Talk with
your partner
about what
you know
of Sparta and
Athens.
Sparta and Athens
• Key Terms:
Alliance
Peloponnesian War
What’s the big idea?
The two most powerful city-states in Greece, Sparta and Athens,
had very different cultures and became bitter enemies.
Spartans and the
Military
Military
was
everything!
• Spartan society was
dominated by the
military.
• The Spartans believed
that military power
provided security and
protection.
Spartan society was started by Lycurgus (ly-KUHR-guhs after
a slave revolt.
Boys and Men in Sparta
• When a boy was born,
the government took
him away.
• If the boy was
unhealthy, the baby
was taken outside the
city and left.
• Healthy boys were
trained to be soldiers.
How was Spartan society different than American
society in regards to theft?
Boys and Men in Sparta
• Boys trained by
running, jumping,
swimming, and
throwing javelins.
• They weren’t given
shoes and weren’t
given warm clothing
during the winter.
Boys weren’t given enough food to survive. They would be encouraged
to steal their food. If they were caught, they would be whipped.
Spartans didn’t have furniture or eat nice food.
Boys and Men in Sparta
• Spartan soldiers lived
together in barracks
and barely visited
family from 20-30.
• They stayed in the
army until age 60.
• They believed that
having luxuries made
them weak.
Even their
enemies
admired their
discipline.
The Life of a Spartan
Soldier
Ages 7-12 : Values Training
Where would you
be if you were
a Spartan male?
Boys left home and got a
basic education.
Ages 12-18 : Physical Training
Boys built physical skills through exercise.
Ages 18-20 : Military Training
Men learned how to fight as a part of an army.
The Life of a Spartan
Soldier
Ages 20-30 : Military Service
Soldiers formed the body of the Spartan Army
Age 30 : Full citizenship
Soldiers could participate in the assembly and
move back home.
Girls and Women in
Sparta
• Women had more
power in Sparta.
• They owned land and
ran households while
men were at war.
• Women didn’t do jobs
that other Greek
women did, like
weave clothing, but
left them for slaves.
Spartan women also trained physically. They
believed that with strong mothers, children would
healthier.
Helots grew
all the crops.
Spartan Government
• Spartan government was
set up to control the city’s
helots (HEL-uts), or
slaves.
• Helots lived horrible lives
and worked very hard.
• Helots outnumbered
Spartans, but fear of the
army kept them from
rebelling.
Sparta was ruled by two kings
who had very little power.
Athens and the
Athenians
• Athens was Sparta’s
main rival.
• In addition to physical
training, the Athenians
valued education, clear
thinking, and the arts.
Boys and Men in Athens
Unlike Spartans,
Athenians learned
to read, count, and
sing. They also
studied the Iliad
and the Odyssey.
• From a young age,
boys from rich
families improved
both body and mind.
• They trained but only
had to devote two
years to the army, not
all their lives.
Athenian men defended their city from age 18-20. Older men only served in time
of war.
Boys and Men in Athens
• Rich boys in Athens
hired tutors and
studied philosophy,
geometry, and
astronomy.
• They also learned to
speak in public, which
helped them later to
participate in
government.
Many boys weren’t wealthy enough to visit tutors but
worked as farmers or craftspeople for rich Athenians.
Girls and Women in
Athens
Disobey
men
NO
Rights!
Serve
government
Athenian women
could not:
Leave
their
homes
Buy/own
anything
• Girls received almost
no education.
• Some learned to read
and write from private
tutors, but most
learned household
tasks.
• Women in Athens had
almost no rights at all.
Alliances Form
• City-states formed
alliances with others to
make their military goals
easier.
• Many cities in southern
Greece, including Sparta,
banded together, forming
the Peloponnesian League.
• This league wanted to stop
Athens from growing
stronger.
The Peloponnesian War
• The Peloponnesian War
began when Sparta
marched into Athens.
• Sparta waited for Athens
to come out and fight, but
they did not.
• Athen’s navy sent food so
Athenians could survive
without leaving the citystate.
The Peloponnesian War
• Athen’s allies also
attacked Spartan allies,
making it so some Spartan
soldiers had to leave
Athens to protect the
allies.
• Disease swept through
Athens, killing many.
• Neither city-state could
gain the upper-hand.
• Eventually they came to a
truce.