rise of sparta 700-500 BC

Question 1

Sparta circa 1000 BC

Answer 1

Dorian greek invaders seize Laconia and much else of Peloponnese

Question 2

Sparta circa 950-800 BC

Answer 2

Five villages in Eurotas River valley in Laconia create the polis Sparta
Sunoikismos

Question 3

Sparta circa 730-700 BC

Answer 3

First Messenian War

Question 4

Sparta by 700 BC

Answer 4

Captured the whole plain of Laconia and invaded west across Tagytus mountains to capture the plain of Messenia;
Two plains supported Sparta for the next 330 years

Sparta now had the biggest home territory in Greece, 2/5th of Peloponnese, 3000 square miles
Athens only had 1000 square miles

706 BC;
founded colony of Tara in South Italy

Question 5

Peroikoi of Sparta

Answer 5

Circa 790 BC early in the Laconia conquest;
peroikoi were incorporated as second class citizens in Sparta

Pushed out of the Eurotas River and relegated in the foothills beyond, dwelling around

No say in government;
Fundamental civil rights

Question 6

Helotai of Sparta

Answer 6

Circa mid 700s BC;
conquests were incorporated as helotai and not peroikoi anymore

Conquered people of Southern Laconia and all of Messenia;
Dorian greeks

Worked land that they no longer owned;
half produce went to Sparta

Surveilled by Spartan troops

Owned by Spartan state

Question 7

How did the helot system help Sparta reach military superiority?

Answer 7

Class of male citizens was created whose only job was soldiering

Made possible by the helot system;
- in other cities hoplites were small farmers whose military service interfered with their farm livelihood
- Spartan helots did the farming
- Spartan armies were always free to train and to march away to war
= military superiority

Question 8

What was the downside of the helot system?

Answer 8

By 400s BC
Helotai outnumbered their Spartan masters 7:1 - making them a fear for Sparta;
So, helots were subjected to institutionalized abuse, humiliation and murder to intimidate their members

Question 9

Second Messenian War

Answer 9

circa 650-600 BC

Caused by Sparta’s loss in the Battle of Hysiae in 669 BC against Argos

Major helot revolt in Messenia;
Sparta won with difficulty after 50 years

Lead to the reforms “Lycaragus”, and with to major setbacks in mid 600s BC, aristocratic government in Sparta was discredited
NO tyrant however, but a constitutional reform

Question 10

Reforms of Lycurgus

Answer 10

Lycurgus - shadowy constitutional lawgiver figure in 800s or 900s BC

Circa 640 BC;
Sparta ascribed backwards to Lycurgus instructions

Purpose of reform was to give Sparta the best hoplite army in the world;
- Change in government into a hoplite franchise was required with NO tyrant
- Change in educational system to indoctrinate children into life long service to the state

Question 11

How many hoplites were expected in Sparta and how was this possible?

Answer 11

9000 klēroi in Messenia and Laconia
= 9000 male citizens
= 9000 hoplites

Question 12

What was Sparta’s citizen society based on?

Answer 12

Propaganda equality;
all 9000 men were equal

All Spartiates owned:
- the same amount of property: a simple home at Sparta and a farm in Laconia or Messenia

ALL full citizens were to be treated equally

BUT some did own more property than others, so Sparta did suffer from a wealth gap

Erased the notions of family and individualism i favor of a grim regimen of conformity and service to the state

Question 13

Spartan boys

Answer 13

Inspected at birth by a government official and killed by being thrown over a cliff if observed to be weak

Raised exclusively to become hoplites

Agogē system screened out unsuitable boys

Taken from mothers at 6 years old to be raised in barracks under leadership of adult males or older boys

Grew up with fear of losing their first class citizenship;
If screened out, he is rejected fully for full Spartan citizenship and dishonored;
Feared dishonor far more than death

Question 14

What deities supervised Spartan boys’ upbringing?

Answer 14

Apollo;
God of male adolescence, initiation and entrance to adulthood

Artemis (Apollo’s twin sister);
Supervised boys and girls both
Worshipped at Sparta under the cult title Artemis Orthia: “correct Artemis”

Question 15

What happened when Spartan boys graduated the agogē?

Answer 15

Enters initial stage of citizenship;
Received an allotment of farmland
Enlisted in the army
Election into a syssition, compromising 15 other Spartiates of different ages
Continues to live in syssition in the age of 20s, even after getting married

At the age of 30, Spartan reaches full citizenship;
Enrolled in Ekklēsia
Allowed to live in house with his wife and children

Question 16

Where was the food supplied from in a syssition?

Answer 16

Each man’s klēros farm

Question 17

Spartan girls

Answer 17

Upbringing was aimed to produce the best wives and mothers of hoplites;
Prepared to manage an estate and household during the father’s absence

Enlightened, liberal, and respected

Education of Spartan girls (and boys) was a state expense and not a private expense;
In polis like Athens, a father would choose to stint his daughter’’s education in place for his sons because it was paid by him and not the state

Question 18

Spartan women

Answer 18

Law allowed them to inherit substantial property at a level below men;
Financial stability

Had female domestic helot at state expense;
Allowing them to be free for more important tasks like childcare and estate management

No rights to vote or hold office or serve in the army

Question 19

What are the ranks of Spartan citizens?

