Why was Aristotle a significant figure? Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and is known as the first scientist. Aristotle was born in 384 BC and died in 322 BC. For twenty years he was a student at Plato’s academy. In 343 he tutored Alexander the Great. In 335 BC he founded the Lyceum (a school of philosophy). Aristotle spent a lot of time there teaching and studying.
What was Spartan society like? Sparta was a city that was obsessed with war. In Sparta boys were taken at age seven from their homes and were put into the military for 13 years. They were only given one cloak, even in winter, to teach them to be tough. They were only given enough food to keep them going. This was to teach them to be sneaky, because they were going to be hungry and they were going to get food somehow, so they would have to steal it. They would be in a lot of trouble if they were caught, so they would try to not get caught. At age 20 they were allowed to get married, but they still had to live in public barracks for the next ten years and were not allowed to see their wives, this was done so that they would have to sneak out to see them. At age 30 they were finally allowed to be real citizens, but still had to eat in public barracks. Their food was disgusting and sometimes there was blood in it! Girls in Sparta got to stay at home, but had to learn how to cook and clean.