...Sparta had more equality between both genders, giving both its men and women education and opportunities in politics. While many Greek city-states at that time gave girls limited education compared to those of boys, Sparta trained both their boys and girls to be physically fit. As Plutarch, a scholar from the first century AD, stated, girls trained to exercise and run. There were even races in Sparta hosted by magistrates in which girls participated in. Furthermore, Sparta allowed their women in politics, differing from city states such as Athens, whose women were restricted in the household weaving. In the fourth century BC, Aristotle, a famous scholar who spent most of his life in Athens, stated in Politics, “This was exemplified among the...
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...They also mention the historical figure Lycurgus that created this harsh system of the ‘agoge’ where boys were taken away from their families at the age of seven to train to become a soldier. The ‘great law-giver’ Lycurgus, although there is great amount of disagreement as to whether Lycurgus was a real historical person or a mythical figure, his legacy and laws continued on for years. Spartans are again shown to be full of brutality in the book “Horrible Histories: The Groovy Greeks and The Rotten Romans” by authors Terry Deary and Martin Brown. The facts presented in the book are dramatized and exaggerated giving an inaccurate portrayal of the Spartan agoge with only limited reliable information. Plutarch’s source is somewhat reliable as it reveals the different stages of the agoge in his writing on Sparta “Lycurgus”. Although Plutarch is a Greek writer, he is not a historian and therefore there are issues involving the reliability of his sources as he is writing “lives not histories” as a biographer. Subsequently, because his work was written many years after the Spartan society he is writing about, this source is not completely reliable however, Plutarch has provided a great insight towards Lycurgus and the Spartan...
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...At birth the evaluation of the baby began immediately to determine if they were fit to become soldiers down the road in their life. If a child was the slightest bit deformed or did not appear to have the strength that Spartan warriors desired, it would be abandoned on the side of a mountain. Infanticide was a very common practice back in Ancient Sparta and the idea was to filter out the weak links in society. By doing this they better themselves for battle because one weak soldier could cause a catastrophe for they wouldn’t be able to defend Sparta properly. This would determine that the society could concentrate solely on members that would be able to contribute to the military community and eventually protect Sparta. The weak had no...
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...The Spartan constitution created by Lycurgus was a distinct way to run a society of people. “ This theory of government was adopted by Plato, Diogenes, Zeno and all those who are praised for their attempts to make some statement about these matters… (Plut. Lyc. 31).” When looking at Plato’s Republic there are many similarities to the unique Spartan city-state. Ideas that were similar included, elimination of wealth, the ideas about woman, children, and marriage, and the training for the military soldiers. Another aspect that could have aided Plato’s Republic from the Spartan society was the council of Elders that represented the people. This system would allow the people to become more involved in the government and create a more secure system of checks and balances. The similarities between the Spartan society and the Republic made Plato’s ideal city stronger because it allowed the people to be closer in equality then previous systems of government and because of the acceptance of their social classes. The elimination of wealth in the Spartan society was implemented in Plato’s Republic. Both government ideals about erasing currency, trade, and unnecessary luxuries from the societies, personified people as being more accepting of their social classes. The citizens would not flaunt their riches to others because they did not possess more then they needed to be happy within their social classes. “…they are only fed, and not paid in addition to their food, like other men: and therefore...
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...What does evidence reveal about the Lykurgun reforms in the Spartan constitution? The controversial existence of Lycurgus and the policies he implemented in the creation of the Spartan constitution is still a topic greatly debated to this day. According to ancient historian Plutarch, Lycurgus was a law giver, responsible for the reformation of the Spartan constitution, which has created many problems for historians due to these policies extending far beyond his lifetime. Modern historian W.G. Forrest suggest that, “others may have thought of him as a hero or god whose protection under which the new order was placed.” According to Plutarch, whose historical reliability stems from documents of early Sparta, tells that Lycurgus journeyed to Apollo’s oracle of Delphi, in order to retrieve his famous text, ‘The Great Rhetra’, the outline for which Spartan society was based upon. At the head of Spartan government were two kings, which modern historian Buckley writes, “There were to hereditary kings from the family of the Agiads and the family of the Eurypontids… whom were constitutionally equal in authority and thus acted as a check on each other’s power. The kings of Sparta served many roles both military, judicial and religious. Kings had the power to declare war on any land in which Herodotus exclaims, “the right of making war against whatsoever land they please”. Furthermore two ephors would accompany the king during his war where they would act as a supervisor and punish the...