Answer 19

1- Spartiatai, Spartiates - 9000 full citizens, those who called themselves homoioi
2- Peroikoi - second class citizens of Laconia, serving in the army, but the boys were not part of the state run education system
3- Hypomeiones - inferiors, failed Spartiates

Together they are all in the category of Lakedoimonoi

4- Helots - non citizens

In between rank 3 and 4 were the free helots, neodamodeis, but they were a rare category

Question 20

How were helots freed?

Answer 20

Reward for emergency military service

HOWEVER
Their most likely fate was to be murdered after they this military service, as they were most perceived to rebel

Question 21

What happened when Spartan men reached retirement age and who replaced them in the hoplite army?

Answer 21

At age 60, Spartan men retired from army service;
about 1200-1500 men

Replaced by peroikoi, to keep the number at 9000

in Battle of Plataea 479 BC;
5000 Spartan hoplites, 5000 peroikoi

As Spartan male citizen population began to shrink, peroikoi were relied on to bring Spartan army to full force

by late 400s BC;
2/3 of 9000 Spartan hoplites were peroikoi

Question 22

Why were the peroikoi important in Sparta?

Answer 22

Enlarge Spartan army in emergency

Replace retirees

Allowed to handle money, instead of Spartiates, as craftsmen and merchants

Question 23

Spartan government

Answer 23

Two kings

The council, georusia, of 28 members

Five ephors, elected annually as executives

Assembly of 9000 voting male Spartiates - the ekklēsia

Question 24

What were the three problems with Sparta?

Answer 24

1- Warped mass mentality based on fear of helots

2- Declining male citizen population throughout history

3- Conservatism and resistance to change: a general fear of innovation - once past the radical reforms of 600s BC

Question 25

PROBLEM 1
Warped mass mentality

Answer 25

Based on fear of helots
by 400s BC helots outnumbered Spartans 7:1

Every year, the Spartan government declared war on the helots and killed them with impunity

Krypteia - commando assignment that allowed near adults and teenage boys to murder helots

Fear of helot revolt;
- Reason why they were always ready for war
- Reason why Sparta wanted its army close tome

Question 26

What was the krypteia like?

Answer 26

Consisted of Spartiate male teens approaching their graduation to manhood at age 20

Combination of commando training with terror tactics

Boys travelled secretly from Laconia to Messenia;
Concealed themselves by day in the forested hills;
Descend to valley at night and killed helots after dark for breaking curfew

Goals:
- wholesale intimidation of helots
- remove individually some of the more free spirited and defiant helots
- habituate the boys to murder helots

Question 27

PROBLEM 2
Decline of male citizen population

Answer 27

479 BC to 244 BC
8000 Spartiates to 700

In spite of arrangement of 9000

Question 28

Reasons for male citizen population drop

Answer 28

1- Birthrate problems;
Bad productivity of Spartan marriages due to husbands being rarely at home, homosexuality and the governing of young married couples’ private time
As well as financial inequality and disparity of a lower income Spartiate class who might have practiced birth control to avoid splitting their property to their sons

2- Removal of citizens;
Brutal screening in agogē, demotion of grown men in syssition, deaths from continual war (culture of preferring death over dishonor)

3- Earthquake of 464 BC
Killed most of 17 yearold Spartans, and created a food shortage and drought resultant

Question 29

How could have the male citizen drop been solved?

Answer 29

Enfranchising a few thousand peroikoi, as they were already serving in Sparta’s hoplite army
But they were thought as inferior

Question 30

PROBLEM 3
Conservatism and resistance to change

Answer 30

Not enfranchising peroikoi

Not altering marriage customs

Not altering military tactics and getting others used to their method of dealing witht he right wing drift

Question 31

When did Sparta thrive militarily?

Answer 31

500s to 400s BC

Question 32

When was Sparta finally defeated and by who?

Answer 32

After 300 years, in 371 BC
by Thebes

Question 33

Sparta dominating the Peloponnese
Peloponnesian League

Answer 33

500s BC

544 BC and 494 BC;
Sparta won against its old enemy Argos
displacing Argos for dominance in the Peloponnese
Later Argos sided with Athens against Sparta in 300s to 400s BC

Came to rule the Peloponnese through a network of alliances as a boss, not a conquerer;
All polis were in the Peloponnesian League except for Argos

Stopped helotizing after Messenia which made this possible

Question 34

Who was the best Spartan king and why?

Answer 34

King Cleomenes
reigned circa 520-489 BC

Led Sparta to dominate the Peloponnese

Destroyed Argos army in 479 BC at the Battle of Sepeia

Foresaw Persia invading Greece;
worked against it, using alliances and power

Question 35

What was one important city in the Peloponnese? How was it relevant to Sparta?

Answer 35

Tegea

Began as enemy to Sparta
Became ally in the Peloponnesian League

Sparta DID NOT conquer it (and other Peloponnesian polis);
Allowed for great power and prestige

Question 36

Why was Sparta admired?

Answer 36

For its stability
Due to its authorization and restricted hoplite voting
Eunomia