Power Point 5 Slides--Greek City-States Flashcards
What is the polis?
Greek city-state
Up until the 8th c. BCE, what were the dominant forms of government in the Greek city-states?
MONARCHY
or an elite Aristocratic OLIGARCHY
What was the problem with oligarchies?
Oligarchies almost always evolve into a TYRANNY (rule of one man)
They are oppressive–Cruel Rule of the a small group
What types of government did Sparta experiment with?
MONARCHY, OLIGARCHY and….. DEMOCRACY (alternatives to tyranny)
During what time period did the Greek city-states rise and flourish?
800-500 BCE
What was the Lycurgan Regimen?
Developed by Lycurgus of Sparta (c. 820-730 BCE) –the law giver.
Plan to close off society and impose strict discipline. Meant just for Spartans.
Included the AGOGE.
What was the Agoge?
A lifelong training and education regimen for all “pure-blooded” Spartans
Training included games testing Survival and Pain (cheese wheel game, for ex. )
Tolerance for males and females
Edu. (+7) mainly confined to basics of reading, writing, rhetoric; mostly Military strategy
If you made it to 30, you were ready to fight for your country.
No individuality or non-conformity.
The state is more important than the individual
What was the TASK and the RESULT of the Spartan plan for society?
The Task: produce physically / mentally strong soldiers (Perfected HOPLITE warfare)
The Result: EVERYTHING (culture) was sacrificed to the betterment of the STATE
Sparta avoided something that other city-states had…what was it?
internal strife
What role did women play in Spartan life?
Women were also part of the Lycurgan Regimen with very specific social tasks.
They were physically fit. Ran estates,
Role was to produce strong soldiers.
What made it possible for the Spartans to focus on their military life?
They conquered the Messenians–a neighboring people. They made the Messenians their slaves (helots). This allowed the Spartans to focus on the military while the helots provided everything the Spartans needed.
What were some of the restrictions on Spartan’s lives?
No individuality or expressions of Free will No families No Money, No Markets No Travel
How many people lived in Sparta?
Around 10, 000-12,000
In Sparta, what happened if your baby was born with imperfections?
It would be cast off a mountain.