Sparta & Athens Greek Achievements

Sparta & AthensGreek Achievements

Sparta • Sparta was dominated by the military • Military power was a way to best offer protection to the city-state • Daily life revolved around the concepts of the military

Sparta - Males • Every baby boy was inspected at birth; if unhealthy he was taken outside the city and left to die • Healthy boys were trained from a young age to be soldiers • Physically trained – jumped, swam, threw javelins • Mentally/Emotionally trained – not given shoes or heavy clothes, not given a lot of food, allowed to steal to teach them to make their own way, but if caught they were whipped • Courage & strength were more important than safety • Believed in discipline & obedience • From ages 20 to 30 they lived in barracks, away from family • They stayed in the army until they were 60

Sparta - Females • Because men were often away from the home, the women were given more rights than typical women of their time • Some women could own land • Did NOT spin cloth or weave – they left such work to the slaves • Also received physical training • Run, jump, wrestle, throw javelins • Believed that physical strength would help them bear healthy children

Sparta - Government • Two kings who jointly led the army • Elected officials held more power than the kings because they ran the daily activities of Spartan life • System was set up to control the helots, or slaves, to prevent rebellions

Athens • Main rival of Sparta • Had military strength, but valued education

Athens - Males • Physically trained like Spartan boys (similar) • However, they only had to be in the army for two years from 18 to 20 years old & older men only had to serve in times of war (different) • Learned to read, write, count, sing, play music • Studied history and literature • Rich families had their sons tutored in philosophy, geometry, & astronomy • Taught how to speak in public • Boys from poor families received less education, but could still read and write; they usually became farmers or craftspeople

Athens - Females • Girls received NO education • Learned household tasks like weaving and sewing • Women had few rights • Could not serve in the government (assemblies, voting, or juries) • Could not leave their homes except for special occasions • Could not buy anything or own property • Could not disobey their husbands or fathers

PELOPONNESIAN WAR • Many city-states had formed alliances after they worked together during the Persian Wars • Athens used their powerful army and control of the sea to “bully” the other city-states • Sparta, with their own alliances with city-states, declared war on Athens to stop their ongoing growth and power

The Peloponnesian War was a war between Athens and Sparta that threatened to tear Greece apart • For 10 years the soldiers battled with no side ever really winning • Finally agreed to a truce • A few years later, Athens tried to overtake the island of Sicily, but lost with the help of Spartan allies • Sparta took this advantage and went to war again with Athens, cutting off their food supply • Athens surrendered because they were starving

Sparta became the most powerful city-state until, AGAIN, other city-states started to fight for more control • War continued among the city-states and weakened the country of Greece

Greek Achievements • The Arts • Still admired today & hang in museums around the world • Carved statues out of marble and stone; studied the body carefully and wanted to depict people as beautiful and in-motion • Paintings show realism and detail; show detailed scenes from myths or competitions, most popular colors are black and red

Architecture still exists today • They took great care in the design of their buildings • Built great temples with huge columns • One of the greatest temples was the Parthenon, a temple to Athena • Created drama, or plays, to honor the gods during religious ceremonies • Tragedies – described hardships faced by Greek heroes • Comedies – made fun of people and ideas • First people to write about history & the lessons people could learn from the past

Philosophy • Philosopher – believed in the power of the human mind to think, explain, and understand life • Moved away from mythology explaining events and tried to gain understanding from a new perspective • Socrates • Believed that people should NEVER stop looking for knowledge • Encouraged people to learn by asking questions • People believed him to be questioning the gods authority, so he was sentenced to death; drank poison

Plato • Student of Socrates • Created a school for people to discuss ideas • Wrote The Republic about his ideal (perfect) society where there was justice and everyone was treated fairly • Aristotle • Student of Plato • Believed in living in moderation and balance • Believed in reason, or clear and ordered thinking – Think about your actions & how it will affect others • Also believed in logic – using the facts that you have to figure out new facts

SCIENCE • Euclid – studied math & geometry, many of his work is still used in textbooks and classrooms today • Another mathematician accurately calculated the size of the Earth • Studied human body to treat diseases • Hippocrates – had a set idea of how doctors and medical professionals should behave; today we have the Hippocratic Oath • Archimedes – invented a way to irrigate crops using a water screw, which brings water from lower fields to the upper fields • Other inventions: puppets, coin-operated machines, & mechanical toys

Sparta & Athens Greek Achievements