JCC: Sparta Chair: Bobby Montesano 1
2 Table of Contents 3. Letter from Chair 4. Members of Committee 7. Committee Background 9. Current Situation
3 Letter from the Chair: Dear delegates, My name is Bobby Montesano and I am the chair of the JCC Spartan Committee. I am a senior here at Lyons Township, and have been involved in Model UN since my sophomore year. I am very excited for this committee, as I am a big fan of history and love debating historical topics. In their fight against the Athenians, Sparta faced a variety of choices including what strategies to use, how to support the war economically, and how to build a post war empire. I would like to see delegates in this committee strive toward specific goals, with the leaders in the committee setting these goals and moving the group towards them. Since this is a historical committee, I would love to see the delegates get into the topics and see good debate throughout the sessions. Since this is a crisis committee, I will be looking for the delegates who can be flexible in their strategies and adapt throughout the committee in order to further themselves and the spartan committee as a whole. I prefer the position papers to be emailed to me before the committee, but I will also accept the hard copies the day of. If you have any questions or concerns, don t hesitate to contact me at mon503278@student.lths.net and I will get back to you as soon as possible. I look foreword to an awesome committee and I will see you all at LYMUN! -Bobby Montesano
4 Positions: Aeolus-You were chosen by the farmers of Sparta to represent them. You grew rich of from heavily using the labor of the lower class, the Agoge, but have grown very rich and powerful from it. You were included in this committee to keep the army fed and well supplied during the war Zenon-You are the commander of half of the spartan army, and favor a direct and aggressive strategy to deal with Athens quickly and effectively. You have given your entire life to Sparta, and you are willing to do anything to see Sparta become a superpower. You must rely on Lysander, however, because half of the Spartan army will not win the war. Pausanias- As a former soldiers, you were renowned for your fighting ability as well as your courage and bravery. You took up training the next generation of soldiers, and have are well respected by the soldiers of the Spartan Army. You have some influence over the moral of the troops, and can sway the loyalties of some of the troops.. Lysander- You control the other half of Sparta's main military body, but are more in favor of a tentative and careful approach. Years of military service has made you weary of rushing headfirst into battle. You must work to restrain Zenon, as he controls the other half of the Spartan army. Gylippus- You have been appointed the Naval commander of the Spartan Navy. Since there is a huge lack of any naval force, all maritime affairs have been left to you. If the committee decided to take a naval approach, you will oversee all affairs.
5 Urian- As a rich merchant, you want to see a peaceful resolution to the war. You have made a living off maritime trade, and do not want to see your business threatened by Athenian naval power. You have a good amount of trading ships at your disposal. Andor- You have been selected as the representative of the Helots, the working class of the Spartan society. The Helots are usually on the front lines of every battle during war, and you want to protect your fellow workers. Nisus- You control the purse of Sparta. The committee can pass directives to allocate funds as the committee chooses, but you have considerable control over the funds pretty much the rest of the time. You are not in favor of this war, because it could mean bankruptcy for Sparta. Don t get too crazy as wild spending will anger the general council of elders, and could get you removed. Thomas- The Foreign ambassador to Corinth. You have very strong ties to the Corinthian government, and have sway over the alliance between the two states. Your job is to strengthen the alliance, and provide much needed support from that country. Ophira Kosta- The only woman in the cabinet. You are a model of what a Spartan woman should be: the embodiment of independence, strength, and loyalty to Sparta. The entire city state sees you as a respected figure. You have been given control of the home front, and oversee keeping moral high and resupplying the troops on the front lines. Arcadicus- You oversee keeping ties between members of the Peloponnesian league strong, as well as finding new allies to support our cause in the war. Your charisma and persuasive abilities are useful tools in finding new friends.
6 Sebasten- You have traveled the world in search of the best fighting techniques, and want to bring new weapons and technology to get an edge over the Athenians. The council has allocated enough money to you to start a few projects, but a bigger endeavor will require the approval of the cabinet. Parthenios- Spymaster. You have a few spies at your disposal, but to infiltrate the Athenian city will take a considerable amount of planning. Otherwise, you can collect intel on troop movements, battle plans, etc. if you are careful... Creon- A rich merchant. Although war can be bad for business, you have a considerable amount to gain, as you control most of the metal mines that supply Sparta. You are known to be a greedy man, who will do anything to make a profit. VasyItso- You are the head priest of Sparta. You have been renowned for your public speaking skills, and some even believe you can talk to Apollo himself. The people and soldiers of Sparta will look to you for relief and blessings in the unstable times.
