SPARTA & ATHENS

- Two Different Worlds -

SPARTA Sparta: Capital city of the area of Lacedaemon

in Southern Peloponnese, formed by the union of 5 smaller towns & 3 tribes in one unfortified city

Social groups:o (Noble) Citizens, descendants of the first Dorian

conquerors, who distributed the land to smaller arable areas (“κλᾶροι”) – Never working, occupied with military preparation (gymnastics, use of weapons, etc)

o Perioeci (Περίοικοι), small landowners living outside the main city - With no full political rights, joining the army as auxiliary soldiers

o Helots (Είλωτες), descendants of the older archaic population enslaved by the Dorians – Land workers with no political rights, obliged to give a big part of the harvest to the landowners & never leave their land

SPARTA

Constant fear of Helots’ rebellion

Need of further expansion Limited number of Citizens

(against the big number of Helots)

Law mainly based on tradition & common law of the previous ages

Need of being in a constant fighting trim

Organized actions to limit & frighten the population of Helots

SPARTA Administrative authorities:o Two Kings, who were members of two

noble old families of Sparta & were hereditary

o Gerousia (= Senate/Council of the Elder), which was the council consisted of 28 leaders of the most significant families, all over 60 years old, & the 2 kings

o Apella (=Assembly), which was the assembly of the warriors, all over 18 years old

o Five Ephors, who were powerful priests-prophets till the 8th c. BC & then became the most powerful political authority of Sparta as supervisors of all aspects of Spartan life

SPARTA

SPARTA 800 BC: Lycurgus’ reforms

(which became the base of the Spartan life & political system), such as:

o Strict discipline of all the citizenso Common education for boys &

girls & training in hardship from their childhood

o Prohibition of using silver & golden coins – Use of only (heavy) iron ones Limitation of trade & consumption

o Obligation of the younger to obey to the elderetc.

SPARTA Other characteristics of the Spartan

life:o Ideals of physical & military power,

discipline & respect to the elder – Team spirit & devotion to the city-state

o Limited development of the arts & literature (except choral lyric poetry), AS THOUGHT to be effeminate

o Respect to the Spartan women AS mothers of the warriors

o Childrens’ raising after decision of the authorities, according to their health (“Apothetes”)

o Strict penalties (Keadas)o Strict training of the boys in groups

(“ἀγέλαι”), organized by the state, after being 7 years old, in order to assimilate the Spartan ideals

SPARTA Other characteristics of the Spartan life:o Male adolescents living in camps, eating in

common meals with products from the product taxes of the land workers(“συσσίτια”) & generally leading a hard military life, IN ORDER to keep their political rights

o Highest honor to die for their city-state (disgrace of “ῥίψασπις”)

o Avoidance of travelling & offering hospitality to foreign citizens, IN ORDER to avoid temptation of luxurious life (“ξενηλασία”)

o Acts against the Helots, mainly after the 6th c. BC, such as “κρυπτεία” (kind of human hunting)

2nd half of the 6th c. BC: Sparta becomes the

leader of the Peloponnesian League

ATHENS Since 8th c. BC Union of smaller

settlements (“συνοικισμός”)

Radical political change in administration: One King Nine Rulers: leader of the group (“ἐπώνυμος ἅρχων”), king (“βασιλεύς”), leader of the army (“πολέμαρχος”) & six legislators (“νομοθέται”) &

Areios Pagos ( the Nobles’ Council)

624 BC Laws of Draco (“written with blood”), such as:

o Enslavement of free citizens because of debts

o Cases of murder judged by Areios Pagos ( End of personal revenge as a punishment)

ATHENS 594 BC Laws of Solon, such as: o “σεισάχθεια” (= no one should take a

mortgage loan in exchange of his freedom) o Higher limit to the land ownership – Re-

distribution of the spear lando Insurance of every citizen’s life & dignityo Political rights according to the social group &

not the origino Extra taxes (“εἰσφοραί”) & indirect financial

contributions (“λειτουργίαι”) for the wealthy citizens

o Institution of House (“Βουλή”) of Five Hundred & Heliaia (= jury with members of all the social groups)

o Basic administrative authority, the Assembly of Citizens (“Ecclesia”), of which all the Athenian citizens above 20 years old were members & which voted for the Nine Rulers

ATHENS Social stratification according to the financial

income, evaluated in “medimni” (80 kilos of products):

o Citizens with an income of 500 “medimni” , who could enter upon every public office & were officers or equestrians in the Athenian army

o Citizens with an income of 300 “medimni” OR equestrians , who could be members of House of 500, Heliaia & Ecclesia & were equestrians in the Athenian army

o Citizens with an income of 200 “medimni” OR “zeugites” , who could be members of House of 500, Heliaia & Ecclesia & were soldiers of phalanx in the Athenian army

o “Thetes”, who had only the right of voting in Ecclesia & were auxiliary soldiers or sailors in the Athenian army

ATHENS

6th c. BC tyranny of Peisistratus

510 BC Abolition of tyranny

508-507 BC Political changes of Cleisthenes:o New division of the Athenian citizens in 10

tribes with no blood relationship AS FOLLOWING: division of Athens in “city” (“ἅστυ”), “coast” (“παραλία”) & “inland” (“μεσόγειος”) Division of each one in 10 parts (“τριττύες”) Formation of one tribe by drawing 3 “τριττύες”

Replacement of the House of 400 by the House of 500 (10*50), which was responsible for drafting the dismissals for the Ecclesia & checking the Rulers

Ecclesia, responsible for foreign & interior matters Constitution of ostracism, in order to limit the

power of politicians

ATHENS Further characteristics: o Productive work only by the two last

social groups & the metics (= foreign merchants & artisans, who lived in Athens without any political rights)

o Athenian women restricted in their house, almost without any part in the social life (except some religious rituals) & without any rights

o Wide use of domestic & public slaves, even by the less wealthy ( un-ransomed war prisoners, stolen as children from enemies, or traded in from other countries) – Sometimes freed by their masters