HSC Ancient History Year 2017 Mark 96.00 Pages 29 Published Feb 12, 2018 Ancient History - Comprehensive notes on Sparta By Gia (99.3 ATAR)
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) Your notes author, Gia. Gia achieved an ATAR of 99.3 in 2017 while attending Aquinas Catholic College Currently studying Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology) at The University of Sydney Achievements: Dux of the Class of 2017 Achieved a near-perfect score of 99.5% in English Advanced trial HSC All-Rounder Rank 1st in 5/6 subjects Gia says: Hi all! My name is Gia and I graduated with an ATAR of 99.30. Throughout the HSC I always tried to go above and beyond with my study notes, I used innovative notetaking techniques that allowed me to get the most out of my notes while studying. I believe details are crucial in achieving a band six, and as such my notes are all highly comprehensive. I aimed to compile my notes using a number of different sources; school-supplied textbooks, excel study guides, Cambridge study guides, and other students' notes. I hope all of you find my notes helpful in your studies!!
Ancient History Sparta Syllabus Notes The geographical setting, natural features and resources of ancient Sparta What was Greece In Ancient times, Greece was a geographical setting, NOT a unified political politically? unit» Politically, Greece was a collection of independent city-states» These city state shared a common culture, spoke the same language, believed the same myths and worshipped the same gods» However, they jealously protected their independence How did Greek citystates live during the 5 th and 6 th centuries? Why is Sparta s government not easy to categorise? What did rugged mountains help with? Where was the Peloponnese located? What were the 6 regions? Where was Sparta situated? What did Sparta rely on for its wealth? What provided a natural defence? What was the Spartan climate like? What was the soil like at Eurotas? What did rough mountains cut off? How did Sparta manage to survive without an abundance of During the 5 th and 6 th centuries BCE, the Greek city-states lived under a range of political systems, ranging from Tyranny to Oligarchy to democracy Sparta s form of government is not easy to categorise due to its mixed constitution The prevalence of rugged mountains and isolated valleys assisted the development of independent political units The southern part of Greece is a peninsula called the Peloponnese which is connected to the Northern part of Greece by the Corinthian ithsmus which was a land bridge between the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs» In Ancient times, the Peloponnese consisted of six regions: Archaea, Elis, Messenia, Lakonia, Argolis ad Arcadia Sparta was situated in central Lakonia, in the fertile valley of the Eurotas river (the plain of Sparta) While it was located in Lakonia, Sparta relied on Messenia for its wealth as its population was reduced to slavery when it was taken over and its land was easier to cultivate Lakonia was bound by mountains in all directions; Taygetus, Parnon and the Arcadian range which provided a natural defence The Spartan climate was quite severe with very hot summers and very cold winters The soil of the Eurotas plain (the land near the river Eurotas) was fertile and well watered but not as fertile as Messenia Rough mountains cut Sparta off from eastern sea access, limiting sea trade Sparta was not blessed with an abundance of natural resources, but once it had gained mastery over Messenia to the west, it managed to survive without any reliance on external trade and colonial acquisition
natural resources? Why did Sparta conquer Messenia? What was quarried from mountains? What did the soil of Eurotas support? What else was cultivated? What grazed on hillsides and what was Sparta well known for? Sparta chose to conquer Messenia rather than develop a trade relationship with them because they wanted to remain self-sufficient and independent RESOURCES: Limestone and marble were quarried from the mountains and wood was obtained from the forests The rich soil of the Eurotas river flood plain was used to support crops such as barley which was a common grain Olives, vines and fruit trees were also cultivated Sheep and goats were grazed on the hill sides; Sparta was known for its goats milk cheese What were some prized / famous resources of Sparta? Spartan wool was of the finest quality and much prized in Greece Bees were kept in numerous hives and Spartan honey was famous Animal hides were tanned and made into sandals and other useful leather items With a port at Gytheum, Sparta had access to fish and seafood What were molluscs used for? The murex mollusc, a shellfish, was harvested to make a prized purple-red dye Significant sites: Sparta What is a polis? A polis a city-state or self-governing community of people What does a polis A polis includes: include?» An acropolis with a fortified stronghold (centre of public life)» A town with a wall» Surrounded by villages and farmland» People of both city and countryside» Way of life political, cultural and economical» Economically self-sufficient» Not too large» Citizens know each other by sight How many suburbs did Sparta consist? What was the acropolis like? THE CITY OF SPARTA: The town was comprised of four suburbs / villages with a fifth village (Amyclae) 6km to the south Although there was an acropolis to the North-East of the town, it was not fortified and shrines / temples were not built
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) Where were shrines and temples? Why was Sparta different to other city-states? What were the 2 areas under Sparta s control? What made communication between the 2 difficult? Who were the Dorians? When did Sparta gain control of Lakonia? Shrines and temples were scattered around the town Unlike other Greek cities, there was no town centre where all social, political, religious and economic activities were focused There were two distinct areas under Sparta s control: Messenia (annexed by Spartans; its people reduced to slavery) and Lakonia Communication between the two areas was not easy due to the difficulty of navigating Taygetus and dangerous sea passages The Spartans were part of a Greek tribe called the Dorians who moved into the Peloponnese at some time in the 11 th century BCE Between 900-750BCE, Sparta gradually gained control of Lakonia When were the Messenian wars? What happened after the Messenian wars? Sparta attacked Messenia in a series of wars known as the Messenian wars:» 1 st Messenian war: 736 716 BCE» 2 nd Messenian war: 645 620 BCE After the Messenian wars:» Revolutionary reorganisation of social and political systems» Sparta adopted their militaristic way of life» New system of law and order established known as Eunomia» People were divided into tribes The issue of Lycurgus (the Great Rhetra) What happened At some point after the Messenian wars, the Spartans undertook a drastic after the Messenian and revolutionary reorganisation of their social and political systems wars? What was established? What were the changes attributed to? When was Sparta s constitution fully developed? What did Lycurgus The whole state became geared towards a militaristic way of life; a new system of law and order known as Eunomia was established Plutarch writes that the new state that emerged at this point was due to a lawgiver known as Lycurgus, who had sought the help of the Delphic oracle Sparta s constitution was fully developed after the 7 th century BCE and was later attributed to the ancestral reformer Lycurgus who according to tradition, had dealt with a social and political crisis by seeking divine guidance From the oracle of the god and Delphi, Lycurgus received a divine