7 Background: Sparta has a long history of military training and conquest. The city state is located in southern Greece, around the area of Peloponnese. According to the mythology of Sparta, the city was founded by Lacedaemon, a son of the Greek God Zeus, who named the city after his wife Sparta. The city state's very foundation is built upon conquest. Even before they were fully established as a city state, the Spartans started right away on the conquest of their neighboring tribes. Due to the city of Sparta's geographical placement, being located on top of the Taygetan plane, the early Spartans could focus on their outward expansion, and did not have to worry about fortifying their city state. They fought against the Argive Dorians to the east and southeast, as well as the Arcadian Achaeans to the northwest. The Spartans rose to power during the Greek wars against the Persians. The Spartans distinguished themselves as a formidable land-fighting force, in battles such as the famous Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans held off the massive Persian army, until they were finally
8 encircled and killed. During these Persian Wars, the Spartans had always been considered the De Facto leader of the combined "Greek" army, but it was not until after the "Persian invasion of Greece" that Athens rose to dominance. Athens led a coalition of Greek city states in a continued campaign against the Persians, allowing it to increase its influence over more area, eventually having control over all of Greece except for Sparta and it's allies. Tensions Rise Tensions between the two city states first started to show directly after the wars with Persia, when Athens rebuilt a wall that separated Sparta from Athens. Although the Spartans did not object, there was some resentment in the Spartan council of elders. Tensions continued to rise when a revolt broke out in Sparta. Sparta requested troops from all their allies, but refused any Athenian troops, due to a fear that they would switch sides and support the Helots. Fighting eventually broke out between the two city states in the First Peloponnesian war, where Athens allied with Megara against Corinth and Sparta. Although there was some fighting between Athens and Sparta, they more used this war as a sort of proxy war against each other. This war ended with the Thirty Years Peace. The resentment between the two city states remained, however, until the second Peloponnesian war. Spartan Culture The Spartan government was an oligarchy, ruled by two kings. The kings were equal in power and status, and were hereditary from the Agiad and Eurypontid families. The jobs of the kings were mostly religious, judicial and military. They acted as the heads of the church and decided court cases. While at war, they were generals with almost unlimited power. The Ephor is the next level of government below the king. A group of five annually elected officials shared power with
9 the king. The council of elders, known as the Gererosia, consisted of a group of 28 elders over the age of 60, elected for life. Spartan citizenship was not a trait of every person in the Spartan territory. To be a citizen, you must go through the spartan form of education known as the Agoge. In order to receive the Agoge, however, you must be able to trace your familie's past to original inhabitants of the city. The peri koi were non-citizens, but were still free. Helots were the slave class of Spartan society, but were treated well in comparison to the slaves of some other city states in Greece. Military training was extensive in Spartan society. Spartan boys would leave at the age of seven to start their training to be a full time spartan soldier. This led to a very elite and welltrained fighting force being available at all times. This was a huge factor in making Sparta a dominant power in the region, and the main competitor of Athens. Current situation The year is 431 B.C. Sparta and its allies in the Peloponnesian League have declared war on Athens and her allies in the Delian League due to the peace broken by the Athenians in the Megarian Decree. Sparta has called upon all its allies, including Corinth, to join in her fight against the rich and vastly sea powered Athens. The two kings of Sparta, Pleistoanax and Archidamus II. Have called upon a council of advisors during the war that include members from all parts of society. The good news about the war is that Sparta does not need to worry about raising or training an army. The entire male population, or close to it, are professional soldiers who have waited their whole life to go to war. Saying this, there are problems of those who will watch the homeland while the soldiers are away.
10 Although Sparta does have one of the strongest land forces in the world, there is always the looming disaster of a slave uprising while the military is away. In past conflicts, the military has been only used in short bursts in order to return home quickly to keep rebellion under control. Although extended military campaigns could prove fruitful in the war against Athens, it is important to find some way to pacify the slave rebellion back home. In the past, Spartan kings have mobilized these helots and actually used them in battle. If the council chooses to do this however, there will have to be a plan to continue to maintain a food supply back home. On the other hand, there was also a helot revolt just over 20 years ago in 460 B.C. which has left some resentment in their growing population. Be careful when dealing with these members of our society, as although they have a low social class, the have proven in the past to be a nasty thorn in the Spartan side. Another problem to consider is how to triumph over the Athenians when our armies are so different. The Athenians have built their empire by ruling over small islands and colonies all around Greece and its neighbors, with almost none of it having easy access by land to Greece
11 proper. This created a huge navy, letting the Athenians dominate and collect tribute from their sea bound neighbors. The Spartans on the other hand have shaped their entire male population to be the most skilled land fighting army in the world. Although both sides are very strong in their own way, fighting and winning decisive victories will be tough for both sides. Sparta needs to find a way to strike at the potential weakness of the Athenian army, or find a way to swiftly take out their navy. As a council, you can also work with your allies. Corinth is a very strong power in Africa, so if Sparta could tap into our allies' strength and possibly form a navy that can contend with the Athenians, we could wipe out Athens strength and gain a total victory over that city states. It takes a lot of time and money, however, to organize our allies into an effective plan and then execute, time which the Athenians could already cut us off by sea from all our allies. Sparta must find a way to use our allies effectively in order to win the war, but not lose track of time and have Athens overpower us in the beginning of the war.
12 There are those, however, that wish to see a more diplomatic end to the war. Sending communications to Athens to try and form a truce is also a viable option. One false misstep, however, and you could be seen as a traitor and get yourself killed. On the flip side, relations between Athens and Sparta are at an all-time low, and therefore it would be very difficult to come to terms with the enemy. If a peace was to be made, however, it would ensure that no mass casualties would be lost. Questions to Consider: How should Athens be dealt with? Through peace? War? Other means? How should this council ensure the safety of the home front and while at the same time securing our assets throughout the world? Should Sparta reach out and create new alliances? Bibliography: http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/sparta https://www.livescience.com/32035-sparta.html http://history-world.org/sparta.htm
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