Ancient Greece is known for its two rival city-states, Athens and Sparta. It was the strengths of these two societies that brought the ancient world to its heights in art, culture and with the defeat of the Persians, warfare. With Athens and Sparta fighting for power and territory, it brought about the Peloponnesian wars that lasted thirty years, leaving the two city-states in their own shadows. The classical era was helped shaped from the works of Homer, The Illiad and The Odyssey, that in a way, created a set of rules and an ethnic identity for the Greeks. The heroic achievements of Odysseus and the other Achaeans served as role models for the Greeks which told them how to behave and how not to behave in many situations, especially on the battle field and in competition.
Athens vs Sparta 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.
The Peloponnesian War Is war ultimately inevitable? Many may say the answer seems to be a definite yes, but to answer this question, one must evaluate the causes, the history, and the aftermath of war. The Peloponnesian War is an excellent war that can be examined. It was a great war
Sparta vs Athens The two dominating Greek city states, Sparta and Athens, have there own strengths that make them the strongest throughout Greece. Sparta is "located in the southeastern Peloponnesus, in an area known as Laconia" (Spielvogel 53). Athens is on the peninsula of Attica (Geography). Sparta is know for their immense military might (Spartan Military). Athens is known better for their "leading naval force in Greece" (Women of the Ancient World). Their government systems were very different but very effective. Each Greek state was able to conquer a lot of land using different tactics. This brings up the thought that every country or state could be effective if all the people supported the cause. Political correctness however tends to breed idiots. With this being said, unenforced laws leads people to start thinking that they can get away with whatever they want or better yet, defy the lawful order of an officer. This can than become deadly and spread, until it cripples the system and a new one takes over. What does this new system believe in? Are they idea 's that are realistic? Or are they the idea 's of tree-hugging hippies who thinks everyone is going to "play ball." Well little does the tree-hugging hippie know, is that "The Man" who was "keeping him down" actually did know what he was talking about. Maybe the thirty plus years of military experience wasn 't complete garbage. Maybe it was keeping him and his family safe from the psychopaths and terrorists that
In ancient Greece there were two major polises which allowed the Greek culture to achieve greatness during the 400-500 B.C.E. era. These two polises were Athens and Sparta; both city states differed in many ways before the start of the Persian War. There were low rugged mountains that separated these two city states so communication and travel were difficult. The government of these two city states can be seen as a primary difference between the two. Draco, Solon, Pisistratus, and Cleithenes were four leaders that greatly influenced the political development of Athens. Athens and Sparta differed primarily in their political, social, and economical aspects. But there were other difference that Athens and Sparta share which I will examine in this essay.
Athens and Sparta had now been at war for a while, and after a recent Sparta victory, Sparta decided to move some troops. Now, Sparta was in danger because of an important war generals death, and Sparta had been severely hurt by this. When he died Athens took many prisoners, and Sparta wanted them back, o they offered a treaty. Since Athens used to be in such a bad spot and was now winning, they were less motivated for peace, as they were winning. Athens had a multitude of Spartan prisoners, and their land had not been touched by Sparta for 3 years. They eventually reached out
ATHENS, THE CRADDLE OF DEMOCRACY, SPARTA, THE ART OF WAR Athens and Sparta, the two largest and most powerful cities in ancient Greece (between 800 and 323 BCE) were two different models of polis, their social, political and cultural values and ways of life were dramatically different. (Brand, n.d.)
Some of the disagreement was to be found in government. Sparta had a more fascist-leaning government, as opposed to Athens’ democratic governing system. Sparta created a completely militarized system to help give them more influence, as they despised Athens’ wealth and power. Many Spartans believed that their nationalist militarized monarchy was more just and right than the Athenian democracy, where mob-rule had the potential to run rampant. With mob-rule, innocent people could be put to death, if the majority of people believed they were guilty. It begins to seem nonsensical that Sparta fought Athens, in part, to end their power to kill the innocent, and yet, Sparta did just that. In their militarized state they would kill innocent infants that they believed weren’t fit to fight. It is a backward system, when a government kills the innocent to stop the murder of the innocent.
existing wars between each other” (Hdt. VII.145.1) in order to fight against Persia. However, only one Peloponnesian state (Sparta) offered help throughout the wars.
317 BCE - Thebes Thebes, this place is so unique! I have arrived in a glorious time for Thebes, they have just own the battle of Leuctra that have just defeated the Spartan army. I don't think they know what they just acomplest! Out number both in calvary and infinity they were able to crush the Spartan forces only suffering 300, casualties with the Spartans sustained over 4,000! Can I just say that this the powerful spartan army the own that lives and breath war! After talking to some of the citizens this is how they pulled it off. During the Peloponnesian war Thebes allied itself with sparta but only fought the athenians to little effect. However there was lots of Spatain troops were stationed there so they could latter attack athens. Thebes watched their training cefaly there formations their weapons the whole shabang. They
However Athens and Sparta were not always enemies, the fought together in the Persian war to stop Persia from taking over all of Greece. One of the main reason for the war was the Spartan fear of Athens's growing power and prosperity. Athens
In Sparta the right to live and be considered someone who can be part of the community took years and tremendous amounts of strength. Only men were considered to have any say and it didn't come easy to them. A man must be considered fit and not be born with any defects and a woman must be in great health and able to bear many sons. Any child born that was not considered to have these qualities would be cast out into the ravine and killed. Boys from the age of seven to eighteen would train and be educated so that they could join the military and women were educated so that they could take care of the household and bear many sons for there husbands which was considered there most important role. The men would be the only ones who had any political rights and
Leon Trotsky, the Russian revolutionary and architect of the Soviet Red Army said, “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you” (“Peloponnesian War”). Ever since the earliest, most ancient wars, fighting has been the most ran-to solution for territorial, power, and social conflicts. As exhibited
Athens and Sparta were both dominant powers in ancient Greece. However, a legendary rivalry existed between the two. When Athens ended its alliance with Corcyra in 433 B.C. and began to surround Potidaea, it threatened Corinth’s position. Sparta feared that Athens was becoming too powerful and tried to avert war. The Spartans believed that peace was possible if the Athenians would revoke measures against Sparta's ally, Megara. The Athenian leader, Pericles, refused to concur with this because Sparta and Athens had earlier agreed that conflicts would be solved by negotiation. If the Athenians would yield to Sparta's request, they would in fact be accepting Sparta’s orders. This was unacceptable, and as a result, war broke out. Athens and its Delian League were attacked by Sparta and its Peloponnesian League. Diodorus mentions that the Spartans did not just declare war, but sought additional support from Persia.
This assessment is accurate however there are other causes which led to conflict between Athens and the Spartans, which many historians have discussed the different causes of the Peloponnesian War, the two equal but different powers in control of Greece and the surrounding area. Athens with a democratic rule expanded by using the surrounding waterways for trade and developing a great navy. Sparta with an oligarchic rule settled in by developing a thriving agriculture community and a land based army. The balance of power leans towards Sparta and her allies. Sparta already feared