society+in+greece

__Society in Athens and Sparta __ __Athens __ The people of Athens were classified in three social categories: citizen (Adult men), Freemen (women and foreigners), and slaves. The life of a woman in Athens was to generally stay at home, tend to the house, the slaves and anything else that needed to be done. However women were allowed to leave the home and visit others in their homes, as well as attend events such as festivals, wedding, parties, etc. If a family was especially poor and could not afford a slave for labor, the women would sometimes work outside on the field or alongside the husband if he worked at home. Citizens were expected to be at the meetings of the Ecclesia serve and serve as a juror in court from time to time. A popular place where many citizens would socialize is the agora, which was a marketplace. Many Athenians were involved in many activities for example, discussion groups, poetry writing, plays, and anything else to make their lives more interesting, not to mention there fashionable style and hair, which they would wear often. Athenians not only believed in education of the mind, but in the body as well. Boys would got to school from the age of 7 to either 14 or 18, depending on whether or not a student wanted to continue his learning or not. In school they learned how to read and write, they studied music and learned about their religion through Greek mythology. Aside from learning they would also participate in physical activities such as wrestling, running, and other sports. If a student chose to seek higher education, they could turn to Plato, or his student, Aristotle, who taught at the Lyceum. Women weren’t formally educated, but if from a wealthy family her parents could hire a tutor.

__Sparta __ Sparta’s main focus was maintain a powerful military force, and with that being said, they needed their armies to be the best of the best. When babies were born, they were examined at birth. If they appeared healthy, they would be given to a nurse to care for them instead of a mother. If they appeared weak or disabled however, they would be left on the hills to die. After 7 years, the children would be then grouped by an instructor, who was usually very harsh and used physical punishment to harden to boys. They would engage in many activities to prepare them for the army, while also teaching obedience, one of the most important characteristics of a good soldier. Women could not join the army, yet they still made sure to be in good shape, because the healthier they were the more likely the healthier the baby would be if she should have one. They also competed in sporting events and exercise, and even when they were pregnant they would still participate in physical activity. Marriage was of utmost importance to the Spartans, as marriage, essentially, produced babies, which would be the brand new generation of the Spartan army. It was considered “the most noblest duty of the free” by Spartans. Like most other civilizations at that time, women were not allowed to be involved with the politics of Sparta.