Athens and Sparta

Neysha Rivera 12-7-12 Mr.Masterson Global 7 In Ancient Greece ,the two major states were Athens and Sparta .They were very different in many aspects .However, at the same time ,the two shared a lot of characteristics in common .Most of there differences and similaries were based on government ,militarist focuses,jugdement and view of women. Athens and Sparta were similar when it came to their social structures. Women’s rights and responsibilities were one of the few areas in which they were alike. In Athens, women had many responsibilities at home. It was their job to care for kids and the house. Women also were in charge of taking care of the slaves if they happened to get sick or hurt. Although they couldn’t vote in Athens’ democracy, women could participate in religious festivals. In the city-state of Sparta, women also raised their children and took care of the house. Here, women were allowed to own their own property. All women had the responsibility of managing the estate, supervising the slaves and doing the finances. In Sparta, women had a duty to keep healthy so that they could bear a child that could eventually join the military. Since the women of Athens and Sparta were required to stay at home, the men were able to pursue cultural and military activities. Athens and Sparta were different by there way of education purposes. Sparta was more focus on teaching military and see what there abilities were in military. In Athens they were more focus on subjects like reading, writing, mathematics, music, sport, gymnastics and poetry. There were also some differences in there role of women Athenian women played no role in the government of the state, were not considered citizens, were not allowed to participate in sports and were not privy to an education. Athenian women were considered the property of their husbands and kept in the home, responsible for domestic duties. Spartan women experienced considerably more freedom, being