar of Artemis Orthia. The treaty stated that Athens and Sparta would defend each other for the next 50 years. The rest all kept their eyes on him, obeying his orders and submitting to his punishments, so their boyish training was a practice of obedience., Plutarch portrayed Spartan boys as receiving little schooling. For the first five years in the agoge, between the age of 7-12, boys were taught to read and write, but the programs emphasis was on endurance events, athletic competitions, military prowess, and teaching them to survive and outwit others. The goal of the agoge was the transformation of boys into Spartan soldiers whose loyalty was to the state and their brothers-in-arms, not their families. Spartan government What was characteristic of Spartan society? Once election to a mess was secured, all the men of that mess ate every meal together. The Spartan Way: An Introduction - The Art of Manliness Spartan girls also engaged in a number of sports including boxing, wrestling, discus and javelin toss, horseback riding, and foot races. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He is said to have traveled first to Crete, then through Asia Minor, to Egypt, and many other places studying their laws and reflecting on the best aspects of society. World History Encyclopedia. Please support World History Encyclopedia. Youths were taught to compress their speech to give maximum meaning and power in as few words as possible. Thus, the Athenians had the stronger navy and the Spartans the stronger army. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. On the advice of Pericles, its most influential leader, Athens refused to back down. A small commercial and industrial centre of the European plain, the city trades in citrus fruits and olive oil. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.
