Sparta

Question 1

What would a Spartan soldier wear?

Answer 1

Bronze helmet, breast plate, spear, sword, shield, sandals, gauntlet

Question 2

Levels of Spartan government?

Answer 2

King, Ephors, Gerousia, Ecclesia/Appella, peroikoi Helots at the bottom

Question 3

What did the two kings do?

Answer 3

Took part in Gerousia and Ecclesia/Appella, manages the roads, takes care of orphaned women who have inherited riches, one went off to war, in charge of religious ceremony, two families agiads and euripontas

Question 4

What did the Gerousia do?

Answer 4

Decided on bills to go through the Appella, advised the kings, acted as court and jury, proposed bills on foreign policy

Question 5

What did the Ephors do?

Answer 5

Made sure the kings did not gain too much power, acted as a judge in the court system, declared war on the helots once per year to control them, in control of Kryptia, two of the five accompanied king into battle, in charge of education

Question 6

What did the Ecclesia/Appella do?

Answer 6

Voted on bills through the clapping system

Question 7

How would some one become part of the Ecclessia?

Answer 7

You must be a male Spartiate above the age of 30

Question 8

How did the agoge prepare boys for life in the army?

Answer 8

Physical hardship: bare feet, no clothes, food ration

Loyalty to Sparta through: team work, obedience loved one another

Question 9

Describe the duties of the krypteia.

Answer 9

• to go out in the countryside with minimal rations and live off the land;
• hide in the day and patrol the countryside at night;
• kill any helot they see as a threat to Sparta;
• terrorise helots as an incentive for the others to behave;
• become efficient killers.

Question 10

Why did the Spartans treat the helots harshly?

Answer 10

They had to keep them in a state of fear and oppression to stop them from rebelling because they outnumbered the Spartans;
They had rebelled before and the Spartans were fearful of further uprisings;
They were slaves in their own land
The Spartans needed more land so they took over the fertile soil in Messenia.
The Spartans needed the Helots to work the land to support the Spartans so that they could concentrate on the military. The women (unlike other Greek women) were not considered inferior to men and not given menial tasks so the helots had to do them.
Also the Spartan population was small so they needed the extra labour.

Question 11

How did Spartan mothers bring up their sons?

Answer 11

Handed them over to see if they were worthy of being raised.
Raised boys until they were 7 then sent them off to be educated.
Did not pamper the children in any way.
Boys would be encouraged to do physical exercise.
Let children cry to make them tough.
Taught them Spartan values

Question 12

What things did Spartan women do to help Sparta?

Answer 12

Produced healthy sons for the army or daughters to breed more sons.
Ran the household and land while the men were away.
Supervised the helots and made sure they made the clothes and produced the food. Jeered at men if they were cowards to encourage bravery.

Question 13

Explain what other Greeks thought about Spartan women.

Answer 13

They were strong and muscular and sun tanned because they did exercise and went outside and other Greek women did not do things like that.
They were seen as outspoken or bossy because they criticised their husbands.
They were seen to be sexy as they flashed their thighs while other Greek women were covered up.
They got involved with horse training while other Greek women stayed at home.
They were unfeminine as they did not weave the clothes which was the job of women in other Greek states. They possessed too much freedom as they did not live in women’s quarters like other Greek women.
They were seen to be bad mothers as they sent their sons away.
They were promiscuous as they slept with men other than their husbands.

Question 14

Outline some Spartan fighting methods

Answer 14

Phalanx formation with each man’s shield protecting half of the man next to him. Took the places of fallen comrades in the front line.
Used spears and swords - stabbed with spears then used swords to fight at close quarters.
Wore red cloaks to maintain morale and intimidate the enemy.
Sometimes pretended to retreat so as to trick the enemy.
Were trained to die rather than surrender so as to be victorious in battle Used music to give instructions in battle for efficient communication Allowed the enemy to flee instead of fighting

Question 15

Briefly outline what happened at Thermopylae

Answer 15

King Leonidas and only 300 men held back the massive Persian army of Xerxes at the narrow pass of Thermopylae which gave the rest of the Greek allies time to prepare the defences elsewhere.
Used phalanx formation.
Were betrayed by Ephialtes who told the Persians about another path.
All the Spartans fought to the death.

Question 16

Explain why the army was important to the survival of Sparta.

Answer 16

Their reputation was a deterrent and prevented invasion.
Maintained their way of life and isolation so that they were not influenced by other cultures. Made sure they had enough food/wealth to live because they did not trade.
Kept Helots in check/fear to prevent rebellion.
The army was the society’s only protection because the Spartans did not have walls.

Question 17

Where was Sparta geographically?

