Similarities Between Sparta And Athens

A Comparison of Athenian and Spartan Governance

"...first establish a democracy in your own house." - Lycurgus the Spartan "Lawgiver" upon being asked why he did not make Sparta a Democracy (Plutarch, 100) In Ancient Greece, the two reigning powers were Athens and Sparta. Yet each of them, despite sharing common roots, developed very different methods of governance. Athens was the first, and arguably the last, direct Democracy. Sparta, by contrast, was something of a mix between Republic, Monarchy and Oligarchy. Examining the similarities of their governments is the best way to observe the differences. Both Sparta and Athens were ruled initially by a land-owning aristocracy. Governance in both was limited to male citizens. But as
Both had popular assemblies consisting of the whole adult male populace (though Spartans weren't given that distinction until 30.) Both elected officials, though Sparta entrusted power in them to make the laws, while Athens generally viewed them more as bureaucrats the enact the legislation favored by the Assembly. In practice some Athenian aristocrats may have held more power over legislation than their power allowed, but the power entrusted in Sparta's Gerousia was fairly explicit. In other words, the structure of the two city-states was mostly different, but power in both tended to be consolidated by a wealthy, conservative
In Athens, all adult men were required by law to participate in the Assembly, facing possible fines and public embarassment if they did not ("Democracy is Born", 2014). The Assembly voted on any issue brought forth by the legislative body. By contrast, Spartan men did not gain the rights of full citizenship until the age of 30, and their assembly existed only to elect the Ephors and Gerousia and voice their opinions on the issues of the day ("Ancient Sparta – description of governmental system"). The Ephors and Gerousia supposedly listened to the will of the people, but they ultimately made the decisions