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Athens and Sparta Read the following articles having to deal with Athens and Sparta and take notes comparing the two citystates by filling in the table on the last page of the packet.

Athenian: Education & Military Training The primary purpose of Athenian education was to produce thinkers, people well trained in arts and sciences, people prepared for peace or war. Young Athenian boys were tutored at home until the age of six or seven, and then they were sent to neighborhood schools for primary education until they were 14 years of age. These schools were usually private schools, but tuition costs were low enough that even poorest Athenians could afford to send their boys to school for at least a few years.(3) During primary school, younger boys learned calisthenics and often were taught how to play ball games, while older boys were taught more military-type activities, such as running, boxing, and wrestling. All Athenian boys were expected to read heavily, however, as literature played a very important part in their education. The national epic poems, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, were mandatory teaching in all Athenian elementary schools. The boys were also taught how to play the lyre, sing, and do arithmetic. The emphasis of Athenian education was to prepare well-rounded citizens capable of performing whatever task was asked of them. (1) At age 14, poorer boys usually stopped going to school and began apprenticeships at a trade. Boys from families that could afford it continued to remain in school for four more years. At age 16, regardless of social status, all Athenian boys were required to attend military school for two years, after which they were free to live out their lives as they saw fit. There were no permanent school for higher education until 390 BC, when teachers like Aristotle began establishing academies for higher learning.(3) Athenian girls were not officially schooled, however. They were allowed to learn in the privacy of their own homes, but as a result, most Athenian women had primarily domestic educations. (1)

Spartan: Education & Military Training The primary purpose of Spartan education, and indeed of Spartan society as a whole, differed greatly from that of the Athenians. The primary goal of Spartan education was to produce good soldiers. Training for the military began at age 7, as all Spartan boys left home to go to military school. From then until the time they were 18, they were subject to harsh training and discipline. Historical accounts tell of Spartan boys as being allowed no shoes, very few clothes, and being taught to take pride in enduring pain and hardship. (1) Throughout their adolescent and teenage years, Spartan boys were required to become proficient in all manner of military activities. They were taught boxing, swimming, wrestling, javelin-throwing, and discus-throwing. They were trained to harden themselves to the elements. At the age of 18, Spartan boys had to go out into the world and steal their food. Getting caught would result in harsh punishment, including flogging, which was usually a practice reserved only for slaves. The concept was that a soldier must learn stealth and cunning. At age 20, Spartan men had to pass a series of demanding tests of physical prowess and leadership abilities. Those that passed became members of the Spartan military, and lived in barracks with the other soldiers. They were allowed to take a wife, but they weren't allowed to live with her. At age 30, they became full citizens of Sparta, provided they had served honorably. They were required to continue

serving the military, however, until age 60. Unlike their Athenian counterparts, Spartan girls also went to school at age seven. There they learned gymnastics, wrestling, and did calisthenics. These schools were similar in many ways to the schools Spartan boys attended, as it was the Spartan opinion that strong women produced strong babies, which would then grow into strong soldiers to serve the state.(1) Somewhat ironically, women in Sparta had much more independence than women in other city-states, partially because their husbands never lived at home, and partially because Spartans had tremendous respect for Spartan mothers. While no marvelous works of art or literature ever came of this system, it did accomplish the Spartan goal of producing elite soldiers. The Spartan military was universally disliked, but they were also universally respected.

Athens Rises to Power Athens began its rise to prominence among Greek city-states during the second invasion of Greece by the Persian army in 480 BC. The Athenians were part of a Greek alliance that included Sparta and all the other city-states against Persia. In 480 BC, the Persian army, led by King Xerxes I, invaded Greece and captured the city of Athens, which the Athenians had evacuated.(2) All the Athenians had left was their fleet of ships, anchored in Salamis Bay. The Athenian fleet was based around fast-moving ships called triremes, which they planned to use against the Persians. The Athenians led a fleet of allied Greek ships at the Battle of Salamis, where they scored a massive naval victory over the much larger Persian fleet. This major victory elevated Athens to prominence among the Greek citystates, which the Spartans disliked, and thus they withdrew from the Greek alliance.(2) After the Persians had been defeated and the Spartans had gone home, Athens and the other Greek citystates formed a new alliance at the Island of Delos in 477 BC. Accordingly, this new confederation was called the Delian League, and each city-state would contribute men, ships, and money to the League for protection. As time progressed, Athens began to dominate the Delian league and took advantage of its allies' desire to stop sending ships and men. As a result, the members of the Delian league contributed money to the league rather than ships. (1) This benefited the Athenians greatly because it meant that they were increasing their military presence within the league, while the other members were weakening. Eventually, Athens moved the League treasure from Delos to Athens. In doing so, they were able to use the money contributed by League members to expand their own military and economy, and essentially create an empire of puppet states that then had to pay tribute to Athens for protection from her military, as well as from the Persians.(3)

