Key Terms
Spartiates
Name the legendary law-giver of Sparta.
Lycurgus.
Bonus 100 points if you evaluate the source.
Plutarch.
Plutarch was interested in Spartan society and wrote a lot about it, however he lived hundreds of years after the time that he was writing about, and based his writings on the works of earlier historians who have since been lost.
Challenge another team to a blinking contest.
Loser is fined 50 points.
Winner gets 100 points; loser is fined 50 points.
Describe the Krypteia.
The Spartan secret police - an elite military force who would patrol the Laconian countryside and put to death any supposedly dangerous helots.
Who am I? I was an Athenian soldier who spent a lot of time in Sparta when it was at its most powerful. I admired Sparta and wrote positively about its customs.
Xenophon.
Name two primary sources on Sparta.
Which cupboard has the brain break dice in it - the left, the right, or the middle?
You can answer this, or pass it onto another team, who must answer.
If the team gets it wrong, you will incur a $200 penalty.
Let's check!
Define the Gerousia and name one of their responsibilities.
The Gerousia were the Council of Elders - 28 Spartans over the age of 65, plus the two Spartan kings - who were part of the Spartan constitution. One responsibility was to examine new born infants and decide if they were healthy enough to thrive.
What was the name of the Athenian general who was defeated by the Spartans and then exiled as a result?
Thucididyes
Provide an example of a source who is positive about Sparta and one that is negative about Sparta.
Bonus 50 points each if you can give an example about what they wrote about.
Xenophon is generally positive about Sparta and wrote about the women, the agoge.
Thucydides is more negative about the Spartans and wrote a history of the Peloponnesian Wars, based on his experience as an Athenian general who fought against the Spartans.
Challenge a member of another team to a game of limbo. Losing team is fined $100.
Losing team is fined $100.
What was the Syssitia and what role did it play in the Spartan military system?
The syssitia was the soldiers' common mess - a group of around 15 Spartan soldiers who fought, trained and ate together. The role it played was to emphasise Spartan unity and encourage soldiers to depend more on each other.
Describe the social, political and economic role of Spartan women. You must have an example for all three.
Social - child-bearing; kept Spartan traditions alive
Political - no vote, but had more power than women in other Greek city states; also enforced the Spartan customs
Economic - ran the households when husbands were at war; could inherit; oversaw the work of the helots
Name the two female secondary sources in the seen sources.
Aim for the phalanx. Challenge another team member to a contest of aim. You must throw the hackysack in from the back of the room. Best of three throws wins. Losing team is fined $200.
Best of three throws wins. Losing team is fined $200.
Name three pieces of hoplite equipment.
Hoplon - the shield.
Cuirass - the chest armour.
Helmet - Cassis
Greaves - on the shins
Short leather skirt (spolas).
Pike or long spear (dory).
Short sword (xiphos).
Give three reasons for Sparta's decline.
Declining population because of wars; infanticide; low birth rate (homosocial society).
Sparta's famous 'equality' was eroded by Spartan leaders bringing back luxuries from places they had conquered.
Loss to Thebes at the Battle of Leuctra.
Rigid rules about who could be a citizen - too closed.
Insular society resistant to change.
Military tactics could not adapt - hoplite and phalanx not manoeuvrable enough.
List all six of the seen sources.
Bonus 100 points if you list them in the right order.
2. Plutarch
3. Xenophon again
4. Thucydides
5. Sarah Pomeroy
6. Bettany Hughes
It's a classic for a reason! Longest plank wins. Challenge a member of another team to plank. Losing team is fined $100.
Longest plank wins. Challenge a member of another team to plank. Losing team is fined $100.