2: Sparta Flashcards
Why did Sparta begin to expand?
They needed more farm lands to support their population growth.
What did Sparta begin as?
A small town in southern Greece.
Where did they begin their expansion?
Laconia.
Where was the 2nd place they absorbed and when did this occur?
Messenia in c. 725-650 BC
How did the Spartans control their new lang mass?
They trained their people in a military manner + introduced political rights (spartan citizens are all equal)
What was the Spartan ideal?
To have a perfect military state.
What was the ‘Spartan Mirage’ and who created this idea?
Francois Ollier - describes the block of understanding of what really occurred in Sparta.
Why the ‘Spartan Mirage’? What cause it?
Sparta was a very closed state - they didn’t like outsiders + writing.
What was literacy like in Sparta?
Higher that anywhere else in Greece + women were also literate.
Who created the written sources do we have on Sparta?
Xenophon + Plutarch.
What is the issue with using Xenophon as a source for Sparta?
He was a ‘super-fan’ of the Spartan regime.
What is the issue with using Plutarch as a source for Sparta?
He is writing about 600 years later than the events he’s describing.
What issues do with have with our general image of Sparta?
Modern Laconophiles have warped our image of the Spartans. ‘Baddies’ of history were all Laconophiles.
Who were some known Laconophiles?
Hitler, Russian communists + the leaders of the French Revolution.
How did Herodotus describe the Spartan constitution?
‘a monarchy, rule by a few and rule by the majority.’
Name each section of the Spartan constitution.
2 Kings. The Gerousia council, 5 ‘elected’ ephors + an assembly of male citizens.
What did the Gerousa council include?
30 of the ‘best’ men over 60.
Why were women encouraged to exercise in Sparta?
To produce healthy children. They even exercised through pregnancy.
What is Eugenics?
The process of destroying weak or disabled children by exposing them. it was more common in boys.
What happened with a child after it was born in Sparta?
It would be inspected by the Gerousa, who would decide if the child was too weak or not.
Why were children exposed if they were weak?
To keep a strong bloodline. Exposure was considered more humane and less cruel.
What is the term for education for young Spartan boys?
Agōgē.
How old were Spartan boys when they began education via agōgē?
7
What kind of regime was involved in the Education system of the Spartans?
strictly limited clothing + diet.
monitored behaviour.
punishments of flogging.
encouraged singing + dancing.
What occurred at the shrine of Artemis Orthia?
ritualistic cheese stealing + whipping punishments.
What was the crypetia?
A coming of age ritual involving a boy being set into the wild with no provisions, who can only return when he has killed a helot or serf.
Name the proper term for the Spartan ‘equals’.
Hormoioi.
What were the general symbols for the Hormoioi?
Long hair and Red cloaks.
How did the Spartans pay for things?
They didn’t have coins so they used iron spits.
What occurred once a Spartan reached 18 years old?
They would join a common ‘mess’ or ‘syssitia’.
What was the Spartan diet?
Not good.
Barley groats in olive oil + a side meat portion.
The Spartan black broth.
What was the Spartan black broth?
Pork boiled in vinegar, salt and blood.
What does Plutarch say about Spartan food?
“Spartans give their cooks vinegar and salt only, bidding him to seek what he needs from the animal itself.”
What was the Spartan equality like?
It was a charade, masking all problems + some serious inequalities within the Spartan society.
Give 1 example of Spartan in equality.
Some of the syssitia’s were exclusive clubs to accommodate the rich.
What did women have to do to prove their bravery and what did it do?
Sing + dance naked before the men. They took this as an opportunity to mock the men.
Display of beauty + made them ashamed to be fat or weak.
What was the ideal for a Spartan warrior?
living and dying for honour.
What was the Spartan attitude towards deserters?
“come back carrying your shield, or on it”,
What happened to Spartan deserters?
Stripping them of their citizenship and humiliating them. often warriors would commit suicide over the humiliation.
What was the punishment for deserting battle for Spartans?
Shaving half their beards + wear a patchwork cloak.
Not allowed to smile or ‘behave like a man of unsullied fame’
forced to make way or give up seats.
Last picked at games + banished to back of chorus.
Who were the spartan working class?
Helots or Serfs.
How many Helots were there in ancient Sparta?
8 helots to every male spartan.
What kind of life did the Helots have?
Poor - carrying overly heavy loads like donkeys + were hunted.
Beaten certain amount of times a year regardless.
Got too fat or luxurious = death.
Jesters - made to get drunk so that the young would know what alcohol did.
What did Helots wear?
Dog skin caps + animal skins.
What was the Spartan social structure order?
Spartans, Perioeci, Helots/Serfs
What was the downfall for the Spartans?
Soldiers not very adaptable to new tactics + war techniques.
Spartan men started dying out.
Name 3 wars the Spartans lost, contributing to their downfall.
Lechaeum c. 390 BC.
Leuctra 371 BC.
Mantinea 362 BC.