Sparta Rises to Power Sparta's rise to power was a direct result of the militaristic nature of their society. They were the only Greek city-state to maintain a large standing army at all times, and their training and education was such that they were truly elite fighters. As a result, Sparta was often looked to by smaller city-states for protection. (2)

The Spartans were highly disliked for their arrogance, but they were highly respected and admired for their army's fighting prowess. As a result, when the Persians first invaded, the Spartans were the first people who were looked to provide a defense. (5) However, by the end of the Persian Wars, when Athens had assumed leadership of the Greek alliance, the Spartans withdrew back to their city. While the Athenians were winning allies that lived by the sea, those city-states that were land-locked allied with Sparta. Sparta was thus able to increase their power in a similar way to Athens. (1) As time progressed, Athens began to dominate the Delian league and took advantage of its allies' desire to stop sending ships and men. As a result, the members of the Delian league contributed money to the league rather than ships. In time, the alliance between Sparta and the other city-states on the Peloponnese became known as the Peloponnesian League. This alliance was essentially formed to counter the Delian League, which Sparta and the land-bound city-states considered a threat. Sparta became the clear leader of this alliance, and stood opposite Athens as one of the great powers of Greece. (6)

Athenian Military Innovations Naval dominance was a trademark of the Athenian military. The Athenian army was no match for the size and effectiveness of the Spartan army, but what they lacked on land, they made up for at sea, with an innovation that completely changed the face of naval warfare and would make Athens the dominant naval power for a century or more. (1)

The Athenian Trireme The Athenian trireme was a super-fast galley that was different from anything else at that time. At the time, naval warfare had primarily consisted of attempting to either board an enemy's ship, or set it on fire. With the introduction of the trireme, however, a new tactic was added to naval combat-ramming opposing ships. The trireme's special shape and construction allowed of to do things that other ships at the time could not do. It's keel ran the length of the ship, as in most ships, but it also stuck out three meters in front, and was armored with bronze plates. This projection was the battering ram that became the ship's primary weapon. (4) Until the trireme, ramming opposing ships was not done because of the extraordinary speed it required. But the trireme was long and narrow, which aided its speed and maneuverability. What aided it even more were the three rows of oars on each side, manned by a total of 170 oarsmen. Using the oars, the trireme could reach a maximum speed of ten knots, or about 12 mph. This was more than fast enough to cause serious damage to any opposing ship. The trireme was also fitted with a huge square sail that it used in combat conditions to give the rowers a break. Essentially, the trireme served as a waterborne spear, deadly to opposing boats.(4)

Spartan Military Innovations The Spartan army was known far and wide for their fierceness, brutality, and efficiency in battle. This was partly due to their militarily-oriented society, but it was also due to a remarkable innovation in land warfare that made the Spartans nearly unstoppable on the ground.(1)

The Hoplite Phalanx The Hoplite Phalanx was a special formation of specially-equipped Spartan soldiers known as Hoplites. It changed the way land engagements were fought. Until then, land battles had primarily come down to individual hand-to-hand combat, with warriors trying to kill the bravest and best fighter on the other side so as to demoralize the opposition.(6) The hoplite phalanx, however, consisted of specially-armed infantry. They all wore bronze body armor, helmets, bronze shin guards, and all carried shields. Their primary weapons were a short sword for closequarter fighting, and the weapon that became the trademark of the phalanx, an 8-15 foot long spear. The phalanx fought in formation in a highly organized and disciplined manner. Shields were worn on the left shoulder, and were long enough to cover the soldier's knees. As the hoplite soldiers stood shoulder-toshoulder, the shields overlapped each other, forming a wall of shields and protecting each other. A phalanx could be as many as eight rows deep, and moving in formation, they were nearly unstoppable so long as their rear and flanks were protected. The phalanx was perfect for combat on open gourd or level terrain. The concept of the phalanx was evidence of the Spartan concept that battles should be quick, bloody, and decisive. Spartans did not want to spend a long time on a military campaign, as most of the soldiers had to be home in time for harvest. As a result, the Spartans were inexperienced at the concept of siegecraft and fortification, which became evident in the Peloponnesian War.(5) ***Adapted from Lombard, T. University of Florida. "Athens vs. Sparta: A Military Comparison." Accessed April 1, 2005. http//plaza.Lifl.edLi/tlonibard/spainnovations.htiiil.

Education and Training

Athens

Sparta

Rise to Power

Military Innovations