Athens and Sparta
Ancient Greek rivals, the city-states of Sparta and Athens, were separated geographically by the Aegean Sea and a swath of land on the Peloponnese peninsula. Their respective locations on the map-landlocked Sparta and seaside Athens- influenced these two poleis in many ways and their differences are a result of this geography. The mountainous terrain made traveling and correspondence troublesome. As a result, each city-state developed independently and different from one another. In his book The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change, Henry Sayre’s assessment is correct when he states, “the Greek poleis [were] distinguished by their isolation from one another and their fierce independence” (164). Over time Athens and …show more content…
Athens and Sparta were two noteworthy city-states during the Archaic Age, but they were altogether different from one another in regards to their social lifestyles. Athenians valued art and culture whereas Spartans appreciated strength and simplicity. Education played an important role in developing each city-state. Girls and boys education was quite different in Athens; its primary focus was to produce thinkers. Since only boys were allowed to be citizens in Athens they received an education at home from their mothers until age six or seven. At the age of seven they attended school where they were taught the basic fundamentals of English, Math, Reading and Writing. Finally when they turned eighteen years old they began their military training. Girls did not have the privilege of attending school; instead they learned cooking, cleaning and sewing from their mothers. Unlike Athens, the focus of education in Sparta was to generate men and women who could defend and protect the city-state from invasion. Strength and discipline were taught at seven years old for both boys and girls. Children were taught reading, writing and athletics, but the main focus was on training them to become courageous soldiers. Greek poet, Tyrtaeus was famous for his encouraging battle poems that he wrote for the Spartans. He stated in one of his poems, “It is a beautiful thing when a good man falls and dies fighting for …show more content…
However, one of the most significant differences between the two city-states lies within their political structure. Ancient Greek city-states were isolated from each other and because of this they developed their own unique types of government. Athens is said to have formed the first democratic government in which every free citizen could vote. The problem was that men over eighteen years old who were born in Athens were the only people considered citizens. Therefore, they were the only ones that could hold a government position. Their political rule was made up of three branches: the assembly, the council, and the courts. Sparta had a much more unusual form of government called an oligarchy, which is a government ran by a few people. Like Athens, Sparta also had an assembly, but the most significant decisions were made by the Council of the Elders. This council consisted of two kings and twenty-eight other men elected by the assembly. Men over the age of thirty made up the assembly and to be on the Council of Elders men had to be sixty years old and from nobility. There was also a board of five called Ephors who balanced the influence between the Council of Elders and the kings. In his text, “An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander”, Thomas Martin describes the Ephors as being the “supremacy of law” (Martin). However, it can be argued that the Spartan government actually contained
Ancient Greek rivals, the city-states of Sparta and Athens, were separated geographically by the Aegean Sea and a swath of land on the Peloponnese peninsula. Their respective locations on the map-landlocked Sparta and seaside Athens- influenced these two poleis in many ways and their differences are a result of this geography. The mountainous terrain made traveling and correspondence troublesome. As a result, each city-state developed independently and different from one another. In his book The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change, Henry Sayre’s assessment is correct when he states, “the Greek poleis [were] distinguished by their isolation from one another and their fierce independence” (164). Over time Athens and …show more content…
Athens and Sparta were two noteworthy city-states during the Archaic Age, but they were altogether different from one another in regards to their social lifestyles. Athenians valued art and culture whereas Spartans appreciated strength and simplicity. Education played an important role in developing each city-state. Girls and boys education was quite different in Athens; its primary focus was to produce thinkers. Since only boys were allowed to be citizens in Athens they received an education at home from their mothers until age six or seven. At the age of seven they attended school where they were taught the basic fundamentals of English, Math, Reading and Writing. Finally when they turned eighteen years old they began their military training. Girls did not have the privilege of attending school; instead they learned cooking, cleaning and sewing from their mothers. Unlike Athens, the focus of education in Sparta was to generate men and women who could defend and protect the city-state from invasion. Strength and discipline were taught at seven years old for both boys and girls. Children were taught reading, writing and athletics, but the main focus was on training them to become courageous soldiers. Greek poet, Tyrtaeus was famous for his encouraging battle poems that he wrote for the Spartans. He stated in one of his poems, “It is a beautiful thing when a good man falls and dies fighting for …show more content…
However, one of the most significant differences between the two city-states lies within their political structure. Ancient Greek city-states were isolated from each other and because of this they developed their own unique types of government. Athens is said to have formed the first democratic government in which every free citizen could vote. The problem was that men over eighteen years old who were born in Athens were the only people considered citizens. Therefore, they were the only ones that could hold a government position. Their political rule was made up of three branches: the assembly, the council, and the courts. Sparta had a much more unusual form of government called an oligarchy, which is a government ran by a few people. Like Athens, Sparta also had an assembly, but the most significant decisions were made by the Council of the Elders. This council consisted of two kings and twenty-eight other men elected by the assembly. Men over the age of thirty made up the assembly and to be on the Council of Elders men had to be sixty years old and from nobility. There was also a board of five called Ephors who balanced the influence between the Council of Elders and the kings. In his text, “An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander”, Thomas Martin describes the Ephors as being the “supremacy of law” (Martin). However, it can be argued that the Spartan government actually contained