It may have arisen from the need for governors while the kings were leading armies in battle. The ephors were elected by the popular assembly, and all citizens were eligible. … For example, in 403 BC, Pausanias convinced three of the ephors to send an army to Attica, a complete reversal of the policy of Lysander.
Who were the 5 ephors?
The five ephors are the highest authority in Sparta after the two kings. They are elected annually by the assembly, composed of all Spartan citizens over the age of thirty. Immediately after their election the ephors fulfil a significant annual duty.
What does the name Ephor mean?
1 : one of five ancient Spartan magistrates having power over the king. 2 : a government official in modern Greece especially : one who oversees public works.
What does Oracle mean in English?
1a : a person (such as a priestess of ancient Greece) through whom a deity is believed to speak the prophecies of the Delphic oracle— D. F. Marks. b : a shrine in which a deity reveals hidden knowledge or the divine purpose through such a person. c : an answer or decision given by an oracle ambiguous oracles.
Why did the Spartans fear the messenians?
The Spartans feared the Messenians because they feared they would have another revolt as helots. … Family life was different for Spartans and Athenians because Athens was open to change while Spartans were not.
How long did the Ephors serve?
Ephors were elected for one-year terms, no man could serve more than once, and each new panel of five reviewed the actions of their predecessors and could punish them if they disapproved. policy in case one king was killed in battle. They had significant powers, especially in wartime.
Why did the Spartans fear the helots?
Owing to their own numerical inferiority, the Spartans were always preoccupied with the fear of a helot revolt. The ephors (Spartan magistrates) of each year on entering office declared war on the helots so that they might be murdered at any time without violating religious scruples.
What did the Oracle really say in 300?
The Delphic Oracle is said to have made the following prophecy: For you, inhabitants of wide-wayed Sparta, Either your great and glorious city must be wasted by Persian men, Or if not that, then the bound of Lacedaemon must mourn a dead king, from Heracles’ line.
How do you use Ephor in a sentence?
Ephors sentence example
- The war party in Sparta regained its strength under new ephors and negotiations began for an alliance between Sparta, Argos and Boeotia. …
- The restored fugitives selected five ” ephors ,” including Critias, to organize a revolution, while the radicals.
What was the most important role of Ephors in ancient Sparta quizlet?
What was the most important role of ephors in ancient Sparta? They made sure that kings followed the law.
Where did helots come from?
The Helots, whose name means “captives,” were fellow Greeks, originally from Laconia and Messenia, who had been conquered by the Spartans and turned into slaves.
Why was oligarchy important to Sparta?
In the city-state of Sparta, an oligarchy controlled the power. The citizens had little say in the decisions made by the government but, at the time, this was the structure that existed. The Spartans gave up an emphasis on comfort and culture for a more disciplined military approach.
What type of government was Athens?
The first known democracy in the world was in Athens. Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century B.C.E. The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government.
What were Perioikoi in Sparta?
The Perioeci or Períoikoi (Greek: Περίοικοι, /peˈri. oj. koj/) were the members of a social class and population group of non-citizen inhabitants of Laconia and Messenia, the territory controlled by Sparta, concentrated in the coastal and highland areas.
Who did Sparta enslave?
A nation of slaves whose only purpose was to serve their masters? They were the helots, the subjugated and conquered people, the slaves of Sparta. Nobody knows exactly what the term “Helot” actually means. Some say it came from the village called Helos that was conquered by the angry Spartans.
Can helots marry?
The Spartan poet, Tyrtaios, gives account that Helots were permitted to marry and retain half the fruits of their labor. They were also allowed religious freedoms and could own a limited amount of personal property. Up to 6,000 Helots even accumulated enough wealth to buy their own freedom in 227 BCE.
Was there slavery in Sparta?
Sparta had the highest number of slaves compared to the number of owners. Some scholars estimate that there were seven times as many slaves as citizens. Q: What did slaves do in Sparta? Slaves in Sparta worked on their lands and produced agricultural products for their masters.
Why did Sparta become a military society?
The Spartans built a military society to provide security and protection.
Where was Sparta located?
Sparta was a city-state located in the southeastern Peloponnese region of ancient Greece.
What did Sparta use to control citizens?
Spartan citizens were controlled by the strictures of laws and military traditions that they lived in.
Who did Sparta fear?
The primary causes were that Sparta feared the growing power and influence of the Athenian Empire. The Peloponnesian war began after the Persian Wars ended in 449 BCE. The two powers struggled to agree on their respective spheres of influence, absent Persia’s influence.
Could slaves in Athens buy their freedom?
Next in status were domestic slaves who, under certain circumstances, might be allowed to buy their own freedom. Often looked upon as ‘one of the family’, during certain festivals they would be waited upon by their masters.
What is a Spartan Helot?
The helots were the slaves of the Spartans. Distributed in family groups across the landholdings of Spartan citizens in Laconia and Messenia, helots performed the labour that was the bedrock on which Spartiate leisure and wealth rested.