Two Kings and a Council (Sparta)

Chris Orr Period 4 3,000 B.C.-362 B.C. Two Kings and a Council(Sparta)

Geography • Capital of the city state Lacedaemon • Located in the center of Peloponnese • Next to the river Evrotas • Sparta was in a mountainous area • There were hot and dry summers • Rain only fell in the winter

Food Source • The Helots farmed • They grew wheat barley and they made bread • Meat was ate seldom • Fish was eaten a lot • Figs, olives, and grapes were grown

Government • Had a mix of a monarchy and a oligarchy and a democracy later on • Two kings and there was a council • Two kings could not command the same fighting force • Kings were political leaders, they had veto power over the council (they could tell the council no)

Government • The Kings were also religious leaders as well • There were overseers that sometimes had power over the kings • The overseers managed a secret service • Sparta founded the first democracy ever, they had a democracy 50 year before Athens

Religion • Worshipped Greek Gods • They may have wore ceremonial masking for their transition of a child to a man • Artemis and Athena were the patron goddess of Sparta • Spartans held festivals, temple dedications, and ritualistic sacrifices

Daily Life • Men were encouraged to marry they could be publicly shamed if they did not • All Spartan men were soldiers until age 60 • The training boys went through was called Agoge, it started when they were 7 and ended when they 20

Architecture • Sparta based its architecture off the Dorians • There is very little Spartan architecture still standing • They used Doric pillars • Sparta was made up of small villages • A famous example of Spartan architecture is the temple of Artemis Orthia

Social Structure • Three classes • Spartans-full citizens • Helots-slaves • Periocei-Not citizens or slaves, made weapons for Spartans • Spartans could kill Helots for being too fit or too smart • Women could own property and they cooked, cleaned, and made clothes • Men’s possible occupations- solider • Women had more freedom and could own property

Writing • Wrote and spoke Greek • Spartan boys learned to write at age 14 • They wrote information on tablets

Technology • Made statute offerings out of lead and pored them in to molds • The Spartans were good making things out of ivory • Spartans used iron bars as currency • They also had some coins • Spartans spoke Greek

Technology • The Spartans primarily used spears and their famous spears • Sparta invented democracy

The Arts • In early times ivory from Sparta was high in demand • Spartans made beautiful pottery before all they had was military strength. • Spartans used to be renown for their music and dance

Legacy • Had a fierce-some army • The strict military training called Agoge • Fit men and women

Works Consulted • www.ancientgreece.com • http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/daily_life.htm • www.plant-medicene.com • www.sparta.markoulakispublications.org • www.ancientmilitaryhistory.com

Two Kings and a Council (Sparta)