This. Is. SPARTA!
Name the THREE mountain ranges of Sparta. 100 points per answer!
Taygetus, Parnon, Arcadian
Who were the helots?
State-owned serfs
What is the agoge?
The state education system boys joined when they turned 7.
What is a kleros?
An allotment of land given to Spartan citizens
What is the Battle of Thermopylae?
Famous battle where King Leonidas and his 300 men were killed
Who was 'The Lawgiver'?
Lycurgus
How did one enter a syssition?
At age 18, boys had to join a mess by being voted in through a process whereby members would place a piece of bread (Caddichus) into a bowl. A squashed piece was a 'no' vote and denied entry.
What supposedly happened to children born unfit to fight for the Spartan army?
They were left to die on top of Mount Taygetus (The Place of Rejection).
Who are the Perioikoi?
The 'dwellers around' freemen of Sparta
What is the Krypteia?
The Spartan secret police
What is the Great Rhetra?
The laws outlining how Spartan society should function and how Spartans should live
What was the Gerousia?
Council of 28 elders plus both kings
What is the 'theft of cheeses'?
A ritual for young boys requiring physical endurance where they were required to run the gauntlet to steal cheese from the altar of Artemis Orthia while being whipped.
What is the iron bar economy?
This was supposed to discourage Spartans obtaining wealth and engaging in any form of 'mechanical art' (Plutarch)
What is a phalanx?
The military formation of soldiers successfully used by Spartans in battle.
What was the significance of the Agiad and Eurypontid families?
The ruling families in Spartan society from which the kings came
Who are Tyrtaeus and Alcman?
Spartan poets who wrote about life in Sparta, military pursuits and the natural world
What is the main role of women?
Having babies and raising healthy children
Which goddess was famously depicted in full armour in her statue in Sparta?
Aphrodite.
What is hoplon?
The shield carried by hoplites in war.
What is the Hyakinthia?
A religious festival dedicated to the god Apollo and his lover Hyakinthos (who was killed when he was hit in the head with a discus).
What are votive offerings?
Artefacts found in and around the remains of shrines and temples in Sparta
Who is Xenophon?
The ancient Athenian writer who admired the Spartans so much he adopted the nickname they gave him as his real name
Who are Castor and Pollux?
Legendary twins and brothers of Helen; also known as the Dioscuri
What is the Karneia?
The religious festival that celebrated heroic deeds and great events, with a heavy focus on athletics, military games and the founding of Sparta.