Iglesias



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Ancient Greek clothing was usually the same article of clothing for both men and women but they were worn differently. For both of them it was a basic two pieces of clothing. They had either a peplos or chiton tunic and a cloak. Chiton is a light material like linen that would be a floor length garment. The chiton would be worn in a tunic like manner. For men the chiton could be knee length or shorter because of the exercise and hard labor they had to do. They also needed to be able to ride horses which would be difficult in a full length garment. For women to be conservative during the time period they must have had longer tunics to be proper and respectful. Peplos is heavy fabrics like wool that is a rectangle wrapped around your torso ending at the floor, just like the chiton. It’s just an extra warm tunic. Then they have a cloak for a layer which is basically a heavy cloth draped over one shoulder. Both men and women wear sandals or slippers or boots. The peplos is the same for both because it’s a tunic like the chiton. The cloak is the same for both it’s a layer and not significant to the way it is worn. The shoes are also not as important if they are different because they don’t need different shoes. Women also wore shawls sometimes. They used them to cover themselves up.

Social Equality In Sparta

Sparta’s overall social equality was more advanced and equal than in Athens. Women in Sparta had more independence than in Athens. In Sparta women had a few rights in the government. Which is more than women in Athens could say. The women in Athens had none. This made the women in Sparta able to do things that the women in Athens could not like leaving their homes. The women in Athens were hardly seen outside the home. This is showing how they are tied down to the homes because they were housewives in Athens. The women in Athens could not be independent like in Sparta. In Sparta the women could go wherever they wanted because they weren’t housewives. The role of women in Sparta was more equal to men than in Athens. Athens’ women were kept at home with no participation in sports or politics while in Sparta women could. The women of Sparta weren’t involved with politics but they had rights because they were more independent and respected as equals. Athenian women were in charge of spinning, weaving and other domestic arts while Sparta women were not. In Sparta, the domestic arts were left to the lower classes to do. Arts weren’t as important in Sparta because fighting was considered more important which didn’t leave time for weaving. During war, when the husband was away the Sparta women were left in charge of the property and in Athens the husbands wouldn’t leave. All the training the women in Sparta received, they needed it. They had to take the role of their husbands which is equal, when the husbands were away.

Girls in Sparta were also more educated than in Athens. The girls in Sparta were educated in reading and writing. The girls in Athens were not educated unless they were aristocrats children and had tutors. The girls in Sparta being educated at age seven while the girls in Athens weren’t really educated in the same way. The girls of Athens were educated in spinning and weaving and other domestic arts. They learned these things because they did them inside the home, where the women of Athens always were. In addition to reading and writing the girls of Sparta were educated in gymnastics and other athletics. The girls of Sparta were taught these things because women needed to be independent in Sparta and being able to run is a crucial survival skill. The girls in Sparta were taught survival skills while the girls of Athens were not even outside during the day. Knowing survival skills is important to daily life even if you are inside a home, and the girls in Athens didn’t get to learn that.

In the Government of Sparta, they had elements of different kinds but in Athens it was direct democracy. Sparta had kings, overseers, a council or senate, and the Assembly. The mix of different governments worked out well for Spartan government. The Assembly was direct involvement of the Spartan Men. They vetoed or supported Council’s recommendations. This worked because people could say what they felt which is important in government. Athens had the same assembly idea, but the citizens were allowed not just the wealthy. Athens elected officials while Sparta had kings and elected overseers of the kings. The elected officials in Athens carried out the decisions the people made. This way is beneficial to the people because they feel like they are a part of the process. In both Sparta and Athens women did not participate in political life. The only difference is that in Sparta they actually had some rights.

Phidippides The story or myth of Phidippides has made him a hero of Ancient Greece. The story says that [|Phidippides] ran 26 miles to deliver the news of their victory at the Battle of Marathon. He ran the 26 miles and announced the victory and then died on the spot. Phidippides is been named a hero because of the hard work he did. Phidippides‘s story is sometimes called the marathon run because of how far he ran. He ran 250 miles in two days and was said to be able to cover 100 in a day. Unfortunately when he reached Sparta there was a festival going on and the army was busy. But also it now has an impact on our lives now. In honor of Phidippides we have a marathon run, which is 26 miles. Then again some people say it’s not Phidippides where we got a [|marathon] from. People also have written stories about him and poetry. They have written about him because the ancient Greeks had lots of myths and this is one of the more heroic ones.