Answer 17

Sparta is in the area called Laconia in the south east of the Peloponnese. Messenia is to the west. Laconia has a long coastline but Sparta is not very near the coast. Sparta is in the deep valley of the river Eurotas and is bounded by Mt Parnon and Mt Taygetus on both sides. The land to the south was marshy. It is a long way from Athens.

Question 18

‘The Spartans were both physically and socially isolated from the rest of Greece.’ Explain what made the Spartans and their city so isolated from the rest of Greece.

Answer 18

They were physically isolated by being far from other cities and cut off by the mountains and rugged, marshy coast. They did not use money like other states and did not trade with them. Although other states had slaves, Spartans were the only ones who enslaved other Greeks. Foreigners were not encouraged to travel to Sparta nor were Spartans allowed to travel beyond their own borders. Other Greeks disapproved of Spartan lack of education, treatment of boys and women and government. The Periokoi acted as a buffer zone.

Question 19

Describe how the Perioikoi and the Helots came into being.

Answer 19

Over time, the Spartans took control of Laconia and Messenia. They made the other Dorian inhabitants into Perioikoi and allowed them to govern themselves to a degree but expected them to make goods for them and do any trading that was needed. The Spartans captured the Achaean Greeks and enslaved them making them work on the farms to produce food for them and do domestic chores.

Question 20

What did non-Spartans typically think about Spartans?

Answer 20

Non-Spartans often criticized the Spartans. Spartans were famous for not having personal wealth so the second part could be considered typical or non typical. Non-Spartans usually commented on the Spartan women and their behaviour and also on Sparta’s military distinction or the harshness of the upbringing of the boys. Women were important and could own land. Method of electing parts of the government was silly. There was a lack of attractive buildings. They disapproved of enslaving other Greeks.

Question 21

Explain how some aspects of Spartan society might have made the city poor and its citizens greedy.

Answer 21

Aspects of Spartan society might have made the city poor and citizens greedy in that currency was outlawed. The selling of land was not technically allowed but it happened anyway. Spartans were not encouraged to create lavish buildings. Everyone was supposed to be equal but this did not encourage wealth. Some Spartans became corrupted when they went abroad. They didn’t have much time to amass wealth.

Question 22

Why is it difficult for us to trust the evidence we have about Sparta? Explain your answer.

Answer 22

Spartans were a very closed, isolated society so the information we have comes from outsiders who may have been badly informed and also biased against the Spartans. Spartans did not have any literature except for the poems of Tyrtaios so we can not use this to form opinions of them as we do with other cultures. They did not build elaborate buildings or make works of art so we have few physical remains to look at. Some sources (e.g. Plutarch) were not contemporary or were from comedy.

Question 23

Describe the typical appearance of a spartan woman

Answer 23

A typical Spartan woman would have had well developed muscles. She would have had tanned skin. Spartan women wore no make up or jewellery. She would have worn a short dress. Bare feet may be mentioned and lack of veil over her head.

Question 24

Explain why a typical Spartan woman spent her time as she did.

Answer 24

She had to produce healthy children. Women exercised to enable them to produce healthy sons for the army. The population was small so they all needed to contribute and only pure bred Spartans would do. She had to supervise the running of the farm because the men were away training or fighting and the people had to be fed so the women had to make sure the helots produced enough food for their husbands’ dining group and the household itself. Also discouraging cowardice/promotion of the Spartan ethos so the cowardly soldiers did not dare to return to Sparta and boys behaved bravely.

Question 25

Do you think that a Spartan woman would have been satisfied with her life? Explain your answer.

Answer 25

Yes because she would have been very busy all the time. First exercising, then looking after the children and supervising the helots and the household. She might have enjoyed the sexual freedom and been encouraged to share her opinions. She would have felt very proud to be a Spartan woman who helped the state.
No because she was expected to exercise and have babies. She might be made to have sex with her husband’s friend. She only got to do household management and that might have been boring. She did not get to have nice clothes or jewellery so that was no fun. Her sons were taken away when they were seven years old. She never got to spend time with her husband.

Question 26

Explain what other Greeks thought about the Spartans.

Answer 26

• Stupid
• Old fashioned
• Frightening
• Cruel
• Barbaric

Question 27

Spartans did not like to mix with other Greeks. Do you think this was an advantage to the Spartans?

Answer 27

Such isolationism would ensure that no foreign ideas could upset the status quo in their land and try to ensure stability in society and maintain the control of those in authority. However, this isolation would ensure the continuation of prejudice towards Spartan society by other cities of the Greek world which led to tense and troubled relations.

Question 28

How was a member of the Gerousia elected?

