Lesson 3: Athens and Sparta (Ancient Greece)
⚔️ Spartans Build a Military Society
🧒 Boys and Men in Sparta
In Sparta, boys began training as soldiers at age 7! They left home and lived in army camps. Life was hard—they got little food, had to walk barefoot, and were even punished if caught stealing, not for stealing, but for getting caught!
💪 True Story: One boy stole a fox to eat. He hid it under his shirt. Even as it bit him, he stayed quiet so no one would find out. Spartans were trained to be tough and silent.
At age 20, Spartan men joined the army and stayed until age 60!
👩 Girls and Women in Sparta
Spartan girls didn’t fight in wars, but they trained their bodies too. They ran, jumped, and threw javelins. A strong mother, they believed, could raise strong sons.
🏋️♀️ Unlike other Greek women, Spartan women had more freedom. They could own land and speak freely at home.
🏛️ Government
Sparta had two kings and a council of elders. The kings led the army, but the elders made important decisions. There were also elected officials who kept the kings in check.
🧠 Athenians Admire the Mind
👦 Boys and Men in Athens
In Athens, boys learned reading, writing, math, music, and public speaking. At 18, they began military training, but only for two years.
🎭 Fun Fact: Athenian boys studied poetry and drama. They loved telling stories and performing plays. One boy could grow up to be a soldier, a teacher, or even a philosopher like Socrates!
👧 Girls and Women in Athens
Athenian girls stayed home. They learned how to cook, clean, and take care of children. They were not allowed to vote or go to school.
🚫 Limited Rights in Athenian Society
Only free men born in Athens could be citizens. Women, slaves, and people from other cities had no political rights.
⚖️ Athenian women couldn’t even go to the theater without a male relative!
⚔️ Sparta and Athens Fight
📈 Athenian Power
After the Persian Wars, Athens grew rich and powerful. They built a strong navy and created the Delian League, an alliance of city-states. But Athens started bossing others around, and Sparta didn’t like it.
⚔️ The Peloponnesian War
In 431 BCE, war broke out between Athens and Sparta. This was called the Peloponnesian War. It lasted 27 years! Sparta had a strong army, but Athens had a strong navy.
😷 Sad Story: A terrible plague hit Athens during the war. One-third of the people died, including Pericles, their leader.
In the end, Sparta won, but both cities were weakened.
🏚️ Fighting Among the City-States
After the war, Greek city-states fought with each other. This made it easier for a new power to rise later—Macedonia, led by Alexander the Great!
📘 Summary
Sparta was all about strength and discipline. Boys trained for war; girls trained to stay strong.
Athens loved learning, arts, and democracy, but gave fewer rights to women and foreigners.
The two city-states fought a long war, and both lost power.