Sparta Vs Athens Research Paper
Ancient Greece was divided in different city-states. Each city-state had a ruler, laws and a way of life. Athens and Sparta were the two most important city-states of Ancient Greece. They also led very different lifestyles. Athens, the richer of the two, was a democratic nation and Sparta, the fiercest, was an oligarchic nation. Athens was the first city-state in history to have a democratic government. The democratic government that was established here didn’t show up in history for a long time until the 18th century when the United States of America was found. Athens was ruled by a council of 500 members. Athens was very different from Sparta. While Sparta was laid back and isolated, Athens was very social. The citizens of Athens could
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It had an oligarchy government, which meant “ruled by the few”. Sparta was ruled by two kings and 28 elders. Spartans valued physical perfection and the nation was war dominant. Sparta also had a brutal society. When a child was born, the father had to bring the newborn up to the elders, where they tested the baby for any deformities. If the baby was imperfect, then it was thrown into a chasm where it died. At the age of 7, the male child was taken by the state and was trained for the military. The child was then enrolled in the militia at the age of 20. The father had no right to raise his child. The state was far more important than the family. Education wasn’t valued in Sparta. The only “education” that they received was to write their name. Sparta also punished its people severely for its crimes. Spartan life was very different from Athenian life. Women in Sparta actually had far more rights than Athenian women. They were physically active and were allowed to roam the city, unlike their Athenian sisters. Spartan women had the right to own property and could marry another man if their husband was away in war for a long time. Foreigners that came to Sparta without being invited were executed. Sparta relied on agriculture. Overall, Sparta was a harsh nation that was the military superpower of Ancient
It had an oligarchy government, which meant “ruled by the few”. Sparta was ruled by two kings and 28 elders. Spartans valued physical perfection and the nation was war dominant. Sparta also had a brutal society. When a child was born, the father had to bring the newborn up to the elders, where they tested the baby for any deformities. If the baby was imperfect, then it was thrown into a chasm where it died. At the age of 7, the male child was taken by the state and was trained for the military. The child was then enrolled in the militia at the age of 20. The father had no right to raise his child. The state was far more important than the family. Education wasn’t valued in Sparta. The only “education” that they received was to write their name. Sparta also punished its people severely for its crimes. Spartan life was very different from Athenian life. Women in Sparta actually had far more rights than Athenian women. They were physically active and were allowed to roam the city, unlike their Athenian sisters. Spartan women had the right to own property and could marry another man if their husband was away in war for a long time. Foreigners that came to Sparta without being invited were executed. Sparta relied on agriculture. Overall, Sparta was a harsh nation that was the military superpower of Ancient