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Athens vs. Sparta

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Athens vs. Sparta
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in one of the two strongest empires 2,500 years ago? Athens and Sparta were the most powerful empire and city-states in Greece 2,500 years ago. They both shared many of their beliefs and heroes, but they were very different when it came to their government. Athens had a democracy and trade while Sparta was a military state and its focus was training the people for war. Sparta was a better place because the women had more freedom, they were prized for reproduction, and they did not have to worry about raising their children after age eight because they had to go off to the military. I would rather live in Sparta because women had more freedom and independence, there was a strong sense of security and they’re government was very well protected, and women were prized and their women’s fitness was priority.
In Sparta, the women had so much more freedom than the women in Athens. The Athenian women had to stay home and do what the man said and do all the work around the house (F). Their women were treated like children and many times the women were expected to be timid and fearful (E). On the other hand, in Sparta, the women could take legal action under the supervision of a male guardian. They were prized for reproduction, women owned two-fifths of the land and they did not have to take care of their babies for long. The women only had to take care of healthy children for about 7 years then they would get taken away to the military (B). Also, they could own land and hire people to work for them. I like this way of living better than Athens because I, personally, like being independent and knowing that I can do things on my own. Second, Sparta was a better place to live because they had a very strong government and sense of security. The military in Sparta was very strong and they won many of their battles. Spartan women when handing their son or husband a shield would say “Come back with your shield, or on it.”

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