What Are Athens, Athens Or Sparta To Be Better Than The Other?

Is it possible for one of the ancient civilizations, Athens or Sparta to be better than the other?

In modern day it is hard for a whole civilization to agree on what makes a perfect society, but there are ways to keep citizens happy, give them freedom through knowledge, or provide safety, in the case of Athens, and Sparta, two conflicting civilizations that frankly followed these approaches, it is hard to say which one is a better. They both excelled in their own ways, specifically in regards to, education, women’s rights, and the economy.
When it comes to training the youth of Greece, Sparta and Athens methods differed. Sparta’s educational purpose was to prepare boys for battle and create a well-trained and physically superior society, Athens
Spartan women did not receive official education, but they could receive tutoring at home and learn about literature, philosophy, and music, and though they were not soldiers, they would compete in sports. Women were required to be fit, because Spartans believed it would allow them to give birth to healthy babies (Spartan Women). Spartan women had more rights than any women in Greece, it is clear that Spartans value strength and independence. However, Athenian women received much less education, they were schooled at home incidentally making what they learned housewife related. A respectable Athenian woman would rarely leave the house, (Women in Ancient), her duties consisted of being a mother, as well as a wife. While it may have been desirable in Sparta for women to be strong and knowledgeable, in Athens women received the minimum education they needed, women grew up to be mothers and wives and that is what they learned to do. Though life as an Athenian woman may seem more relaxing, Spartan women where more knowledgeable, and had more rights, than Athenian
262). Athens land did not allow them to grow enough food for the population, though the land had a good harbor allowing them to engage in trade with other cities. They would trade pottery, silver and olive oil in return for goods and natural resources (History Alive! 262). Like most civilizations they had a currency, that was in coins of gold, bronze, and silver, which were used when trading in the agora; a place where food, art, and slaves where bought. Athens value for trade, shows how they would rather build bonds with other civilizations than go to war and conquer. On the contrary, Sparta’s economy was incredibly reluctant towards trade they believed, “contact with other city-states would lead to new ideas and weaken their government”, (History Alive! 266), Instead of trading, Sparta focused on farming and conquering their surrounding land, because they didn’t have enough land to produce food for the people. Because the only profession for a male citizen was a soldier Spartans needed slaves to complete jobs like farming, so the economy would prosper. Spartans made trade impossible, due to the fact that their currency was iron bars, making it unappealing to other civilizations to trade with them. Athens had a much more ideal economy, because of stability, and cultural exposer, Sparta unfortunately, seemed to suffer from patriotism making it harder for their