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...settled their affairs without his interference; sometimes even they waged war against him, as in the case of the Eleusinians with Eumolpus against Erechtheus. In Theseus, however, they had a king of equal intelligence and power; and one of the chief features in his organization of the country was to abolish the council-chambers and magistrates of the petty cities, and to merge them in the single council-chamber and town hall of the present capital. Individuals might still enjoy their private property just as before, but they were henceforth compelled to have only one political centre, viz., Athens; which thus counted all the inhabitants of Attica among her citizens, so that when Theseus died he left a great state behind him. Plutarch, Life of Solon (trans. by B. Perrin) Solon and Draco’s Laws: 17 1 In the first place, then, he repealed the laws of Draco, all except those concerning homicide, because they were too severe and their penalties too heavy. For one penalty was assigned to almost all transgressions, namely death, so that even those convicted of idleness were put to death, and those who stole salad or fruit received the same punishment as those who committed sacrilege or murder. 2 Therefore Demades, in later times, made a hit when he said that Draco's laws were written not with ink, but blood. And Draco himself, they say, being asked why he made death the penalty...
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...this paper is a white woman named Sarah Matilda Griswold, also known as Mattie like how it is engraved on her tombstone. Sarah is born in 1834 in the state of Florida to Daniel S. Griswold from Connecticut and Mary Anne Dunham from New York, according to 1870 and 1880 U.S. Federal Census record. The information in regards to where she spent her childhood is limited but, as evidence indicated on a Connecticut official town marriage record, her place of residence is registered as Hartford, which is now the capital city of Connecticut. On February 7, 1848, at an age of fourteen, Sarah marries to a man named Lycurgus T. Zander from New York City who is eighteen years older. Three year after her marriage, Sarah gives birth to her first child named Henry Zander in 1851 then, eight years after, she gives birth to her second child named William Zander in 1859. It is unclear when Lycurgus and Sarah moved to San Francisco from the east coast. It is, however, reasonable to believe they moved between 1851 and 1859 because, according to the 1870 Federal Census for San Francisco County,...
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...encouraged to participate in sports and were educated. Aristotle believed that these freedoms weakened the morale of the Spartan state, while Xenophon and Plutarch believed that it benefited the Spartans. The freedoms and equality Spartan women had counters Aristotle’s characterization of a “good wife” in his story “On a Good Wife.” Aristotle, who lived in Athens for the majority of his life, depicts the ideal wife as a wife that is ruled over by her husband. Athenian women were considered inferior when compared to men. As a result of this, Athenian women had fewer rights than their Spartan counterparts. The general purpose of Athenian women was to bear children, take care of the children, and obey her husband. Girls in Athenian society usually did not receive a formal education and were rushed to bear children when they were “ready,” usually in their teens. In contrast, Spartan women were somewhat equal to men. Spartan women were trained and educated, but the Spartan government did not train girls as much as men. The focus for...
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...Alexander the Civilizer or Alexander the Tyrant? THESIS: Alexander the Great was only 20 years old when he became king in 336, BC and, thanks to his father Philip II and to his education under Aristotle, he was a very competent and able commander. He learned early how to ride a horse, use weapons and command troops. He conquered the Greeks and then led them into battle against the Persians. He liberated Egypt. He then defeated Persia and marched his troops across Iran and Afghanistan, and could go no further because he got sick and died. According to most accounts, he was intelligent, handsome, and a successful military leader, one who cared about his men and paid attention to even the lowest soldier. He respected his enemies by giving them glorious funerals (Darius of Persia) and/or awarding them large expanses of territory after defeating them (King Porus of Paurava). He is credited with playing a huge part in the spread of Greek culture into all the regions he conquered, leading to a flourishing of trade, cultural diversity, art and architecture, education, philosophy, math and science up until the rise of the Roman Empire. By some accounts his quests reached as far north as the Arctic Ocean and as far east as China and he died at the age of 33. Despite all of his accomplishments, both contemporary historians and historians through the ages have seen Alexander in a different light. In this light, Alexander's military prowess were only possible due to the actions...
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...returned home victorious, he became aware of a company of women clad in black who knelt at the side of the highway, shrieking. The oldest of the women asked Theseus for pity. She told him that she was once the wife of King Cappaneus who was destroyed at Thebes, and that all of the other women lost their husbands. Creon, the lord of the town, had simply tossed the dead bodies of the soldiers in a single pile and refused to burn or bury them. Theseus swore vengeance upon Creon, and immediately ordered his armies toward Thebes. Theseus vanquished Creon, and when the soldiers were disposing of the bodies they found two young knights, Arcite and Palamon, two royal cousins, not quite dead. Theseus ordered that they be imprisoned in Athens for life. They passed their time imprisoned in a tower in Athens until they saw Emelye in a nearby garden. Both fell immediately in love with her. Palamon compared her to Venus, and prayed escape from the prison; similarly, Arcite claimed that he would rather be dead than not have Emelye. The two fight over her, each calling the other a traitor. This happened on a day in which Pirithous, a prince and childhood friend of Theseus, had come to Athens. Pirithous had known Arcite at Thebes, and at his request, Theseus set Arcite free on the promise that Arcite would never again be seen in Theseus' kingdom. He now had his freedom, but not the ability to pursue Emelye, and lamented the cruelty of fate. Palamon, however, envied Arcite, since he did now have...
