SPARTA: A MILITARY SOCIETY
6.49 Compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta.
6.50 Compare and contrast the status of women and slaves between
Athens and Sparta.
CITY-STATE OF SPARTA
• The city-state of Sparta was located on
the Peloponnesus Peninsula in southern
Greece. Sparta’s economy was based on
agriculture.
• Sparta did not set up overseas colonies,
they invaded neighboring city-states and
enslaved the people. They called their
enslaved laborers HELOTS which means
“capture” in Greek.
UPRISING
• About 650 B.C., these helots revolted against their
Spartan masters.
• Sparta’s leaders wanted to prevent any future uprisings.
• They decided to make Sparta a military society that
stressed discipline.
• They believed in simplicity and strength through self-
denial.
• The leaders thought that a military society would create
EDUCATION IN SPARTA
• The goal of education in Sparta
was to produce soldier-citizens.
• They believed it important to
produce a well-drilled, welldisciplined marching army.
• Spartans were very loyal to the state
of Sparta.
• Every Spartan, male or female, was
required to have a perfect body.
BABIES IN SPARTA
• When babies were born in Sparta,
Spartan soldiers would come to the
house and check the baby.
• If the baby did not appear healthy and
strong, the infant was taken away, and
left to die on a hillside or taken away to
be trained as a slave (helot).
• Babies who passed this examination
were assigned membership in a
brotherhood or sisterhood, usually the
same one to which their father or
mother belonged.
BOYS IN SPARTA
• The boys of Sparta were obliged to leave
home at the age of 7 to join their
discipline group under the supervision
of officers. From age 7 to18, they
underwent an increasingly severe course
of training.
• They went to military school at age 6 or
7. They lived, trained, and slept in their
barracks. At school they were taught
survival skills.
• School courses were very hard and
often painful. Students were taught
to read and write but it was not that
important to ancient Spartans.
HARSH TRAINING
• Only warfare mattered. The boys were not
fed well and were told to steal food as long as
they did not get caught. If they were caught,
they were beaten.
• The boys marched without shoes to make
them strong. It was a brutal training period.
They walked barefoot, slept on hard beds,
and worked at gymnastics and other physical
activities such as running, jumping, javelin
and discus throwing, swimming, and
hunting.
• They were subjected to strict discipline and
harsh physical punishment, they were taught
to take pride in the amount of pain they
BOYS IN SPARTA
• At age 18, Spartan boys became
military cadets and learned the arts
of war.
• At 20, they joined the state militia
and served until they were 60 years
old.
• Between 18 and 20, Spartan males
had to pass a difficult test of fitness,
military ability, and leadership skills.
• Any Spartan male who did not pass
became a perioikos (they had no
political rights and were not
citizens).
• If they passed, they became a full
citizen and a Spartan soldier. They
ate, slept, and continued to train
and live in the barracks.
• At age 60 a Spartan soldier could
retire and live in their home with
their family.
SPARTAN GIRLS
• Girls also went to school at age 6 or 7.
• They lived, slept and trained in their sisterhood
barracks. No one knows if their school was as cruel or
rugged as the boys but the girls were taught wrestling,
gymnastics, and combat skills.
• Some historians believe the girls’ school was very similar
to the boys’ school.
• Spartans believed that strong young women would
produce strong babies.
• At age 18, a Spartan girl passed her skills and fitness
test, and would be assigned a husband and allowed to
return home.
• If she failed, she would lose her rights as a citizen, and
become a perioikos.
SPARTAN WOMEN
• Spartan women were free to move
around and enjoyed a great deal of
freedom as their husbands did not
live at home. Their main goal was to
raise sons who were brave, strong
Spartan soldiers.
• Spartan women expected their men
to either win or die in battle.
SPARTAN GOVERNMENT
• Sparta’s government was an oligarchy.
• Two kings ruled jointly, but they had little power.
Their only duties were to lead the army and carry
out religious ceremonies.
• Sparta had two other governing bodies.
– The assembly
- All man citizens over the age of 30
• Made decisions about war and peace
– The council of elders. (Each year the council elected five people
to be elders.)
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Most powerful body in government
Members served as judges
They could order executions or exile
The elders enforced the laws and managed the collection of taxes
SPARTAN GOVERNMENT
• Sparta’s strict government brought
stability, but that cost the people of
Sparta.
• The government discouraged free
thinking and new ideas.
• Officials believed learning could lead
to unrest.
• Sparta did not welcome visitors and
prevented travel outside the city.
• Sparta resisted change, discouraged
trade and isolated Sparta from other
city-states in Greece.
SPARTA’S STRONG ARMY
• Sparta’s only goals were to have a
strong, well-trained army for military
power and victory.
• The Spartans were Greece’s greatest
military strength and power.
• Sparta played a key role in defending
Greece from invaders.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What did Spartan soldiers depend on to help them survive?
2. Why was physical fitness important to Spartan women?
3. Why did Sparta fall behind other Greek city-states in many areas?
4. Why did the Spartans emphasize military training?
5. What is a government of a few wealthy people called?
OTHER SOURCES
• 1. A Spartan Dilemma—a group activity
• 2. You tube: Spartan Life (look at it first, see if you think it
is ok to show)
• 3. You tube horrible histories: Spartan teacher
conference
• 4. Spartan wordsearch