Although the Athenian and Spartan cultures are both of greek heritage they had different ways of life. They had many differences that made them bitter rivals battling for dominance of the western world. Athens and Sparta are different because of the way they value education, how they treat women, and the way families are structured. The Athenian people valued education amongst their citizens and fought not only with their bodies but also with their minds. In the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC we see the Athenian brain power come to life within their Navy. Guided by Themistocles, they were able to overcome their size and control the naval battle against the Persian navy, with smart planning like attacking towards nightfall. From Athens we
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Men and women didn’t live together, yet for the sake of procreation they would meet up from time to time. Women were treated pretty fairly in Spartan culture and had many rights. Like in Sparta, women could own their own property, make their own decisions about marriage, and they weren’t forced to stay in the home all the time. Another added plus for the women was, since their kids were taken from them at age 7 they had a lot of free time and they weren’t tied down to being just mothers, they could live for themselves. Yet all mothers were proud of their warrior sons and they thought being strong and courageous was important. All mothers would say to their sons, “Come home with your shield or upon it”. This was advice given to the men before leaving for battle. On the other hand Athenians were much more family oriented and the women's roles were mainly mother and wife. Women’s rights were also more restricted than the women of Sparta. There were special parts of a house called an gynaikonitis. This was a special sectioned off part of the home, where the women would live, study, and be protected from the outside community. Girls from Athens were schooled at home where they learned to read and write, but rarely went outside. The only time women would study at a school was to become a hetaerae. A hetaerae is described as a well versed woman in subjects ranging from poetry, reading and writing to music, and social
Men and women didn’t live together, yet for the sake of procreation they would meet up from time to time. Women were treated pretty fairly in Spartan culture and had many rights. Like in Sparta, women could own their own property, make their own decisions about marriage, and they weren’t forced to stay in the home all the time. Another added plus for the women was, since their kids were taken from them at age 7 they had a lot of free time and they weren’t tied down to being just mothers, they could live for themselves. Yet all mothers were proud of their warrior sons and they thought being strong and courageous was important. All mothers would say to their sons, “Come home with your shield or upon it”. This was advice given to the men before leaving for battle. On the other hand Athenians were much more family oriented and the women's roles were mainly mother and wife. Women’s rights were also more restricted than the women of Sparta. There were special parts of a house called an gynaikonitis. This was a special sectioned off part of the home, where the women would live, study, and be protected from the outside community. Girls from Athens were schooled at home where they learned to read and write, but rarely went outside. The only time women would study at a school was to become a hetaerae. A hetaerae is described as a well versed woman in subjects ranging from poetry, reading and writing to music, and social