Government and Education
Athenian Government
The city of Athens had a direct democracy which started in 500 B.C.E. Each citizen would vote on different issues to make them laws. Only men who were born into Athens were considered citizens, and not women. There was a group of about 500 men called the Council that met every day to discuss the day-to-day business in government and society. Another larger group called the Assembly met every ten days to debate and vote on the laws that the Council presented. If someone in the Assembly wanted to speak, they were timed with a water clock. The government worked well since Athens was a smaller city and if the men didn’t show up, slaves would gather them with ropes dipped in red paint which made the men embarrassed. The Athenian citizens were proud to take part in the government. Spartan Government Oligarchy was the type of government used in Sparta. They had an assembly, like Athens, but the more important decisions were made by the Council of Elders. The Council of Elders was made up of two kings and twenty-eight other men. They had to be at least sixty years old and once they were, they served for life. The Council of Elders had the real power and the assembly voted yes or no on the laws the council presented. Athenian Education Education in Athens was very important because the city was named after the Greek god of knowledge and wisdom, Athena. The government depended on having good citizens and they believed that producing good citizens was the main purpose of education. Since only boys could become citizens, the girls and boys were educated differently. Boys were taught by their mothers or male slaves, and when they turned about seven years old, they went to public school. They learned reading, writing, arithmetic, and literature. Books were rare, so they memorized everything and used writing tablets to help. Students learned gymnastics and wrestling to strengthen their muscles. They also learned about music and played the lyre. At age eighteen, the boys went into military training. |
Spartan Education
The main purpose of education in Sparta was to produce warriors. Both the girls and the boys went through this process. They learned wrestling, boxing, foot racing, and gymnastics. They were taught to read and write, but it wasn’t the most important thing to them. Instead, being a brave soldier was very important. |