The Spartan Economy Hsc Syllabus Notes
The Spartan Economy
land ownership: agriculture, kleroi, helots o Each Spartan male was allotted an equal plot of land ‘kleros’ with a certain number of helots to work the property for them o Helots allowed Spartans to refrain from work and devote themselves to their military training o This land was either received from the state or inherited, could not be bought or sold o Kleros provided them with food for their families and syssitia o Plutarch tells us that “Lycurgus persuaded the citizens to pool all the land and then redistribute it afresh” o As this promoted equality amongst Spartiates, it allowed them to compete and distinguish themselves in areas such as merit and honour rather than wealth o However there is debate as to whether this system was effective and actually even in place o There is evidence that shows some Spartiates to be wealthier than others thus being inequality o Michell argues that not all kleros were run efficiently, difference in fertility o Many Spartiates had to mortgage their land and accumulated debts o As equality could not be achieved with land ownership, social unrest occurred which led to the decline of Sparta o There was inequality in Spartan society despite Plutarch’s claim that all Spartiates enjoyed land equality (B. Brennan) o Level of debt grew and government became more corrupt as Spartans could bribe ephors for additional and better plots of land o Aristotle also comments that some Spartans had large properties while others had comparatively small ones – further evidence of inequality o Sparta, like most ancient Greek poleis, had an economy heavily based on agriculture and thus land was the most important form of property.
technology: weapons, armour, pottery, bronze, ivory and bone o Iron ore was found in Laconia and copper and tin were imported, to make bronze o Archaeological evidence suggests that the quality of the bronze work was high and was an export of Laconia o The Vix Crater found in
land ownership: agriculture, kleroi, helots o Each Spartan male was allotted an equal plot of land ‘kleros’ with a certain number of helots to work the property for them o Helots allowed Spartans to refrain from work and devote themselves to their military training o This land was either received from the state or inherited, could not be bought or sold o Kleros provided them with food for their families and syssitia o Plutarch tells us that “Lycurgus persuaded the citizens to pool all the land and then redistribute it afresh” o As this promoted equality amongst Spartiates, it allowed them to compete and distinguish themselves in areas such as merit and honour rather than wealth o However there is debate as to whether this system was effective and actually even in place o There is evidence that shows some Spartiates to be wealthier than others thus being inequality o Michell argues that not all kleros were run efficiently, difference in fertility o Many Spartiates had to mortgage their land and accumulated debts o As equality could not be achieved with land ownership, social unrest occurred which led to the decline of Sparta o There was inequality in Spartan society despite Plutarch’s claim that all Spartiates enjoyed land equality (B. Brennan) o Level of debt grew and government became more corrupt as Spartans could bribe ephors for additional and better plots of land o Aristotle also comments that some Spartans had large properties while others had comparatively small ones – further evidence of inequality o Sparta, like most ancient Greek poleis, had an economy heavily based on agriculture and thus land was the most important form of property.
technology: weapons, armour, pottery, bronze, ivory and bone o Iron ore was found in Laconia and copper and tin were imported, to make bronze o Archaeological evidence suggests that the quality of the bronze work was high and was an export of Laconia o The Vix Crater found in