History Of Education In Sparta - Research Paper Example

History Of Education In Sparta I. Introduction A. Ancient Greece Unlike other civilizations of the ear, Ancient Greece was quite developed in terms of facilitation of education to its people. According to Heeren and Bancroft, the education that was provided to the people in Ancient Greece was related to reading, writing and music (277). Although as far as the availability of teachers was concerned, they were only present in larger cities of the state (Heeren and Bancroft 278). The teachers showed a great concern for the morals of youth. In Ancient Greece, the education that students received was based on the funds of the citizens of the state, as government was not held responsible for education of the masses (Heeren and Bancroft 278). As far as physical and bodily education was concerned, it is given to pupil by the support of governmental cooperation to people (Heeren and Bancroft 278). Ancient Greece could be regarded as the centre of education because many well known philosophers, scientists, artists and others came in the forefront historically. B. The foundation of western cultivation Ancient Greece can be looked upon as the most cultivated state among the Western lands. The foundation of Western cultivation can be traced back to Ancient Greece as it was among the three most cultivated lands (Heeren and Bancroft 41). Greece was surrounded by most cultivated lands of the western world due to which, it attracted many foreigners towards it (Heeren and Bancroft 74). II. Description A. History of Sparta 1. The historical changes in Sparta Sparta can be seen as quite transformed in terms of its government, administration, educational system, living standards and other aspects. The citizens of the state are divided into different types. There are serfs, who are peasants and do all the tasks pertaining community (History World). The peasants work so that the other citizens can work as martial personnel. The major job of the citizens is to do get expertise for military purposes. For converting the citizens into military men, the boys are taken from their mothers at the age of seven and are brought up the government (History World). The government takes the responsibility of developing boys into military men. They receive this training till the age of twenty during which, they are kept in harsh circumstances to make them strong for future fights. Boys are not allowed to live at homes while women are allowed. Women also get education like boys so that they can be strong mothers and wives (History World). 2. The society and the social structure Spartans lived a harsh life in order to resist against the hard situations of their lives. They were not allowed to show any interest in monetary transactions but only in a land that was allocated to them (History World). They were not required to farm their land but the slaves that worked under the governmental control farmed the lands that were allocated to the citizens. The citizens were only involved in fighting and safeguarding their states from any tyranny and usurpation. The society and social structure of Sparta was quite different as compared to other states and cities of Greece. Spartan government gave main consideration to the improvement and development of its army and their educational system was basically concerned with military and bodily education. The girls and boys, both were taught in harsh circumstances as to get them ready for future difficulties coming in their lives. B. The education system in Sparta 1. Boys and girls access to education In Sparta, the children were given a brisk military education whether they were boys or girls (Worley 2009). In Sparta, the treatment to the girls and boys was not different. It cannot be said that women were treated inhumanely or as subjugators but as equals to men. Like man, women were also given martial trainings (Holm and Clarke 1902). Education in Sparta was somewhat martial as men and women were given martial training to make them strong and beautiful. Much concern was given to hardships that people should face in order to live successful lives (Seeley 1914). The girls in Sparta were given the same educational training for becoming helpful for the society and for giving birth to healthy children (Ancient Greek Civilizations). There was a system of co-education as girls and boys were given the same training. Special consideration was given to boys as they were expected to become warriors in their manhood (Holm and Clarke 1902). Women were educated so that they can become more beautiful and can support their husbands in bringing up their children healthily (Seeley 1914). In Spartan society, women were respected in all their roles and were regarded unpolluted because of their significant roles in society (Morgan 1840). The education mainly was related to combating skills and expertise. Girls were allowed to marry at the age of eighteen after taking up a hard task that was related to fitness and skills (Williams 2006). After this test, the women were allowed to live the life of a house woman and that with freedom. It can be said that the lives of women was somehow lenient as compared to men as men were required to face much hardships till the age of thirty at which, they were allowed to marry (Seeley 1914). Even after this age, they were required to serve their country. Women were required to serve their families only. Worley (2009) describes in Education in Ancient Greece that “the purpose of education in Sparta was to produce soldiers”. In Sparta, the children were not given education to make them civilized citizens but for making them strong and courageous warriors, who were able to fight and were also able to withstand the hardships of life (Worley 2009). In Sparta, girls were not only doing domestic chores but also received physical trainings for their prosperous and healthy future lives (Ancient Greek Civilizations). Boys were required to leave their homes at the age of seven while girls were not needed to leave their homes and they remained with their parents, which can be considered a leniency by the Spartan government (Seeley 1914). 