Athens and Sparta: A Comparative Study Practice Flashcards

Shift in Political Power (mid $700$ s):
- The position of the Basileus (king) was eliminated.
- The Basileus was replaced by officials known as Archons.
- The Council of the Areopagus: A high court and governing council composed of former Archons who served for life.
- The Ecclesia: Known as the assembly of citizens.
Limitations on Political Participation:
- Governance was not universal; participation was strictly limited.
- Excluded groups included Metics (resident aliens) and women.
Dominance of the Aristoi (The Aristocracy):
- Basis of Wealth: Economic power was derived entirely from agriculture, specifically the ownership of limited available farmland.
- Debt Slavery: A system where citizens who could not pay their debts were forced into slavery to their creditors.
- Institutional Control: The Aristoi dominated the Council of the Areopagus and the judiciary.
- Legal System: Prior to written codes, laws were oral and managed by the Aristoi, who controlled the courts. Criminal law was largely based on the concept of the blood feud, where justice was a private matter of vengeance between families.

Rise to Power: Draco came to power as a tyrant during a period of social instability.
First Written Law Code: He is credited with writing the first formal Greek law code, which was intended to replace oral traditions and blood feuds.
Draconian Punishment: The code was notoriously harsh, prescribing capital punishment (death) for almost every offense, regardless of the severity of the crime. This led to the term "Draconian" to describe excessively severe laws.
Codification of Debt Slavery: Draco established debt slavery as a formal legal institution rather than just a social practice.

A New Basis for Participation: Solon shifted the requirement for political participation from birthright (aristocratic lineage) to wealth. This allowed non-noble wealthy individuals to enter government.
Citizenship Expansion: Citizenship was granted to many Metics.
Legal and Social Reforms:
- Solon repealed Draco's harsh punishments.
- New laws were inscribed on wooden tablets and displayed in the Acropolis for public transparency.
- Seisachtheia: Solon abolished all existing debts and prohibited the practice of debt slavery entirely.
Economic and Grain Reforms:
- Attica suffered from a grain shortage. Solon banned the exportation of grain to ensure the local population was fed.
- Olive Cultivation: To create a new export market, landowners were encouraged to convert fields to olive groves. While the Aristoi initially lost money during the transition period, they eventually became wealthier than before.
- Mercantile Powerhouse: Athens began importing grain, which facilitated its transition into a dominant mercantile and trade-based economy.

Military Evolution:
- Hoplites: Citizen-soldiers equipped with heavy armor and shields.
- Phalanx: A tactical formation where soldiers stood close together, creating a wall of shields.
- Political Implications: Because citizens were now equal on the battlefield and vital to the defense of the polis, they demanded political equality. Being "equal in battle" led to being "equal in politics," granting them the right to participate in public debate.
- Pederasty: Mentioned as a social/educational practice within the context of military and civic bonding.
Cleisthenes ( $508$ ):
- Regarded as the Father of Athenian Democracy.
- He expanded residency-based citizenship to almost everyone living in the region.
- He significantly lowered the property requirements for holding the office of Archon.
- Council of $500$ : Established a representative council to manage administrative affairs.
- Ten Demes: Reorganized the population into ten administrative units (demes) to break the traditional power of aristocratic clans.

Geographic and Cultural Context:
- Located in Laconia in the Peloponnese.
- Possessed excellent farmland.
- The people were known as Lacedaemonians.
Lycurgus ( $\text{mid 750s}$ ):
- A legendary or potentially mythical figure credited with implementing dramatic reforms that transformed Spartan society.
Spartan Political Structure:
- Kings: Sparta was ruled by two kings who shared power. Their primary roles were leading the army in times of war and performing religious ceremonies.
- Ephors: A group of five officials who held executive power and oversaw the kings.
- Gerousia: A council of elders (men over age $60$ ) who proposed legislation.
- Assembly: A body of citizen-warriors who voted on proposals.
Social and Economic Equality:
- The Lycurgian reforms aimed for economic equality among Spartan citizens (Spartiates), though political hierarchy and inequality remained.
- Helots: A large population of state-owned serfs or slaves who performed all agricultural labor, allowing Spartan citizens to focus exclusively on military training.

Eugenics: The Spartan state practiced selective breeding and infant inspection to ensure only the physically strongest survived.
The Agoge System:
- Age $7$ : Boys were sent to a state-run military academy where they were taught survival skills and combat.
- Age $18$ - $20$ : Young men had to prove their ability to enter the regular military. Once accepted, they lived and ate in communal mess halls with their fellow soldiers ("brothers").
- Age $30$ : Spartans were permitted to marry and establish a family, though they remained in the military reserve untilage $60$ .
The Spartan Paradox:
- Spartans did not have to perform manual labor due to the Helots, allowing them to train constantly.
- Despite being the most formidable military force, Sparta often hesitated to conquer all of Greece, largely due to the internal fear of a Helot revolt while the army was away.
- The Question of Democracy: The debate remains whether Sparta, with its Assembly and elected Ephors, can be classified as a form of democracy or if its rigid social structure makes it a strict oligarchy.