With the Athenian citizen-soldier, we are at once confronted with a remarkable fact. Athenians were liable for military service for no fewer than forty-two years of their lives, from the age of eighteen to sixty (AP, 53, 4).
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How old were soldiers trained in Athens and Sparta?
How Ancient Sparta’s Harsh Military System Trained Boys Into Fierce Warriors. The Greek city-state imposed brutal training and contests that began at age 7. The Greek city-state imposed brutal training and contests that began at age 7.
What age were most Athenian males called up for military service?
Athens had a system of compulsory military service for 18-20-year-olds, but during a war, all male citizens up to the age of 60 could be called up to the armed forces.
Did Athens have soldiers?
The Athenian military was the military force of Athens, one of the major city-states (poleis) of Ancient Greece. It was largely similar to other armies of the region – see Ancient Greek warfare.
How was the Athenian military?
Overview. The Athenian Army was a city-state militia in which every able-bodied, adult, male citizen was obliged to serve. Men were ranked by wealth, and their service obligation reflected their resources.
At what age did Athenians join the military?
Unlike Spartan men, Athenian men didn’t have to devote their whole lives to the army. All men in Athens joined the army, but for only two years. They helped defend the city between the ages of 18 and 20. Older men only had to serve in the army in times of war.
What happens to a Spartan male at age 30?
Those that passed became members of the Spartan military, and lived in barracks with the other soldiers. They were allowed to take a wife, but they weren’t allowed to live with her. At age 30, they became full citizens of Sparta, provided they had served honorably.
When did Sparta conquer Athens?
Peloponnesian War
| Date | 431 – April 25, 404 BC |
|---|---|
| Location | Mainland Greece, Asia Minor, Sicily |
| Result | Peloponnesian League victory Thirty Tyrants installed in Athens Spartan hegemony |
| Territorial changes | Dissolution of the Delian League; Spartan hegemony over Athens and its allies; Persia regains control over Ionia. |
What is a group of Spartans called?
Spartan Society
The population of Sparta consisted of three main groups: the Spartans, or Spartiates, who were full citizens; the Helots, or serfs/slaves; and the Perioeci, who were neither slaves nor citizens.
Did Athens have a volunteer army?
The Persian Empire had a full-time professional army; Athens had a volunteer army.
Who was worse Sparta or Athens?
Sparta is far superior to Athens because their army was fierce and protective, girls received some education and women had more freedom than in other poleis. First, the army of Sparta was the strongest fighting force in Greece.The Spartans believed this made them strong and better mothers.
Who had better soldiers Athens or Sparta?
Sparta was leader of an alliance of independent states that included most of the major land powers of the Peloponnese and central Greece, as well as the sea power Corinth. Thus, the Athenians had the stronger navy and the Spartans the stronger army.
Did Athenian slaves fight in wars?
To defeat Persia, Athens’ upperclass hoplites, “reportedly armed three hundred slaves, probably as hoplites, to fight at the battle of Marathon against the Persians” (Brown 21).
What did Athenians soldiers wear?
His uniform was a linen shirt with metal armour plates on the shoulders. A bronze breastplate covered his chest and stomach, and greaves (shin guards) covered his legs. On his head he wore a bronze helmet with a tall crest. He carried a shield, an iron-tipped spear, and a short sword for use in close combat.
How long did a war between Sparta and Athens once last?
15-year
The Great Peloponnesian War, also called the First Peloponnesian War, was the first major scuffle between them. It became a 15-year conflict between Athens and Sparta and their allies. Peace was decreed by the signing of the Thirty Years Treaty in 445 B.C., effective until 437 B.C., when the Peloponnesian War began.
Did Athens have slaves?
Slaves were the lowest class in Athenian society, but according to many contemporary accounts they were far less harshly treated than in most other Greek cities.Lowest of all slaves were those who worked in the nearby Laurium silver mines – where most quickly perished.
How many ships did Athens have?
400 ships
The fleet was made up of triremes, wooden warships that carried 170 rowers manning three banks of oars. The ships were 100-120 feet long and about 20 feet wide. At her peak, Athens had a fleet of 400 ships, a force requiring close to 80,000 men.
What language did Athens speak?
Ancient Greek
Attic dialect, Ancient Greek dialect that was the language of ancient Athens. Its closest relative was the Ionic dialect of Euboea.
Did Athens have a good military?
Their dramatic victories over the Boiotians and Chalkidians in 506 B.C. led many to attribute Athenian military success to their political system. This notion was greatly enhanced by the extraordinary victory of the Athenian army over the Persians at Marathon in 490 B.C.
Does the Spartan bloodline still exist?
So yes, the Spartans or else the Lacedeamoneans are still there and they were into isolation for the most part of their history and opened up to the world just the last 50 years.
Did the battle of 300 really happen?
Battle of Thermopylae
In the late summer of 480 B.C., Leonidas led an army of 6,000 to 7,000 Greeks from many city-states, including 300 Spartans, in an attempt to prevent the Persians from passing through Thermopylae.Leonidas and the 300 Spartans with him were all killed, along with most of their remaining allies.
