Athens Vs Sparta

The two Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta were different in many ways. Though they may be geographically similar on the map, the two Greek city-states could not be any more different; from the way they run their government to the way they educate their children, to their country’s ancestry. These are only some of the way that Athens and Sparta are different. The two city-states are also similar in some ways, as well. Both of the city-states had partially elected governments and both strongly relied on the labor of slaves. One way that Athens and Sparta are different is their choice of government. Athens used a direct democracy, in which all citizens are allowed to partake in government and making decisions for Athens, but all Athenian
In Athens, it was up to children’s parents to educate them as they saw fit. Athenian education focused on mental, physical and moral values. Before Athenian children were educated, their parents focused strictly on letting them play and enjoy themselves. Although school was not free for every Athenian family, even though very poor families tried to get even the most basic education. Girls were taught by their mothers or a private tutor to be a stay at home mother and to take care of and educate their children as they had been educated. In Sparta, boys began to train to serve in the Spartan military until they were around 18 to 20. Then they had to take a test to show their military abilities, toughness, and leadership skills. If they passed, they went to serve in the army. School in Sparta was “survival of the fittest”, in which only the strongest and best went to serve in the army. Girls in Sparta were taught physical education and with the same goals as the boys’ training, to grow up to be strong. The girls also had to pass a fitness test, and if they passed, they would be assigned a husband and were allowed to go home. If they did not pass, they would be counted as a perioidos, which mean they were not counted as citizens and were not allowed to vote. A similarity between the two city-states when it comes to education is that everyone got at least minimal schooling, but only the best were chosen to continue.
To conclude, ancient Athens and ancient Sparta were very different in many ways, but also the same in many ways too. Though they differed in major parts of their city-state like government and education, they agreed on minor things in those areas, like if and how people should have their children be