Sparta (Eunomia)

What is eunomia? What did the Spartan government look like before the First Messenian War (kingship, gerousia, apella, ephors)? When/why did Sparta conquer Messenia? What effect did the conquest have on Sparta? How did the defeat at Hysiai in 669 BC affect the Spartan military; their view of themselves and of the Heroic Code? Their politeia? What does a Greek politeia refer to? What is the key underlying fact of the Spartan politeia? What are the Agoge and the Syssitia? Stages involved in the Agoge? Their training? Relations between individuals? What was the position of women? Their training? Marriage?

• Prior to Solon: What was the Athenian state like before Solon? Colonization? Key terms: Archons, Council of Areopagus, Assembly, Tribes, Phratries. What was the significance of Cylon's attempt at tyranny? What was lawgiver Draco known for?
• Solon: What was the aim of Solons reforms? How different from that of Sparta's? What were his reforms? Especially in regard to: the abolition of debt; the four property classes; the change in the offices; the council of 400; judicial & economic reform,  3 key reforms leading to democracy according to Aristotle
• The Pisistratids: Why did the tyranny arise? How did Pisistratus seize power? What were the important changes Pisistratus made in the Political arena? The religious sphere? The artistic sphere?
• Kleisthenes: What is isonomia?  The tribes: How did he reform the tribes? Why was the change important?  The demes: What was the key power of the demes? What did they replace and why was this important?  The Boule: What was it? Who was in it? How did citizens become part of the Boule? What was its function?  The Assembly: What function did it serve?
• After Kleisthenes: Generals: What was the new system like? Ostracism: what is it? how was it used between 490 and 480? Silver mines: what is the importance of the find of new silver at the mines? how was the silver used? who persuaded the Athenians?

• Ionian Revolt: What was the Ionian revolt?  What Greek mainland states helped the Ionians?  Why was the revolt important for the Greek mainland?
• Marathon:  What happened at Marathon? Why Marathon?  Why was this battle important for the Athenians?
• The Campaign of Xerxes: What preparations did Xerxes make for his invasion?  What was the position of Delphi on the war?  What was the Greek strategy?  What happened at Thermopylae and at Artemisium? What happened at Salamis?  What part did Themistocles play in all this? What happened at Plataea? After Plataea?

• The Delian League: Why was the league formed? Why called Delian? Who was in it? How was it organized? What was its aim? Oath? What did it do?
• Athens and the Delian League: Ways the League changed into an empire? When was the treasury moved to Athens and why? What effect did the Peace in 449 with Persia have? What did Pericles propose after the Peace? Sparta's repsonse and Pericles' reaction?
• Athens and Sparta: What happened in 462 to strain the relations between Athens and Sparta? Effects of the "first" Peloponnesian War and the 30 years peace?
• Athenian Democracy: What were the key changes made by Pericles? What is a liturgy and why is it important at Athens at this time?
• Oikos and Polis: What are the characteristics of the Athenian economy? How did naming of children work at Athens? Marriage: Who decided? Typical age at first marriage? Aim of marriage?  Fidelity? What was the dowry? Epikleros & Anchisteus: what do they refer to & how does the system work? Women in Athens: What did Athenian women do? Where did they stay? When did they go out?
• The Peloponessian War: What started the war? What was Perikles policy in regard to the war? Key problem with his policy? Why were both sides ready for peace in 421? Why did the Athenians send a force to Sicily? The result? What did Sparta do differently in the second phase of the war that eventually spelled success for Sparta? What role did Alcibiades play in all of this? What are sone of the effects of the war--in general and at Athens?
• Fifth Century Architecture: What are some of the key features of the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Propylaia?
• Fifth Century Art: What are the chief characteristics of sculpture during the Classical Age? Examples? What are the key themes portrayed on Greek pottery? On Greek temple sculptures? What images are typically found on coins at this time?

• Herodotus: What are the main points of the stories we have studied? What do the terms koros-hubris-ate mean? Importance?Where do the gods fit in these stories? How is Herodotus the 'father of history'? What focus does his intro to his history reveal?
• Tragedy: What are the origins of tragedy? How is tragedy religious? Mythical? "Form"-al? What are the production circumstances? Details about the festival? Significance of prizes? What is the purpose of the masks? Who and how many acted in the plays?
• Sophocles' Antigone:What is the role of the chorus in Sophocles plays? What are the key images and themes in Antigone? For other questions concerning the play, see class discussion.
• Comedy: What are the origins of Greek comedy? What are the typical features of a Greek Old Comedy?
• Aristophanes Lysistrata:What is the fantastic idea of the play? What view of women and men does the play present? What kind of person is Lysistrata? How is she like a Sophoclean hero or an Homeric hero? What is her motivation? Examples of how the play is an inversion of the norms?
• Thucydides (c.460-400 B.C.)
• Funeral Oration (2.34-46). What are the values of Athens as Thucydides describes them in the funeral oration supposedly delivered in 431/30 B.C.? Why was Athens the "School of Hellas" (2.38-41)? Contrast with Sparta? Position of women?
• Melian Dialogue (p.217-23). What are the arguments that both the Athenians and Melians use? What importance do the Athenians place on expediency and what importance do they place justice? Where do the gods fit in all of this? How do the values the Athenians espouse in their interaction with the Melians in 416 compare to those Pericles articulates in his funeral oration? How and why has Athens changed so dramatically since 431 B.C.?

Possible Essay Questions

1) Politics: Pericles, in part of his funeral oration (Thuc. 2.37-41), implicitly and explicitly praises Athens and critiques Sparta. In your essay examine the points of comparison he makes between the two and argue whether he justly or unjustly praises and critiques. The following quotes may be helpful to point out areas to look at:

If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences (37)

There (our ordinary life), far from exercising a jealous surveillance over each other, we do not feel called upon to be angry with our neighbour for doing what he likes (37)

If we turn to our military policy .... We ... (trust) less in system and policy than to the native spirit of our citizens (39)

In education, where our rivals from their very cradles by a painful discipline seek after manliness, at Athens we live exactly as we please, and yet are just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger. (39)

2) Religion: We have seen that Herodotus followed the system of koros-hubris-ate. Examine two of the following with this in mind: 1. Creon in the Antigone,  2. one or more of the male characters (e.g. the magistrate, the male chorus, or Cinesias) in the Lysistrata, and 3. the Athenians in Thucydides' Melian Dialogue coupled with the outcome of the war.

3) Women: Pericles, in his funeral oration, states "if I must say anything on the subject of female excellence to those of you who will now be in widowhood, it will be all comprised in this brief exhortation. Great will be your glory in not falling short of your natural character; and greatest will be hers who is least talked of among the men, whether for good or for bad" (Thuc. 2.45). Discuss whether two of the following [1. the women in the selections from Herodotus that we read for class, 2. Antigone (in Sophocles' play), and 3. Lysistrata (in Aristophanes' play)] live within the boundaries set by Pericles in his funeral oration. In your conclusion, speculate on what implications, if any, one can derive from the women in these three authors.