Without Theseus “The great Athenian hero was Theseus. He had so many adventures and took part in so many great enterprises that there grew up a saying in Athens, ‘Nothing without Theseus’” (Hamilton 208). Theseus is the dearest of heroes to the Athenians; he is the son of Zeus, but was thought to be the son of the Athenian King, Aegeus. Befitting Athens, a city well known for its wise thinkers, Theseus, the chief hero of Athenian legends, was known more for his quick wits than his strength. His cleverness
Athens: The History of the City The Beginnings The Athenians have made it their boast that they had never been conquered. Both Achaean and Dorian invaders passed them by, possibly because their rocky plain was far less fertile than the rich valleys of Argos or Sparta. Thus the Athenians represented, or claimed to represent, the purest and most ancient Grecian stock, descended from the gods themselves (Ellis). The initial name of Athens was Akte or Aktike, named after the first king, Akteos
He was the son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and Aethra, princess of Troezen, and daughter of Pittheus, king of Troezen. Before Theseus was born his father Aegeus left Aethra in Troezen of Argolis and returned to Athens before he was born. But before he left king Aegeus put his sword and his pair of sandals under a large rock and said to Aethra that when Theseus was old enough to lift the heavy rock that Theseus should take the sword and sandals and come to see him in Athens. At the age of 16 after being
A Quick Look at the Structure of Government in Athens and Sparta. Name Withheld for Peer Grading University of the People Introduction In the historical search for the origins of democracy as a political system, we note that the Greek poleis or city-states in the classical and ancient eras are the basic nucleus of the invention of democracy, especially those that arose in both Athens and Sparta. Although the kernel of democracy that emerged at that time contained many flaws, it is undoubtedly the
The ancient Greece was divided among several hundreds of city-states called “Poleis”. Within this poleis, Athens and Sparta were the most powerful, significant, largest and significant states. Governing has never been an easy task during the times of ancient Athens and Sparta. Both equally were ahead of their time by giving their people an actual voice and weight when making decisions. Unfortunately, neither of these civilizations lasted the great length of time. However, the political foundation
he made up for it in the times he was there for Athens. Back when Theseus was still a prince and it was time
of Athens and Sparta high-ranking executive posts political, they were both dominated by aristocratic military generals. The Spartan’s had two kings from the Agiad and the Eurypontid families, who represented the generals of the Spartan army, the latter of which with a dominant power due to longer family involvement, (Halsall, 1999). Whereas, Athens had no kings, but ten generals, within their magistrates that helped regulate the 500-man council through political and war-time decision. Athens magistrates
The Poleis of Sparta and Athens in 500 BCE Around the time of 500 BCE, Athens and Sparta were two major city-states in Greece. These two cities have many differences and many things in common. That is what I will be discussing in this essay. I will focus on a couple of main points during this essay to compare and contrast. Examples of these points are their political differences, the social differences between the two, the economic differences, and I will also share two modern states that I believe
his sword on the king, king Aegeus instantly recognized the sword and proclaimed to the city of Athens that Theseus is his son and heir. Years before Theseus had arrived to Athens the king of Crete Minos’ son, Androgeus was visiting the Athenian King Aegeus. Aegeus, “he had sent his guest on an expedition full of peril to kill a dangerous bull” (Hamilton 2. 211). Unfortunately Mino’s son had died on the expedition and Minos acted violently and invaded the country capturing Athens. He declared that
such as those of Athens and Sparta keep their soldiers fighting in war? Paying them doesn’t seem like a logical answer, since they would probably just take the money then run away at the start of war. The reading assignment brought to light Athens and Spartan community, public office, and governmental structures of the 2 city-states. Discussion How did people in Athens and Sparta obtain the right to participate in public life and make decisions affecting the community? In Athens a direct democracy
the societies powerful and successful. In the Greek City-States there was Sparta and Athens and in the Hellenistic World, there was different views and ideas for the few rulers of the Hellenistic society. Sparta was focused on the strength of the state and on their military readiness and discipline. Athens was a democratic state focused on the rights of individuals. The main differences between Sparta and Athens are their style and system of government, and their societal values. In the Hellenistic
today. The roles of women have been reflected on within literature and may be used to show the evolution of the rights -- as well as roles -- of women throughout history. Told through the character Jocasta, an Ancient Greek tragedy called, “Oedipus the King”, was written in the year 430 B.C. when the author Sophocles generated a counterpart to Oedipus, using her to reveal the oppression of women by telling of a conflict in her relationship with Oedipus,
ruled Athens, before the life of Theseus. To kept the monarchy in control and continue the current rulers authority, an heir had to be born. Conflict between the current ruler and those who wanted to take over his position was always inevitable. In Plutarch writing, Theseus was born to the king of Athens, Aegeus, and Aethra, the daughter of the wise Pittheus. After Aegeus’ encounter with Aethra, he left shoes and a sword under a rock so that if he did produce an heir he would return to Athens to be
Greek kings may have been the farthest thing from that. The Greeks were weak in comparison, and couldn’t keep in power. They likely had the opportunity, just didn’t have the ability to do so. Even Greek tyrants had the same problem. The tyrants used force to come into power, of course, but they were unable to keep it. A possible factor or reason for the differences may be the circumstances surrounding how each system came to be. King Darius had struggles in his early years
In this essay we will be going over life in Athens and Sparta and how their governing systems worked. We will discuss how the people of Athens and Sparta obtain the right to participate in public life and make decisions affecting the community, who held public office, and what rules governed the selection of public office holders . We will also go over how the two city-states were similar in their governmental structures, and how they differed. First lets discuss Sparta and how their governmental
Theseus never learned the truth (email 1. Theseus was a man of many accomplishments. Theseus wanted nothing more than to be like Heracles, his cousin. This was part of the reason Theseus chose to walk to Athens instead of by sea. He felt the sea was too easy of a journey (email). On his way to Athens he defeated many monsters. In Epidaurus there was a man named Periphetes who tried to kill him but Theseus was able to defeat him. In honor of his first victory Theseus kept Periphetes' club. Periphete
Imagine two countries, so different from each other, that conflicts were inevitable. Athens and Sparta were not countries, however, they were city-states of Greece with many contrasting values. Athens was the city of the arts, reading, and writing. Meanwhile, military was the only thing the on the Spartans’ minds. Athens and Sparta differ in many ways due to their governments, economies, and cultures. The governments of these two city-states were not alike in many ways. “It is true that our government
Ancient Greece was home to two of the most influential cities of its time, Athens and Sparta. Athens was known for its thinkers, art, and architecture while Sparta was the “warrior’s society”. While both cities ended tragically, they were successful for an extended period of time. This could be attributed to their forms of government. In Athens, the power was in the hands of the people in what is now known as a democracy. Sparta went the way of militarism, pursuing military policy. Another difference
opportunity arose, he risked his life for them. The King of Crete, Minos, came to Athens to extract a total of fourteen people to be sacrificed to a vicious beast. This beast was known as the Minotaur, half man, half bull, and roamed within a Labyrinth, or inescapable maze. When King Minos came to demand his victims, Theseus boldly volunteered himself as tribute and sailed to the dreaded Crete. Before being put into the Labyrinth, Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, fell in love with Theseus. Hoping he would
As an introduction, Greece had a vast number of ancient city-states as one can easily gather from the map above. Many of these include Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Megara, Argos, Macedonia, Epeiros, Sicily and so many more. A lot is said about Athens and Sparta, but very little is spoken of the others. How were the government structures set up? Which of the city states had a monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and which city-state had a democracy? How were they similar? And how were they different