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...The Spartans also took part in the practice of freedom and independence involving women. However they commenced by taking it a step further, this was acknowledged in an article from, an informative historical database, Spartan women states, "While the job of a Spartan man was to become a good soldier, the job of a woman was to produce good soldiers… [According to the] founder of Sparta's constitution, Lycurgus…[stated] that for women to bear strong children... [They] were to be educated and engage in vigorous athletic training just as men did, and those strong women [that could endure] would then bear strong children". As adults, women were, also free to control property and be creative as well as continue to share the same beliefs as their society to become stronger warriors. The whole purpose of Spartan society and culture was that the youth were strong, which would lead to a strong nation in return. Spartan children were drastically different from neighboring Greek city-states and themselves. The boys went to military school and learned training techniques, whereas the girls received the same training along with an impressive educational...
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... illustrating the importance of the gods and religion to the Spartan military. Religion was considered to be a personal experience, to be practiced by the common man on a daily basis. Thus, it comes as no surprise to read in the historical works of the period that the people also relied on religion to aid them in military matters. Robert Parker states that “The power of prophecy, the sanctity of sanctuaries and festivals, the threat of divine punishment are all distinctive features of the Spartan religion.” This portrays the effect of religion in different aspects of life and the consequences from the gods if you don’t follow the rituals and the traditions. It is believed that this is first of many connections that were made between religion and warfare in ancient Greece, and the importance of religion in Spartan warfare. Religious traditions were supposed to involve everyone in Sparta according to Lycurgus reforms. Everyone had a role in religious festivals even the kings; kings had one of the major roles in Spartan society, they ruled the country and also participated in religious festivals. This is evident Xenophon’s writing as it states “The king first sacrifices while still at home to Zeus the leader and the gods associated with him. If he gets a good omen here, the first-carrier takes fire from the altar and leads the way to the borders of the land. The king sacrifices there too to Zeus and Athena.” This source emphasises the role of kings in major traditions and festivals...
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...all 10 lines within the table, each row will expand as you type in your information. Similarity/Difference | Greek Culture | Roman culture | Art | Pottery, Figurines, Monumental sculpture | Greek and Roman culture are pretty much the same since the Romans copied the Greek in a sense. | government | Greece is made up of independent states/kingdoms. For example Sparta is a military based kingdom they would train their young how to fight from an early age. | The Roman government is what we have today. Politicians representing certain parts of the country. Their governors had more power then what are governors have today. | Military leaders | Dionysius, Pericles, Themistocles, Aristides, Cimon,Cleisthenes, Draco, Epaminondas, Lycurgus, Lysander | The most famous of the military leaders is Alexander Great who was also the leader of the Roman Empire. | architect | The Greek architecture was mostly cube and rectangle in shape since most of their buildings were made out of stone. Their statues were of their gods or very important people. | The Romans adopted the Greek architecture and used it themselves with some changes. | religion | Greek people recognized the major gods and goddesses: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Hermes, Heracles, and a few others these are...
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...In Athens, arts were practiced with what seems to be little restriction. Athenians could practice such arts as crafting, wood working, or painting at their discretion. Sparta functioned quite differently. In Sparta, a Spartan reformer named Lycurgus enacted laws that banned the practice of needless arts. Insisting that Spartans should instead focus and improve the arts that are vital to flourishing. These would be making "bedsteads, chairs, and tables, and such like staple utensils in a family" (Plutarch). After this Spartans produced works used in daily life at a higher caliber. A Greek historian by the name of Plutarch described how Spartans produced simple items such as cups with great design. Soldiers greatly enjoyed the cups made in Sparta, the cups were designed in a way that the drinker would get the purest drinking water while dirt and mud would get stuck to the sides of the cup. This is just one example of how the culture of the city-state shaped even how women practiced the arts they spent their day...
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...held their own, and were trained just as hard as the men. Spartan girls were not brought up to perform such tasks as spinning and weaving – these tasks were fit only for slaves – but partook in a certain amount of physical training with the boys (although they were excluded from military training), took part in various singing and dancing competitions, played instruments and recited poetry.[1] Spartan women were very unique in the ancient world, particularly in the areas of education and training, their roles and positions in Spartan society and their place in public life. EDUCATION AND TRAINING The women of Sparta were highly valued and respected, particularly for their roles as mothers and nurses. Spartan women also had a reputation for fitness, physical beauty and a strong, independent character. The purpose of a girl’s education in Sparta was to produce healthy bodies, so that, according to Lycurgus, ‘the fruit they conceived might take firmer root and find better growth, so that they, with this greater vigour, might be more able to undergo with the pains of childbearing’.[2] According to Plutarch, the girls were organised into bands, similar to the boys groups. He also states that they sometimes exercised together in a large group, participating in such sports as running and wrestling. The girls exercised with the boys to not only increase their physical resilience and make them tougher, but also to encourage competitiveness and equality, and to promote the...
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