What was Spartan geography like?
- Southern Pelopponese (Peloponnese peninsula was rhe southern one)
- Massifs / Mountain ranges everywhere
- Largest greek city state
Foundations & origins?
- Became a major city in 8th century BC
- Conquered and then subjugated Myceneans, calling them Helots
- Saw themselves as children of Heracles who had been exiled by the Myceneans, justifying the treatment of Helots
What was their social structure like? What proportion were Spartans and Helots
- 1/10 were free Spartans
- Most of the rest were Helots
- > To be free, you needed a Spartan mother and father
What did Spartans do with unhealthy babies and toddlers?
They were left for dead in particular areas of the city
Who was Lycurgus of Sparta?
- Extremely famous lawgiver
- Made many important constitutional changes from late 7th to early 6th BC which lead to Spartan prominence
What was the name of the male rite of passage from years 7-18? What occurred?
- Name = Agoge
Featured…
- Food deprivation and wilderness training
- Military training
- Gymnastics
Designed to develop cunning and resourcefulness
Select few underwent a second military process. What was it called and what did it involve?
Name = Crypteia
- An 18+ male was sent to the countryside to fend for themselves
- Only equipped with a knife
- Tasked to kill a helot as one of their taks
What was the Spartan political system like?
Hierarchy:
- 2 hereditary kings from 2 families
- 28 Senators
- 5 Ephors (annually elected overseers)
- Damos (people)
Why was there so much confusion about the Spartan political system
- Radically different and confusing to most Greeks
- It was a mix of democracy, monarchy, and oligarchy, resulting in difficulty in its definition
What do we know about the role of women in Sparta? Differences to other Greek cultures?
- Passive reproductive role
- Actively endorsed male ethos upon men
- > Athenians hated this because Spartan women would often speak in public to Spartan men. Athenian women were not allowed to speak in public, full stop.
Did the Spartans care about adultery?
NUUUPPP
How many people opposed the Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae
7,000. 300 were Spartans and Helots. The rest were Peloponnesians.
When did the Spartan city state fall? And to who?
351BC and Thebes
