Athens And Sparta Research Paper

Athens and Sparta

Ancient, or Archaic, Greece was the time period between 800 B.C. and 500 B.C., in which Greece experienced development in colonization and experienced advancements in government, society, and economy. Ancient Greece was composed of numerous poleis, or city-states. However, there are two major cities that Greece is mostly known for today: the cities of Athens and Sparta. Athens, named after the Greek goddess, Athena, was a polis located in a region called Attica. It had a population of 140,000 people, making it not only Greece’s capital, but also its largest city. Sparta, named after the wife of Lacedaemon, a son of Zeus, was located in the region of Laconia. It eventually acquired 8,500 km2 of territory and reached a population

of 100,000 (Cartwright). These two cities had many differences, and because of these differences, they eventually got into conflict and became involved in the Peloponnesian Wars. Nonetheless, these two cities also had many similarities that helped shape their importance in history today.
One major difference between Athens and Sparta is their governments.

Athens is considered today as the birthplace of democracy. A statesman named Draco, in c. 621 BCE, wrote Athens’ first set of written laws (Mark). However, because of its extreme harshness and cruelty, the new elected sole archon, Solon, made great constitutional changes to it and established a series of laws that gave equal political power to the citizens of the city. This became the basis of democracy in Athens. In contrast, Sparta was ruled under an oligarchy and monarchy, in which they had two kings who inherited their thrones. They were responsible for commanding the armies and performing religious tasks (Two Faces of Greece). More differences between the two cities include that the Athenian government consisted of elected officials such as the strategos and the archons, and was part of the Delian League, while on the other hand, Spartan government had elected officials such as ephors and gerousia, and was part of a Peloponnesian League. However, despite their many differences, Athens and Sparta also had many political similarities. Both had a council and an assembly. Athens’ Council of 500 was comprised of randomly selected citizens who administrated the decisions made by the Assembly, a group of citizens who created and passed laws and policies. The Spartan government’s Council or Senate, played the role of judges and proposed laws to the Spartan government Assembly, which consisted of a group of

native-born men aged 30 or over, who shouted out their votes to support or veto the council’s suggestions. Another similarity between Athenian and Spartan government is that women in both cities did not participate in the government. (Two Faces of Greece)
Athenian society was divided into numerous classes.

First were the aristocrats, then the small farmers and lastly, the thetes, metics, ands slaves (Two Faces of Greece). On the other hand, Spartan society consisted of the spartiates at the top, then the perioeci and lastly, the helots (Two Faces of Greece). The societies of Athens and Sparta also differed greatly in values. Athens was mainly based on democratic values and focused on the participation in the government. On the other hand, Sparta was firmly built on militaristic values. Starting at the age of seven, boys who lived in Sparta were sent to train in the art of warfare and from then on, the whole lives of Spartan men revolved around being part of the military. On the other hand, Athenian boys studied numerous subjects such as reading, writing, mathematics, music, poetry, sports, and gymnastics starting at the age of seven and can pursue different fields other than being a soldier once they reach adulthood (Two Faces of Greece). This is because unlike in Sparta, joining the military is not mandatory in Athens. Moreover, because of Sparta’s immense focus in developing a strong and massive army, farming was not done by the citizens, but by the helots. Athens and Sparta also differed in their treatment of women. In Athens, girls were only taught how to spin, weave, and perform other domestic art. In contrast, at the age of seven, girls in Sparta were taught reading, writing, gymnastics, athletics, sports and survival

skills (Two Faces of Greece). Moreover, women in Sparta had more independence and freedom compared to other poleis in Greece. They can own property and can navigate to places with reasonable freedom (Cartwright). On the other hand, domestic slaves in Athens were treated better than the women there. Athenian women were left in the house to run the household, unless they were prostitutes or courtesans (The Populace of Athens). Women in Athens could not own property and were instead thought to be the property of their husbands. However, despite these numerous differences between them, Athenian and Spartan societies still had similarities between them. Both societies were mainly led and dominated by men. In addition, both societies had some type of labor force. Athens had slaves while Sparta had helots.
Both Athens and Sparta had agriculturally-based economies. However, the two cities differed in what resources they have. Because of its location, Sparta was rich in minerals and resources such as copper, tin, and lumber. It was also known for many of its crops such as cucumbers and lettuce and its exports of horses (Schrader). On the other hand, Athens was known for its silver and pottery exports and its crops, such as barley and vines. Moreover, unlike Sparta, Athens had to rely on grain exports from other cities to fulfill the food supply needs of its citizens. Some similarities between the two cities include that they are also both known for their olives and cattle products. In addition, both cities traded around the Aegean region.
Because of their differences in political, societal, and economical aspects, Athens and Sparta were frequently under tension. Eventually, this tension broke out to the Peloponnesian Wars. However, despite their contrasting views and ways of living, they still do share many in common. And because of these similarities, these two cities, Athens and Sparta, are able to come together to define to us the significance of the history of Greece today.