Answer 28

• Brought into the Ecclesia at age 60 when a vacancy for one of the
28 places arose.
• Enter one by one according to lot.
• Nearby, a selected group of Spartiates listened to the cheers for
each candidate.
• The one to receive the loudest cheer was elected.

Question 29

Explain whether you think the Council of Elders was a good way of governing Sparta.

Answer 29

From a positive angle:
• Age brought experience and wisdom which the kings could draw
upon
• Carried out essential duties in the governing of the state
• Served for life, so there was continuity
• Guided the ecclesia and could restrain it if necessary
However, it might be argued:
• Held too much power – could withdraw a proposal if it did not
agree with the ecclesia’s decision
• The election process, according to Aristotle, was ‘childish’
• Members were too old, possibly senile, and out of touch with
Spartan society

Question 30

Explain why the Spartans lost at Thermopylae.

Answer 30

• Xerxes sent heralds asking for the Spartans to give up their arms
• Xerxes attacked but with heavy losses and without any results
• The Persians were only able to get through the Thermopylai pass
with the help of Ephialtes
• The Greeks realised that they would soon be trapped on both
sides
• Only 300 Spartans were left at the pass
• They fought bravely to the death, holding up the Persians for a
few hours.
• However facing attack from the rear as well as the front, the
Spartans were simply overwhelmed.

Question 31

Why was the Spartan army so successful?

Answer 31

• Intensive training from childhood
• Support of the Helots
• Celebration of battle
• Commitment to Sparta
• Unity of tactics

Question 32

Why do you think Sparta had so many different parts to its government? Explain your answer.

Answer 32

The different parts had different roles and kept 5 the other parts in check.
Each king prevented the other from becoming too powerful
One king would go to war while the other stayed in Sparta to run the city.
Ephors were very powerful but only stayed in office a year so they did not have long term power.
Gerousia prepared bills for the Ecclesia to vote on but they could reject the decision.

Question 33

Explain how the poetry of Tyrtaios helped the Spartan army.

Answer 33

Tyrtaios’ poetry was about war. It encouraged soldiers to fight bravely and to die for their country. The boys learnt his poetry in the agoge
and as soldiers sang his songs and poems around the campfires so it made them braver in battle and less afraid of dying and it kept morale up. Singing his poems after dinner encouraged bonding and competition between the men. Poetry was helpful in that it earned the man/soldier extra food/meat.

Question 34

Describe the main features of the Spartan men’s syssitia (dining clubs/messes).

Answer 34

All Spartiatai were members of a syssition. They each had to provide a share of the food from their farm. They ate together every night. They shared a tent when they were away at war. There were about 15 members. Members were voted in using bread. They could hunt extra food and share it. They entertained themselves together after dinner.

Question 35

Why did the Spartan families live apart?

Answer 35

The men lived together in barracks until they were 30. This was so that they bonded and worked better as a team. The boys lived in barracks too, in the agoge, in preparation for being soldiers. Men could get married before they were 30 but could not live with the wife, although they were encouraged to sneak out and have sex with their wives. The wives lived at home with the daughters and ran the home and farm to provide food and had babies. This saved the men worrying about domestic issues and food supplies while they were at war/training.

Question 36

Outline the legend of Lykourgos.

Answer 36

Lykourgos was supposed to have overseen the changes that made Sparta so unique and was viewed as a founding father by the Spartans.
Lykourgos is said to have gone to Delphi. He sought advice from the gods on how Sparta should be run. Lykourgos is credited with the establishment of the professional army made up of every Spartan male, the setting up of the agoge and the government, the krypteia, and establishment of equality among all Spartans including land ownership money and messes.

Question 37

Explain why Lykourgos introduced his system of laws.

Answer 37

After the Second Messenian war, Sparta needed to change its social system in order to keep control over the helots. The Spartans were vastly outnumbered by the people they had captured so they had to have means to control them. The professional army was needed to control the helots but the helots were needed to feed the professional army. The professional army was also to defend Sparta from enemies.
The krypteia also controlled the helots and kept the kings safe. The government was designed to keep itself in check. Lycourgos saw great inequality of wealth among the Spartans so he shared out the land more fairly and banned money. He was obeying the gods as he got the advice from Delphi.

Question 38

How far do you think that Lykourgos had a positive influence on Sparta?

Answer 38

He shared out the land equally and removed temptation/pressure of acquiring wealth but ‘equality’ was only among the Spartiatai so it was really unfair on the helots, perioikoi and women. He created an excellent fighting force to keep the city safe but he took away their freedom of thought and independence and stopped art/culture from progressing. He made an efficient system to feed everyone and get the jobs done but destroyed family life. The krypteia was efficient in keeping the helots in fear but could be seen as morally wrong as trained killers were attacking unarmed civilians.