If I had the choice to live in Athens or Sparta, my choice would honestly vary, depending on the details of how I obtained residency in either city-state. If I was born a citizen, then above all else, my decision would be Sparta, however, if I was a slave my choice would be Athens. I will elaborate on both aspects within this essay.
A Spartan Born Citizen
Regardless of being born in Sparta, to Spartan parents or Athens, to Athenian parents, I would have an equal chance of survival, as both city-states practiced infanticide. However, I would prefer my odds in Sparta as Athens had a preference in the reproduction of males over worthless females. Growing up in Sparta as a female, I’d be valued and treated as an equal to my two brothers. I would be able to obtain a fair education in a …show more content…
The fact that I could live life as an independent, strong willed, intelligent female, that my husband wouldn’t talk down to, but backed up and respected, is far more important than the lavish life of an imprisoned house wife any day.
An Athenian Slave
Being born into slavery in ancient Greece I would have to say that I would prefer living under the Athenian rule, over the Spartan rule. As a female in Athens my rights are already diminished and as a slave they are much less than that of an Athenian wife. However, life in Athens as a slave is much safer and the quality of life would be much better in Athens than in Sparta.
In Sparta I’d be considered a state owned slave, also known as a Helot and most likely I’d be treated extremely poor. As a Spartan slave I’d most likely be treated like an animal and be forced to wear humiliating garments so I wouldn’t be mistaken as a citizen and could be easily recognized as a slave. (Byrne, 2016) Also, had I lived as a slave in Sparta I’d have a higher risk of being killed just for being a slave, due to the overpopulation of Helots in Sparta and our risk of over powering
A Spartan Born Citizen
Regardless of being born in Sparta, to Spartan parents or Athens, to Athenian parents, I would have an equal chance of survival, as both city-states practiced infanticide. However, I would prefer my odds in Sparta as Athens had a preference in the reproduction of males over worthless females. Growing up in Sparta as a female, I’d be valued and treated as an equal to my two brothers. I would be able to obtain a fair education in a …show more content…
The fact that I could live life as an independent, strong willed, intelligent female, that my husband wouldn’t talk down to, but backed up and respected, is far more important than the lavish life of an imprisoned house wife any day.
An Athenian Slave
Being born into slavery in ancient Greece I would have to say that I would prefer living under the Athenian rule, over the Spartan rule. As a female in Athens my rights are already diminished and as a slave they are much less than that of an Athenian wife. However, life in Athens as a slave is much safer and the quality of life would be much better in Athens than in Sparta.
In Sparta I’d be considered a state owned slave, also known as a Helot and most likely I’d be treated extremely poor. As a Spartan slave I’d most likely be treated like an animal and be forced to wear humiliating garments so I wouldn’t be mistaken as a citizen and could be easily recognized as a slave. (Byrne, 2016) Also, had I lived as a slave in Sparta I’d have a higher risk of being killed just for being a slave, due to the overpopulation of Helots in Sparta and our risk of over powering