Kevin’s Cards about Sparta

Question 1

What was Sparta known as

Answer 1

Sparta was the great warrior city-state of Greece

Question 2

In its early days, what did Sparta not need

Answer 2

In its early days, Sparta was so strong that it did not need the defensive walls found in most cities

Question 3

How were Spartans like (Characteristics)

Answer 3

The Spartans were a wary group; they disliked new ideas; they were suspicious of outsiders; and they punished by death anyone who dared to disagree with their rulers

Question 4

What did the Spartans do as a city-state

Answer 4

The Spartans did not build great temples; they did not craft lasting works of art; they did not write literature; but they did raise warriors

Question 5

When did Spartan males start preparing for war

Answer 5

Spartan males preparation for war started at birth

Question 6

What was mandatory by law for all people to do with their male newborns

Answer 6

By law, all boys born in Sparta had to be examined by government officials. Those who looked likely to grow into strong , healthy soldiers were allowed to live, while the weak were abandoned to die on the slopes of a nearby mountain

Question 7

What happened to Spartan boys at the age of seven

Answer 7

At seven, boys left their homes and mothers, and went to live in cold, uncomfortable, military barracks. There they began the harsh training that would build their strength and courage, and turn them into rugged fighters

Question 8

What were the living conditions for the Spartan boys in the military barracks

Answer 8

In the military barracks, the boys were often cold and hungry, for they only wore a single tunic, winter and summer, and were barefoot

Question 9

How was the food in the military barracks like in Sparta

Answer 9

The food was small and unappetizing

Question 10

What was the most famous dish in the Spartan barracks

Answer 10

The most famous Spartan dish was a broth made from blood and vinegar

Question 11

In the barracks, why were the Spartan boys put through so much pain

Answer 11

All the burden at the barracks had a purpose: to make the boys cunning, ruthless, and deadly

Question 12

Why would a boy in the barracks be whipped for stealing food

Answer 12

They would not be whipped for actually stealing the food, but for being careless enough to be caught

Question 13

When did the Spartan boys become citizens

Answer 13

At the age of 20, the Spartan boys became citizens, but lived in the barracks until 30

Question 14

When a young man married, when could he see his family

Answer 14

When a young man married, he could only see his family during breaks, and slept and ate with his comrades

Question 15

How did the Spartans talk, (their speech)

Answer 15

The Spartan speech was brief, known as laconic (Laconic is a Spartan word)

Question 16

What does the word laconic describe

Answer 16

Laconic describes a person person of few words

Question 17

Where does the word “laconic” come from

Answer 17

Laconic comes from the region where the Spartans lived called Laconica

Question 18

What did the Spartans value

Answer 18

Endurance, hardship, contempt for luxury, and toughness of mind and body

Question 19

Today, what does Spartan mean

Answer 19

Today, Spartan means: “sparse, basic, the bare minimal, with nothing to spare”

Question 20

What did the girls of Sparta train for

Answer 20

Girls in Sparta were tough too, and trained from an early age of how to run, jump, and wrestle

Question 21

What were females brought up to do

Answer 21

Females were brought up to bare and raise strong, healthy children, and to the Spartans, any other female role had little importance

Question 22

What did Spartan Women need to learned (character)

Answer 22

Spartan women learned how to be hard and unflinching

Question 23

True or False: Signs of affection were seen as weak in Sparta

Answer 23

True

Question 24

How did a women say farewell to a son or husband going to battle

Answer 24

“Return with your shield or upon it”

Question 25

If a soldier came home without a shield, what did it show

Answer 25

A soldier who came home without a shield brought terrible shame on his family, for he must of dropped it when running away cowardly

Question 26

What would a Spartan soldier rather do than retreat

Answer 26

A Spartan soldier would rather die than retreat or take a step back

Question 27

Besides fighting battles, what else did soldiers do

Answer 27

Warriors had to protect Sparta from its large population of slaves, called helots

Question 28

Why did the Spartans have lots of slaves

Answer 28

Spartans conquered the land they lived on and enslaved its inhabitants

Question 29

How were slave treated in Sparta

Answer 29

Slaves tilled the land and did most of the hard work, and made up most of the population, yet they had no political rights

Question 30

Why did Sparta become a military society, according to historians

Answer 30

Some historians believe that Sparta became a military society mainly to control the helots, who vastly outnumbered the citizens

Question 31

What type of government did Sparta have

Answer 31

Sparta was an oligarchy, regulated by laws

Question 32

After a helot uprising, what did the Spartans do

Answer 32

After a helot uprising, Sparta turned to a great lawgiver named Lycurgus, who then reformed the political system and provided the State with a new constitution

Question 33

What was Spartan government like in 17th century B.C

Answer 33

In the 17th century B.C, Sparta had a mixed form of government. The state had two kings who led the armies in battle; a council of aristocratic elders wielded most of the day-to-day power; and an assembly represented the interests of the rest of the citizens

Question 34

What did the warriors do the helots (freedom)

Answer 34

Warriors did not allow demand of freedom or power from the helots