New
New
Year 4

Sparta's rivalry with Athens

I can compare Sparta to Athens and tell the story of their rivalry.

New
New
Year 4

Sparta's rivalry with Athens

I can compare Sparta to Athens and tell the story of their rivalry.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Sparta was very different to Athens. Sparta conquered nearby Messenia to gain farmland.
  2. Sparta’s government was a council of 30 men: 28 elders who limited the power of two kings, who led the army.
  3. Between 431-404 BCE Sparta fought the Peloponnesian War against Athens to win power over Greece, with Sparta winning.
  4. Women and enslaved people did all the rest of the work; women could own land but could not vote.
  5. Spartan culture was militaristic; boys left home at an early age to train for the army which they only left aged 60.

Common misconception

That all city-states in Ancient Greece had the same structure, and the people in each state had the same roles and values. That the city-states were peaceful and lived happily alongside each other.

Although there were some similarities across Ancient Greece, each individual city-state had differences. Societies in Athens and Sparta were very different. Sometimes, the city-states fought each other for the right to rule over all of the lands.

Keywords

  • Sparta - Sparta was a militaristic city in the southern part of Ancient Greece

  • Militaristic - a culture or society is described as militaristic when war and fighting are important to it

  • Council - a council is a group of people who gather to make decisions and discuss important things

  • Peloponnesian War - the Peloponnesian War was a war fought between Athens and Sparta over who would dominate Ancient Greece

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
In Ancient Greece, what were Athens, Sparta and Corinth?
countries
armies
Correct answer: city-states
councils
Q2.
What happened at the Pnyx in Athens?
Correct answer: The Assembly met once a month.
There was a weekly market.
There were shows and performances.
The army did their training.
Q3.
Match the keywords to the definitions.
Correct Answer:enslaved person,someone owned by someone else who forces them to work with no pay

someone owned by someone else who forces them to work with no pay

Correct Answer:council,a group of 500 men that looked after the city business in Athens

a group of 500 men that looked after the city business in Athens

Correct Answer:army,people who have the job to defend a country on land usually in war

people who have the job to defend a country on land usually in war

Correct Answer:farmer,someone who makes a living growing crops or rearing animals

someone who makes a living growing crops or rearing animals

Q4.
Which people did each of these things in Athens?
Correct Answer:spoke in the Assembly,men

men

Correct Answer:owned property,men

men

Correct Answer:gave orders to enslaved people,men and women

men and women

Correct Answer:bought goods,men and women

men and women

Correct Answer:wove cloth and made clothes,women

women

Correct Answer:carried out their owners' wishes,enslaved people

enslaved people

Q5.
Complete the sentence. Athens is situated at the coast, so it made a lot of money from trading by .
Correct Answer: seafaring, Seafaring
Q6.
Complete the sentence with a single word. Athens is where began.
Correct Answer: democracy

6 Questions

Q1.
How many kings did Sparta have?
0
Correct answer: 2
4
6
Q2.
Which of these best describes the location of Sparta?
on the coast
Correct answer: by a river
near a lake
in a desert
Q3.
Complete the sentence. In Sparta, were sent to train as soldiers at the age of 7.
Correct Answer: boys
Q4.
Who could be part of the council in Sparta?
men or women
Correct answer: men over 60
women over 60
men of any age
Q5.
Which statements describe Sparta and which describe Athens?
Correct Answer:Women could own property here.,Sparta

Sparta

Correct Answer:This place was ruled by kings.,Sparta

Sparta

Correct Answer:At school, children learned to fight.,Sparta

Sparta

Correct Answer:The first democratic society was here.,Athens

Athens

Correct Answer:Men took part in the Assembly.,Athens

Athens

Correct Answer:Fought in the Peloponnesian War,Sparta and Athens

Sparta and Athens

Q6.
What weapon did women in Sparta learn to use?
Correct Answer: javelin, Javelin

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