Essay: Explain the main features of the Spartan economy.
Sparta had a policy of maintaining a strictly military state, which meant that Spartans had to exclude from activities like farming and agriculture to trades and craftwork; such activities that perhaps contributed greatly to the economy. Therefore, the importance of the perioikoi and the helots performing such tasks was stressed upon to ensure that Spartans could continue their military training. Land occupied in Sparta was abundant in natural resources such as iron, bronze and flax that allowed Sparta to easily produce equipment and all land was owned by the government, which also allowed the wealth of Sparta to be contained within the state amongst the citizens.
The occupation of land in Laconia and Messenia gave the government of Sparta an area that provided adequate natural resources that were easily converted into tools and gear that were of vital use to the Spartans, both economically and for military purposes. Agriculture was perhaps the core contributor to the economy as large amounts of agricultural products were created, such as food crops, meat, milk and wool. Iron and bronze was readily available to be extracted and transformed into tools of weaponry and armour and could also be made into trade products, which further enhanced the economy. The profusion of natural resources Spartan land offered allowed Spartans to have self-reliance within the state and meant that the Spartans needed to import very few necessities from outside the economy. .
Kleros is the term given to the allotment of land along with helots to a Spartiate at birth. These were state-owned and could not be divided or sold as they were believed to be evenly distributed amongst the citizens, according to Plutarch, and would return into the possession of the state once the Spartiate died or could be inherited within the family among male members. Still, additional land could have been acquired, which was allowed to be sold and therefore, created a few inequalities in land ownership.
Spartan Polis There are five classes in the Spartan social class; the middle three classes are also part of the social economy. ... Their economy didn't depend on chattel slaves, as the other Greek city-states did. ... Spartan women were taught to read and write. ... Any Spartan man could abduct a wife, which leads to many husbands/wives. ... In order to be in the Spartan military, you had to be physically fit. ...
Mitchell (1964, 306) confirms this by stating "So long as Sparta had little or nothing to do with the outside world, so long could it exist in the primitive state of economy". ... The economy had two major bases, the agrarian production of the helots, and the commercial/industrial work performed by the perioikoi. ... The helots were very rebellious and resented their Spartan masters. ... This would thus fuel the economy and appease the resentful Helot population, however, not to an extent that excuses such aggressive methods or sufficiently dampens Helot resentment. ... Despite the rel...
Spartan women were much different in their positions in their society. ... In contrast, Spartan women held roles of agricultural and political powers. ... While the men of Sparta were devoted to military duties as well as other forms of public service, their wives held down the duties demanded of their husbands' estates, controlling wealth and in effect, the entire Spartan agricultural economy. ... It has been popularly quoted that the wife of Spartan King Leonidas was asked why Spartan women were the only women in Greece who "ruled" their husbands. Gorgo replied, "Because...
The Spartan government had two kings and a council of elders who advised the monarchs. ... From child-hood, a Spartan prepared to be part of the military. ... Spartans wanted future soldiers or mothers of soldiers to be healthy. At the age of seven, boys trained for a lifetime in the Spartan military. ... Solon encouraged the export of olive oil and other such products, aiding to the economy. ...
Suspicious and fearful of Athenian power and wealth, the Spartans were not happy with the thirty-year peace they had agreed to. ... The Peloponnesian War started when the Spartans and their allies invaded Attica in the spring of 431 BCE. ... The Spartan constitution was mixed, including elements of democracy, monarchy and oligarchy. ... Unlike the Spartans, who were to a great degree self-sufficient and did not have business dealings with others, the city-state of became wealthy through trade with others, tributes from states that looked to Athens's navy for protection, and a large sla...
A very important part of life is an economy. The Athenian economy was focused around exchange. ... While Athens relied on trading, Sparta's economy depended on mainly farming. ... Spartan women lived the same simple life as Spartan men. ... There are many differences between Athens & Sparta such as differences in government, economy, education, and women and slaves rights. ...
More importantly, Thucydides provides the reader with justification for the Spartan victory that resulted from this conflict. ... As Thucydides argues, the Spartans did a superior job of net assessment in all three of these elements prior to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. ... Archidamus knew that the Athenians were unlikely to fight an infantry-based war (Sparta's area of military expertise), as Athens' culture, military and economy all revolved around its supreme maritime strength. ... However, a delay in actually commencing warfare would aid the Spartan cause. ... The atta...
Their main differences were in lifestyle, economy, and government. ... Athenians and Spartans lived very distinct lifestyles. ... All Spartan boys were trained to be soldiers. Only native-born Spartan males were considered citizens. ... With the abundance of difference in lifestyle, economy and government there was bound to be conflict. ...
The combination of this philosophy, the education of Spartan males, and the discipline of their army gave the Spartans the stability needed to survive in Ancient Greece. The Athenian economy depended on foreign trade and travel. ... However, this law did not affect their economy, which was already self-sufficient. ... At infancy, girls and boys alike were evaluated by the Spartan government. Spartan girls who survived infancy received a public education. ...