2. Subjects and materials that were taught The Spartan children were taught and trained in military tactics and skills. They were also given education in music, reading and writing. However, the basic education that was compulsory for all the Spartan children was military education and that was given to make them strong and skilled. 3. Comparing to Althea and its education system As compared to Athens and its educational system, the Spartan education system was in total contrast. Spartans educated their children to become soldiers in their later life while Athenians prepared and educated their children for all types of circumstances such as war and peace (Mitchell 2007). The educational system was well established for the boys only and an equal educational facilitation was absent. The boys got education in sciences and math, arts and literature and much more (Mitchell 2007). The boys started going to schools at the age of six or seven and studied till the age of thirteen or fourteen. It will not be false if we relate the Athenian education system to modern one (Mitchell 2007). As contrasted to Spartan’s educational notion that dealt with bodily development, Athenians gave importance to the development of mind (Mitchell 2007). C. The government in Sparta 1. Military training The government in Sparta gave maximum importance to military training. Sparta was a military state and was very strong in terms of its soldiers. Not only men were given military training but also women (Worley 2009). The military training was much harder for men as compared to women. Women were not trained for fighting but for being strong. Women in Sparta are informed to enjoy freedom as was no possible at that time in any other land. The men of Sparta lived and died for the state (Hooker 1996). The basic work needed by the citizens of Sparta was to safeguard their land from foreign attacks and internal revolt. 2. Kings and how they run the state Spartans are said to have the most stabilized state in the Greece history. The government was a dual monarchy (Hooker 1996). The Spartan kings were two in number and they ran the state (Smith 1880). They kept an eye on each other and on education in terms of military training to the citizens of Sparta (Hooker 1996). Along with two kings, there were five magistrates that were elected every year for Spartan state. The magistrates were called Ephorates and they were responsible for analyzing the behaviors and activities of the kings (Hooker 1996). They were also responsible for dealing with foreign affairs. 3. The government institutions worked The government was divided into Kings, euphorates, council and assembly. The governmental institutions worked in collaboration with one another and also kept a check on each other for example, the kings kept an eye on each other and euphorates were also responsible to assess the performance of kings (Hooker 1996). 4. How the above points effected on the education system As the educational system in Sparta dealt with military training, so this system was strongly affected by government and its policies. The Euphorates were responsible for running the council, military, educational system and infant selection system (Hooker 1996). Therefore, the euphorates were required to do a lot of tasks. III. Conclusion Education can be regarded as the most important factor in the success of Sparta. The government of Sparta was not biased towards women. Education has played an important role in all the eras. The type of education given to the members of a society has differed to one another but to train and to enable to learn something was always crucial. In Sparta, education was provided to the children but the type of education provided was quite different. Boys were given military training in the name of education. They were also taught reading, writing and music but major importance was given to train them to be a soldier. As far as girls were concerned, they were treated equally but they suffered less harsh training as compared to boys. Works Cited Ancient Greek Civilizations. Retrieved on 4th April 2009 from http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/aegean/culture/womenofsparta.html Heeren, Arnold H. L. and Bancroft, George. Ancient Greece. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1845. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=vIMTAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Ancient+Greece&lr=&ei=sDTlSYugKoaokASnvum0DQ#PPP11,M1 History World. History of Sparta. Retrieved on 23rd April 2009 from http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac44 Holm, Adolf and Clarke, Frederick. The history of Greece from its commencement to the close of the independence. New York: MacMillan and Co. Ltd, 1902. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=UjBLAAAAMAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0 Hooker, Richard. Ancient Greece: Sparta. 1996. Retrieved on 23rd April 2009 from http://wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/SPARTA.HTM Mitchell, Brett. The Greek Education System. Socyberty, 2007. Retrieved on 23rd April 2009 from http://www.socyberty.com/Education/The-Greek-Education-System.13179 Morgan, Lady. Woman and her master. London: Henry Colburn Publisher, 1840. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=jdwDAAAAQAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0 Seeley, Levi. History of Education. New York: American Book Company, 1914. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=BLFJAAAAIAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0 Smith, William (Ed.). A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology: Earinus-Nyx. London: John Murray, 1880. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=4uxWAAAAMAAJ&dq=government+on+sparta+and+education&lr=&ei=YTflSd-9HYyokAT3x7GUDQ&pgis=1 Williams, Yona. Spartan Education Girls. 2006. Retrieved on 4th April 2009 from http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_3520.shtml Worley, Megan. Education in Ancient Greece. 2009. Retrieved on 4th April 2009 from http://www.helium.com/items/1256085-education-in-ancient-greece Read More