Comparing Athens, Sparta, And Miletus

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Ancient Greece today is most known for the culture: the gods, the dramas, how people lived. What most people do not realize is that there were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of different civilizations spread throughout Greece that all had different forms of government. The three main ones were Athens, Sparta, and Miletus. Each was very different from the other. The most powerful out of all three was Sparta: a military based society. The Spartan government had a strong foundation that was all torn down by one bad leader. The founder of the Spartan government did not found Sparta itself, as it was already in place before he was even born. Old Sparta was based around wealth and there was a large separation gap between the common people and the two kings that ruled. Lycurgus was born into royalty and when his father died, his older brother became king. The queen became pregnant but before the baby was born, the king died. This meant that Lycurgus would be king unless the baby was a boy. The queen tried to convince him to marry her after she aborted the baby so she could remain queen. The reasoning behind this is still unclear but it did not sit right with Lycurgus’ morals so he tricked her into keeping the baby, who turned out to be a boy. If Lycurgus had done what the queen had asked him to do, not only would she remain queen but he …show more content…

In order to escape her wrath, Lycurgus traveled around the Medatrerian, learning about different governments. Throughout his travels, he knew that one day he would return to Sparta. The Spartan people were begging him to come back. The gap between the common people and the kings had gotten worse and there was inequality within the common people as well. Even the kings were not against him coming back. Finally, he did. He took what he learned from the places he visited and made the perfect government. The basis of the government was to create equality and a strong

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