Compare And Contrast Sparta And Athens

Sparta and Athens were two city-states that clashed greatly with each other in Greece. The life in both of these Greek places very vastly differs from each other, and the great differences among these two city-states eventually led them to war. There were similarities and differences involving how each city state acted politically, economically, culturally and socially. Along with these, the roles between Spartan and Athenian women differed as well. Sparta and Athens were both advanced and intelligent in their own ways which led each of them to find their own success.

To begin, each of these Greek city states differed mostly in their political aspect of the ruling. Sparta, located in Greece adopted a militaristic society which was ruled …show more content…
Sparta was an agriculturally based economy because of its inland location. They had youth training and development of professional soldiers, since their men were mainly warriors. On the other hand, Athens economy was based off of trade because of it’s centralized location. Athenians were social with other communities and they gained knowledge as being involved with many different groups of people. When the Athenians began seeing the resources that other areas can produce, they decided they wanted to take over those areas, which led to war. The Spartans did not care for the trading, they grew their own agriculture and lived off their own land. Spartans secluded themselves in a way from society and were not as social as the Athenians were. Since Athens wanted to take over all the land they can, it eventually led to war between these two groups of …show more content…
Something they both had in common was that they were both “thinkers”. Both city-states worshiped their gods as well. They both valued and loved beauty, music, literature and art. Sparta was focused on militaristic values while the Athenians saw importance in democratic values and learning. Woman of Athens had no rights and were dependent upon their husbands or their fathers. Athenian women were unable to own their own property and were responsible to do chores such as weaving and cooking. They simply lived in a society which was dedicated for men. “Throughout antiquity most Athenian women had few or no civil rights and many enjoyed little freedom of choice or mobility.” historian Don Nardo said. On the other hand, the Spartan women were more independent, did not have to do chores and had more rights than that of which other Greek women were not granted. The Spartan women were obligated to birth warriors. The main difference there was between Athenian and Spartan women was the freedom Spartan women