Lec 8: Sparta--Brawn

Vocabulary flashcards covering Spartan history, governance, social classes, the Agoge, and the Peloponnesian League based on the provided lecture source.

Spartiates

Full Spartan citizens and full-time elite soldiers who occupied the highest level of Spartan society, initially numbering 5,000.

Perioikoi

Meaning 'those who dwell around'; free non-citizen inhabitants of the countryside surrounding Sparta who worked as farmers and craftsmen with helots laboring on their land.

Helots

Unfree, state-owned slaves tied to the land who lacked human rights and were subjected to constant discrimination and harsh treatment by Spartans.

Laconia

The territory and geographical region directly surrounding the city of Sparta.

Messenia

The neighboring region conquered by Sparta around 736 BCE, whose entire population was forced into slavery as helots.

Lykourgos

The mythical Spartan lawgiver who authored The Great Rhetra around 800 BCE to prevent oligarchy and reshape Spartan society.

The Great Rhetra

The foundational Spartan constitution and reform plan attributed to Lykourgos that mandated equal land distribution, iron currency, common messes, and military regulation.

Iron Currency

The system of iron coinage established under The Great Rhetra to replace gold and silver, reinforcing social equality among Spartans.

Spartan Messes

Mandatory common dining hall groups where Spartan men ate, practiced, and trained together, serving as a key marker of maturity and equality.

Black Broth

The uniform, standard meal consumed by all Spartans inside their common messes.

Agoge

The rigorous, state-mandated training and educational system designed to prepare Spartan boys for military life and Spartan girls for physical fitness and childbirth.

Spartan Kings

Two hereditary monarchs at the top of Spartan society who led military campaigns and directed religious matters.

Council of Elders

A Spartan governing body composed of 28 elected men alongside the two Kings that drafted policies and proposed laws.

Assembly

The body of full Spartan citizens that voted on policies proposed by the Council of Elders, though its decisions could be overturned by the Kings and Elders.

Ephors

Five officials elected annually by the Assembly for one-year terms who possessed the authority to check executive power and impeach Elders or Kings.

Peloponnesian League

An alliance of Peloponnesian city-states led by Sparta whose members swore to 'have the same friends and enemies, and to follow the Spartans wherever they lead'.

Spartan Mirage

The romanticized concept and idealized reputation of Spartan society and military perfection held by outside ancient and modern observers.

Molon Labe

The famous Greek phrase meaning 'come and take them', given by the Spartans when demanded by the Persians to yield their weapons.

Tyrtaeus

An ancient Greek elegiac poet whose works praised Spartan martial prowess, steadfastness in the battle line, and self-sacrifice for the city.

Helot Execution Rite

A graduation test during the Agoge where young Spartiates had to kill a helot as proof of readiness before being admitted into a mess.