Athens & Sparta Governments
Athens & Sparta Economies
Athens & Sparta Education
Athens & Sparta Women & Slaves
Grab Bag
100
Both Athens and Sparta had an Assembly. What was the difference between the two Assemblies?
Athens' Assembly was much larger (6,000 citizens) and held the real power. Sparta's Assembly only did whatever Sparta's Council of Elders told it to do.
100
What was the main economic activity of Athens?
Their trade in olive oil allowed them to grow into a major trading center. From there on trading itself was their major economic acvtivity.
100
Who taught young Athenian boys until they were old enough to go to school (6 or 7 years old)? How were young girls educated?
Boys were taught introductory subjects at home by their mothers or by slaves serving as tutors. Girls never went to school and were never taught more than domestic skills and maybe a few basic studies, just enough to run a household.
100
In what ways did Spartan women get the same benefits and rights that Spartan men got?
Girls were educated in the same manner as the boys (basic math and writing, how to fight) and when they grew up they could own land and speak their mind.
100
What is the word meaning "suffers hardship or pain quietly without complaining"?
stoic (stoicism) as in "Bob twisted his ankle badly. It was very swollen and must have hurt like crazy, but he was very stoic about it."
200
Who could be on Athens' Council of 500, how were they chosen, for how long, and what did the Council do?
Any citizen 30 or older, they were chosen by lottery and served for one year, they suggested laws to the Assembly and ran the day-to-day affairs of Athens.
200
What were the main economic activities of Sparta? Name two.
farming and conquest (stealing from neighbor city-states)
200
What sort of training did Athenian boys get after the finished their formal education at school, at around age 18?
They went into military training.
200
In what area of Athenian life did women have rights or influence?
Women ran the households, managed the servants and slaves, educated the very young children. Other than that they had few rights and were seldom seen outside of the home without a chaperone (a spouse or a relative). Women were not considered citizens of Athens.
200
What is the modern word meaning "just the basics, anything that is stripped of frills or unnecessary extras"?
spartan as in "Bob's apartment is very spartan."
300
What type of governments did Athens and Sparta have? (One word for each type of government)
Athens was a direct DEMOCRACY, Sparta was an OLIGARCHY.
300
Explain the role that slaves played in the economies of Athens and Sparta.
In Athens, slaves were common in all aspects of Athenian life, working in households, in businesses, or as government clerks. In Sparta, slaves called "helots" did all of the manual labor centered around farming.
300
How were young Spartan boys educated, and what were they taught? At what age did their formal education end? Where did they live after that?
They were only taught basic reading and math. The main part of their education was how to fight, bear pain, and survive. At age 20 they were tested to see if they could become full Spartan citizens (soldiers). If they passed, they would go to live in military barracks with other soldiers.
300
Why were Spartan women trained to fight?
They protected Sparta from invasion and ruled their many helots when the men were away at war.
300
What was the huge building in Athens that was built high atop the Acropolis (the hill in the center of Athens)? It was intended to show the world how rich and important Athens was. People could see this building from miles away or as the sailed into the harbor from other countries. It had a lot of metopes at the top of all four sides, and housed a huge statue of Athenia.
the Parthenon
400
What were the requirements to be able to sit on Sparta's Council of Elders? How long did they serve on the Council?
You had to be a prominent citizen (ex-warrior), preferably from a noble family, 60 yrs or older, and you served for life (until you resigned or died).
400
Did Sparta encourage trade with outsiders?
No, they liked to keep to themselves because they thought that too much influence from the outside would make them weak. They didn't need or want a lot of trade goods, and especially didn't seek luxury items.
400
Sparta conquered most of what part of Greece?
Peloponnesus (the southern peninsula of Greece)
400
What was one prestigious job that a woman could hold in Athens besides running a household?
priestess
400
Athens was also a strong military power. What part of its military was especially strong and successful?
Athens had a decent army, but was know especially for its great and powerful navy.
500
What would happen to citizens in Athens if they didn't show up for an Assembly meeting? How often did the Assembly meet? How often did the Council of 500 meet?
The Assembly met every 10 days, the Council of 500 met every day. If you didn't show up for an Assembly, a slave could be sent to fetch you, and you might get red paint on your robe to shame you publicly because you missed a meeting.
500
What did Athens and Sparta use for money?
Athens used coins made of precious metals such as gold or silver. Sparta used iron bars.
500
What were the goals of the educational systems of Athens and Sparta?
Athens wanted to raise good well-rounded citizens. Sparta wanted to raise fierce warriors.
500
Who were the perioikoi?
They were skilled servants and craftspeople in Sparta. They were not technically "slaves", but neither did they have the status of citizens (soldiers or native Spartan women).
500
What happened after Sparta conquered a neighboring city-state?
Sparta made the conquered people give Sparta much of its food crops. The conquered people became slaves (helots) on their own lands and their farms fed Sparta.
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