Ancient History Sparta Flashcards
(40 cards)
What was the agoge in Sparta?
The agoge was the state‐run education and training system for male Spartan citizens, beginning at age 7 and lasting until age 30. It emphasized obedience, endurance of hardship, martial skills, survival, and communal living.
List three values the agoge aimed to instill in Spartan youths.
(1) Unquestioning obedience to authority, (2) physical and mental endurance, (3) unwavering loyalty to Sparta and fellow soldiers (comradeship).
How did the agoge punish stealing, and why?
Stealing was encouraged to teach resourcefulness, but if caught, the boy was beaten rigorously—the punishment reinforced stealth skills while discouraging dependence on theft, aligning with Spartan toughness.
What was the role of the mothakes in the agoge?
Mothakes were non‐Spartan boys (often of intermediate status) admitted into the agoge alongside Spartiate youths; they ate and trained in the same mess halls but did not hold full citizenship rights.
Explain the function of the syssitia in Spartan society.
The syssitia (communal messes) required every male Spartiate over age 20 to eat in a designated group, contributing food or produce from his kleros.
How did membership in the syssitia enforce social equality?
Each Spartiate contributed the same share of produce (barley, wine, meat) to the communal table, removing displays of wealth and reinforcing equality among full citizens.
Who were the Spartiates?
Full Spartan citizens (also called Homoioi or ‘equals’), adult males whose families could trace lineage to original Dorian conquerors.
What privileges did Spartiates enjoy?
(1) Right to vote in the ekklesia, (2) eligibility for election as ephor or geron, (3) command in the army, (4) exemption from manual labor and trade, (5) first‐rank seat at public events, and (6) equal distribution of land via kleroi.
Who were the Perioikoi, and what roles did they fulfill?
Free non‐citizens living in Laconia and Messenia who managed crafts, trade, shipbuilding, mining, and produced weapons/armor.
Why did the Perioikoi not revolt against Spartan rule?
(1) They recognized they could not defeat Sparta’s military might, (2) they enjoyed more freedoms than helots, and (3) they benefited from Spartan protection in return for tribute and military service.
Who were the Helots, and how did they differ from typical Greek slaves?
State‐owned serfs primarily of Messenian origin, bound to the land (kleroi), worked communally for Spartiates, and could not be bought or sold individually.
List three duties of helots on a Spartiate’s kleros.
(1) Tilling and harvesting grain, olives, and grapes; (2) tending livestock; (3) acting as household servants or wet nurses for Spartiate children.
Explain how the Spartan state kept the helot population under control.
(1) Krypteia: secret police unit of young Spartiates who annually hunted and killed strong helots; (2) Frequent military patrols; (3) Assigning helots to isolated farms; (4) Ritual mistreatment.
What was the krypteia, and how did it operate?
A state‐sanctioned ‘secret police’ made up of teen Spartiates who roamed rural areas at night, seeking out ‘suspect’ helots and killed them to suppress potential revolts.
Who were the Hypomeiones (‘inferiors’)?
Spartiates stripped of citizenship and political/military rights, often because they could not afford syssitia dues or showed cowardice in battle.
Define Neodamodeis.
Former helots granted freedom—often as reward for military service—who acquired limited rights and lived under state protection.
Who were the Mothakes?
Children of non‐Spartan mothers and Spartan fathers, or helot children adopted by Spartiate families to serve as companions for boys in the agoge.
What were the Partheniai?
Offspring of unmarried Spartiate men and helot women, considered illegitimate and not full citizens.
How did the Gerousia contribute to Spartan government?
The Gerousia was the Council of Elders: 28 men over age 60 plus the two kings, elected for life by the ekklesia.
What was the Ekklesia in Sparta?
The general assembly of all male Spartiates over age 30, meeting monthly to vote on proposals submitted by the Gerousia or ephors.
Who elected the ephors, and what was their term?
The five ephors were elected annually by a show of hands from the ekklesia and served one-year terms.
List three powers of the ephors.
(1) Held judicial authority over citizens, (2) oversaw the agoge and education, (3) declared war on helots.
What was the Great Rhetra?
The Spartan constitutional code attributed to Lycurgus around 650 BCE, establishing the mixed constitution.
How did the dual kingship function?
Sparta had two hereditary kings who served as military commanders and members of the Gerousia, with powers checked by ephors.
