Chapter 14
Section 3
Oligarchy in Sparta
Anticipatory Set
• How would you compare the United States to
Australia?
• U.S. has a democracy and Australia had a
monarchy
• U.S. has a president and Australia has a Queen
• U.S. President is in Washington D.C. and the
Queen is in the United Kingdom
• There are many differences between
countries. We will find out the difference
Standards
• H-SS 6.4.6
• Compare and contrast life in Athens
and Sparta, with emphasis on their
roles in the Persian and Peloponnesian
• ELA Reading 6.2.2
• Analyze text that uses the compareand-contrast organized pattern.
Objectives
• Students will learn that Sparta created
an oligarchy with a strong military
foundation. They will also know that the
Spartans were highly disciplined and
fearful of change.
Language of the
Discipline
• Ephor
• Military state
• Barracks
• Thucydides
The Spartan State (Input)
• Sparta was a city-state on the
Peloponnesian Peninsula.
• Unlike Athenians, Spartans had little
interest in trade and commerce.
• Sparta was inland and was never a sea
power.
• It also did not become a democracy
The Spartan State (Input)
Spartan Government
(Input)
• At the head of the Spartan government sat 2
kings who descended from the 2 oldest clans in
Spartan society.
• The kings headed Sparta’s main government
body called the council of elders.
• They served as military leaders.
• The council of elders contained 28 men over the
age of 60.
• Members were elected for life.
Spartan Government
Continued (Input)
• Spartan played little part in politics.
• Sparta had an assembly made up of all free adult males,
but it was smaller than Athens.
• Only 9,000 citizens sat on the Spartan assembly,
whereas 43,000 citizens belonged to the Athenian
assembly.
• The Spartan assembly has far less power than the
Athenian
• It could pass laws but only with the council’s approval
• It did have the power to elect 5 officials known as ephors.
Spartan Government
Continued (Input)
• An ephor is an official who worked as a
government watchdog.
• They made sure kings and the council did
their jobs within the limits of Spartan law
• They could even remove a king who
broke the law
• An ephor could only serve 1 year.
Spartan Conquests
(Input)
• Athens turned to trade to solve population problems where
as Sparta turned to conquest
• After conquering a region, Spartans took over farmland to
raise food for themselves
• In the region on Messenia, Spartans took an more extreme
approach
• They forced the population to become agricultural slaves called
helots.
• They belonged to Sparta as a whole instead of to one person
• They were forced to farm the land
• As a result citizens lived comfortable lives without having to
work for a living
Spartan Conquests
(Input)
Helot Revolts (Input)
• The helots had no legal rights
• They worked hard and received little in return
(barely enough to survive)
• The helots launched violent revolts against the
Spartans but were not successful, however the
Spartans still feared unrest
• The Spartans had a choice to make, they could give
up control of the helots and the food they produced
or they could strengthen their control by turning
Sparta into a military state.
Helot Revolts (Input)
• A military state is a state that is organized primarily for the
purpose of waging war
• The Spartans chose a second option; every year they declared
war on the helots
• This gave Spartans the right to kill any helot without fear of
punishment
• Spartans formed a secret police force to watch over the helots
• The helots were forced to wear dog-skin caps to mark their low
status
• Helots who protested might get beaten or have a harsher
punishment
A Disciplined Society
(Input)
• Spartans believed in the rule of law and
military discipline
• They organized their society along military
lines
• Their society had no place for the arts,
literature, or luxury goods
• Spartan means “highly disciplined or lacking in
comfort”
Spartan Education
(Input)
• Spartan males trained for the military at a young age
• At 7 they were sent to school at state expense
• They loved in barracks with other boys also known as
military housing
• Spartan boys did not receive a well-rounded
education
• They spent most of their time exercising, hunting, and
training with weapons.
• They were not taught to think for themselves but to
obey orders
Spartan Education
(Input)
Spartan Education
Continued (Input)
• Students were not given enough to eat so that they
would learn to steal food while marching as soldiers
• To be caught stealing led to punishment an disgrace
• A famous Spartan story was told of a boy who stole a fox
and hid it in his clothing when he was caught. Instead of
confessing her kept the fox and it clawed him to death
• At 18 young men began a 2 year program to be a part of
the phalanx
• During this time they could marry but spent little time with
their wives
• After graduating they lived in the barracks
Equals and Inferiors
(Input)
• At age 30 men left the army
• In order to become citizens they had to gain entry to a
men’s club of former soldiers
• If they failed they became inferiors or outcasts
• Former soldiers is passed became equals who received
full citizen rights
• This included membership in the assembly and a piece of
land worked by helots
• At age 60 an equal became a candidate for election to
the council of elders
Spartan Women (Input)
• Women were expected to be strong and vigorous
• They had to stay fit to have healthy babies who would make
good soldiers
• Sickly babies were not accepted into society and left on
hillsides to die
• Spartan women had a good deal of freedom and
responsibility
• Wives took control of the household while men were in
the military
• They raised children under the Spartan values
• They obtained rights that other women in Greece did not
Spartan Women (Input)
Fear of Change (Input)
• Discipline helped create a strong and powerful army
• Spartan’s feared change
• They valued people who fit in
• Individual talents were not as important as membership in a group
• Athenians on the other valued expression and new ideas
• They were open to change
• Their democracy evolved over time
• These differences led to Thucydides describing Athenians as
“addicted to innovation” and the Spartans “having genius for
keeping what you have got”
Compare and Contrast
(Modeling)
•
Reading Comprehension 6.2.2
• Analyze text that uses compare-andcontrast organizational pattern.
Compare and Contrast
Review (Modeling)
• If you compare two things, you tell how they
are alike.
• If you contrast two things, you tell how they
are different.
• If you compare and contrast two things you tell
how they are alike and how they are different.
• They are many strategies you can use to
compare and contrast two things.
Compare and Contrast
(Modeling)
• Directions
• In your notes, let’s create a Venn Diagram
that compares and contrasts Athens versus
Sparta
Check for Understanding
• Please determine the BEST answer for the
following question.
• Please write your answer on your white
boards and wait for the teacher’s signal.
• On the teacher’s signal, hold up your white
boards.
Checking for
Understanding #1
Fill in the blank
• _______________ was an official who
worked as a government watchdog.
• ephor
Checking for
Understanding #2
Answer the following question.
• While Athenian society focused on
democracy. Spartan society focused on
what?
• Military might
Checking for
Understanding #3
Answer the following question.
• Which responsibilities did Spartan
women have?
• Running the household and raising the
children
Guided
Practice/Independent
Practice
• Guided Practice
• Complete questions 1 - 3 on the reading comprehension
worksheet.
• Raise your hand and wait to get stamped.
• If you received an “R” go to the back table with Ms. Graham.
• Independent Practice
• Once you have been stamped moved to independent practice
and complete numbers 4 and 5 on the reading comprehension
worksheet.
• Homework
• Note-taking guide on the reverse side.