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Sparta
One of the city states of ancient Greece, Sparta was well known for its warrior culture.
2,647 Questions
What jobs did they have in ancient Sparta?
Women in Ancient Sparta were taught to run a home and to cook the food and to weave and to make clothes. Men didn't have to do any work because Helios did all of the work.
The Spartan city consisted of the Spartiates (full-citizens), the Perioki (the commoners) and the Helots (the slaves):
- Spartiate - men consistently trained for war. women maintained their physical fitness and managed the helots and land.
- Perioki - they were in charge of the city's commerce. They traded, fished, mined, metalworked etc.
- helots - they cleaned, cooked, farmed, took care of babies etc
What was proper in spartan society?
To treat your women with respect and to fight for your city-state.
What were the differences between religion in ancient Sparta and ancient Athens?
Both cities worshipped the same basic gods and goddesses, but their importance varied. For example, Athena was the goddess of culture, art, music, poetry, and all things creative which were frowned upon in Sparta. Athena was also the patron goddess and protectress of Athens, the city being named for her, and Athens was the only significant rival to Sparta. Of course, she would not have been a favorite goddess in Sparta. Yet, she was a goddess, and it was unwise to disrespect her. Also, Athena was a warrior. Of the major Hellenistic female goddesses, she was the only one depicted with armor and weapons. At least this aspect of Athena's personality may have been admired by the Spartans, or maybe not.
Did Sparta ever fight with Rome?
Sparta fought Rome under Nabis around 200 BC. This was long after Sparta's political and military power had faded since it's zenith (around 400 BC). Sparta had always relied heavily on their foot infantry in battle, and by 200 BC, Sparta's hoplites (fighting the in an old fashioned phalanx) had been surpassed in dominance by Rome's legionaries. Rome crushed Sparta and made it (with the other Greek cities) a protectorate of the Roman Empire.
What god or gods did spartan people worship?
Sparta didn't have a patron god, a god protector of the city (like Athens had Athena).
They worship all 12 gods but they felt closer to Zeus as they considered themselves descendants of Hercules, son of Zeus.
Other gods they worshiped were Apollo, Artemis (known as Artemis Orthia, possibly because her cult joined with the pre-Dorian goddess Orthis) Athena Chalkioikos "of the bronze house" (the temple was decorated in bronze sheets), and Poseidon.
How many battles did Sparta lose in five hundred years?
The Spartans only lost two battles in 500 years.
How many members did Sparta have in their senate?
The Spartan senate (Gerousia) comprised 30 members.
The greatest military asset and source of strength in ancient Athens was its naval fleet. Described by some as the "wooden walls" of the city-state, Athenian ships enabled military strikes against the enemy in unexpected places, prevented the enemy from doing the same, and maintained trade during hostilities while interrupting enemy commerce and other naval action.
What is the difference between Athens and Rome?
The Greeks were the model for the Western world but Rome was able to create the greatest empire because mainly because of geography and climate. Rome is naturally defensible. It's located in the middle of the peninsula (that becomes Italy) on top of 7 hills. To the northwest, at some distance, are the Apennines Mountains and located about 12 miles from the sea on the Tiber River. The climate is warm and so crops such as wheat, olive trees and grapes are able to be grown. (Wheat, olives and grapes are part of the Mediterranean diet, which is one of the healthiest diets).
Most civilizations start near river valleys. So, as you can see, geography and climate play a really important role in the growth of a civilization.
What were Sparta's strengths in the Peloponnesian War?
It led the Peloponnesian League of city-states from the Peloponnesian Peninsula, and this League could provide land forces far stronger then Athens could muster, particularly as Athens had to disperse its land forces to maintain control of its empire. Athens had a superior navy, but this was eventually negated when Persia provided the money for the Peloponnesian League to moun ta naval force to match the Athenian one.
Who had a simpler life Athens or Sparta?
Athens built it's city-state on intellectualism. They valued education and philosophy above all else. They did have a strong military and all males had to attend two years of military school once they turned 18 years old. Sparta was a military city-states. Spartan boys were sent to military school at the age of 7, and spent years enduring harsh training and conditions.
How did the geography affect the people in Sparta?
Sparta had taken over the southern Peloponnese and was supported by a serf population which made them self-sufficient, and concentrated its attention on keeping them under control. Its citizens were able to focus their attention on military preparedness and security.
Athens had limited land and turned to trade and external adventurism to support its expanding population.
What were Spartans warriors known for?
Yes, they were according to mythology and the mythical truth they had a tough battles with the Persians, They had to surrender three forts in order to successfully beat the second Persian army formed in 789 BC
What was unusual about spartan education?
It trained boys for their adult life. It also educated girls, which was unusual for a Greek city-state.
What brought Sparta and Athens together as allies before they became enemies?
The Persians tried to control the incessant wars between the Greek city-states which spilt over into the Persian Empire, disrupting its peace and prosperity. Many of the Greek cities resisted this, and an alliance led by Sparta which included Athens repelled a Persian invasion. Athens also provided initial support to Sparta when it faced internal revolt, however this ended when Athens began establishing an empire of its own out of the Greek cities liberated from the Persian control.
What does Menelaus give to Telemachus in Book 4 of The Odyssey?
"Bring these men to be our guests: unhitch their team!" (paraphrase of entire quotation from book: there is no question about them staying here!)
take care of the horses and bring the men to the house
How did the war between Athens and Sparta affect greek government?
Volumes could and have been written about this issue. I will only mention one thing, Athens was the cradle of democracy while Sparta was known for its strict military rule. Democracy spread from Greece to other countries but it took the whole of the middle ages to pass before the ancient ideas were actually implemented in full, although the establishment of parliament for example in England can be traced back to Greece in ancient times. Read all about this in history books of ancient Greece.
Did Spartans and Athenians both keep slaves?
Athens had slaves male and female, who served families in their everyday farming and domestic life. There were also public slaves who were used in state buildings and activities. Even the archers of the army were Scythian slaves, who also doubled as a police force.
Sparta had helots - serfs who had a plot of land to which they were bound and gave part of their produce to the Spartan they were allotted to. They were also used as light infantry and archers for the army.
What requirements ahd to be done to be a citizen of Sparta?
no idea - in fact im looking for this answer right now!
What best describes the spartan government?
It had two kings a war and religious leaders. It had a council which implemented government. And it had an assembly to which the council put motions for decisions on important matters. It was a limited democracy, as are most modern democracies.
How did the Spartans government train the boys to be tough?
They took them away from their parents when they were 7 so they would go live in military barracks. They gave the boys very little to eat so they encouraged them to steal food. but when they got caught they would beat them. So the boys learned how to lie, cheat, steal, and be cunning. Children were often whipped in front of their parents and were not allowed to cry out in pain. Older boys often beat the younger boys to teach them how to be tough.
A myth is a story about how things came to be. calling a story "a myth" doesn't mean it's not true, just that it's some nation's interpretation of how everything around us showed up. So myths are primarily an explanation of the origins of the world.
And then the characters in the story took on a life of their own: the gods has good and bad qualities, just like humans, and they desired things, and hated others. Something as ugly and yet as interesting as a spider had to have a good explanation -- a beautiful maiden, who had the gift to weave, and made Athena jealous. Or twin births -- perhaps one of the children was human, while the other was that of the notorious womaniser Zeus.
And maybe later on (but this is pure seculation on my part, I haven't studied this area), authorities would use these myths to gain more power and make people obey because of fear (like the Roman emperors, starting with Augustus, who claimed to be gods themselves).
