Athens And Sparta Research Paper

The city-states Athens and Sparta were rivals in ancient Greece. Geographically the two were very close to each other, but they had a very different economy, cultural values, and way of governing. Both city-states had two very different ways of doing things. I will be highlighting the major differences.

During the late Archaic Greek and Classical periods, two particular city-states were in existence with significant similarities as well as differences. These two city-states, Sparta and Athens have unique formations of government, histories, goals, as well as societies.

Athens and Sparta, two rivals of ancient Greece that made the most noise and gave us the most traditions. Though they were close together on a map, they were far apart in what they valued and also how they lived their lives. Spartan and Athenian society were very different in many parts. The differences are what set these two apart, and the things they shared in common are what unified them as Greek city-states. Sparta and Athens shared similarities and differences in their systems of government, military, judgment and views of their women. In addition to this, the social gatherings of Athenians and Spartans that were also similar and different.

Athens and Sparta are two rivals of ancient Greece. Athenians and Spartans lived their lives different, and they valued different things. Athenians and Spartans had an Assembly, whose members were elected by the people. Sparta were ruled by two kings, those two kings either ruled until they were died or forced out of office. Athens were ruled by archons, they were elected annually. Athens in the birthplace of democracy. Spartans focused on war and obedience. Young boys were trained to be warriors. Young women were trained to be mothers and warriors. Athenians could get good education and could pursue several kinds of arts or sciences. For many years Spartan armies provided much defense of the Greek lands. The Spartans bravery and courage at the “Battle of Thermopylae” during the Persians Wars, inspired all of Greece to fight back with all their might against the invading Persians. Athenians and Spartans fought side by side in the “Battle of Platea”, which ended the Persians invasions of Greece. Spartans provided assistance for Greece when necessary. Athenians wanted to control land around them. That led to war between all the Greeks, this was the “Peloponnesian War”. After many years of fighting the Spartans won. In Greek spirit Sparta refused to burn the city of Athens. The culture and spirit of Athens was allowed to live on, as long as Athenians no longer desired to rule Greek. Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Sparta is known as Sparti in Greek. Sparta is

Given its military pre-eminence, Sparta was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars. Between 431 and 404 BC, Sparta was the principal enemy of Athens during the Peloponnesian War, from which it emerged victorious, though at great cost of lives

Ancient Greece was once the most powerful force in the world. The two driving forces that led Greece to this height was Athens and Sparta. Although they were both Greek city states their ideas conflicted with one another and led to strife between the two civilizations. Furthermore, this conflict led to the Peloponnesian War which would determine which Greek city state was stronger. The war dragged on for many years but eventually the Spartans won.

They were gritty to be strong, powerful, fit, and the conqueror of every other man who was not living in Sparta. The boys of Sparta would be known for leaving their house at the age of seven to be trained and be a part of the army for the rest of their

Sparta’s government functioned as a diarchy with two ruling houses and perpetual warfare. Men were born to be warriors and started training at the young age of seven; however, women were not withheld from an education. Each child was trained in military tactics and taught the routine and beliefs of a militaristic society. Men dedicated their lives to military service and assisting in producing as many sons as possible. On the other hand, women did not participate in the military even though they possessed some military combat training.

The Spartans were a dominant power in Greece, boasting a formidable military prowess. By the 5th century BC, they were a great enemy of Athens and had the strongest military power in Greece. Life there was dedicated to the military and boys left their homes at age seven to live in barracks and train as soldiers. Their life was harsh, with little food or clothing as to prepare them for the battles to come and to teach them how to survive. Since there was such a harsh emphasis on militarism, forms of individual expression were discouraged and the value of art, literature, or any artistic capabilities was very low, if non existent.

The huge topic between Athens and Sparta that the two did not see eye to eye on, is what they educated citizens to be. Sparta trained it's people to be very skilled warriors, and included very harsh training to ensure a strong defense. But, on the other hand, Athens believed education was extremely important and trained their citizens to be scholars. Even with their differences, at the end of the day both Athens and Sparta are one country united and share the same goals.

But like the boys, they also were required to exercise every day, because Spartans wanted healthy mothers. Training for girls continued only until marriage, however” (Walsh 12). This evidence conveys, that the Spartans devoted their men to the military. This is because, Spartans wanted very strong warriors in their military. That is why the boys would train and develop their physical strength every day, to become ready for the life of being in war.

Athens was more into ruling all of the Greece city states. Their economy was dependent on trade. Athens and Sparta differed in their thoughts of getting along with other Greek empires. Sparta was more pleased with themselves and gave their army when they needed them, and Athens wanted to take control of the land. This idea led to war between the Greeks.

Sparta, also known as Lacedaemon, is a city-state located in Greece. In the beginning King Darius of Persia started invading the mainland of Greece in order to expand his empire. King Darius would later have a son named Xerxes and he would be the ruler to lead Persia into another war. However, the first war was located at Marathon, Athens, Greece. The second war took place at Thermopylae, Greece. I’m not going to lie, it is all a bit confusing to keep track of, but it’s the history of ancient Greece; I don’t think it’s supposed to be simple. So here, let me explain it to you.

Sparta and Athens societies and values were different as well. As stated in Document E Lycurgus, lawgiver of Sparta, did not allow Spartans to leave the city. This was done because he did not want them to adapt to foreign influences. All of these values/beliefs were based on one thing, to keep the Spartan soldiers strong and disciplined. In Athens Pericles boasts about how Athens is open to all which results in cultural diffusion (Document F). When Athens had festivals everyone except for slaves

Sparta was a major state in Ancient Greece. They had 3 classes of people with the citizens on top, the Periokoi, who are merchants and had to live outside town and the helots who were slaves. The men had to constantly be ready for war, the women lived a lot like men and the children trained in military arts since a young age.