Why Is Athens More Important Than Sparta

Athens and Sparta were two of the most prominent city-states in Ancient Greece. Athens was distinguished as the center of wisdom and learning and Athenians were interested mostly in arts, music, and intellectual pursuits; however, Sparta was recognized for its military strength. The lives of the Spartans were dominated by the military, considered harsh, and focused on the physical development and assembling of adequate warriors who were capable of implementing the tactics needed to be used during their battles. Although Athens and Sparta were both the two most powerful and famous city-states in Ancient Greece, Athens is by far more impressive than Sparta. During the Golden age of Greece, which was also known as the “Age of Pericles”(480-408 BCE) Athens flourished as a center of not only education but also, art, culture and democracy. Throughout this time of prosperity, success, and profitability, the Athenians set the foundation for most of the ideologies today, such as democracy, Literature, medicine, and mathematics.
Hippocrates was an ancient Greek
physician during the “Age of Pericles”.
During this time of flouishent he became known as the “father of medicine” because of his lasting contributions to the field .
He was considered one of the most superb figures in the history of medicine. “Hippocrates and his colleagues believed that illness was caused by an imbalance of bodily fluids or by external factors like sun, air, and climate” (Time Life Books, Neil Kagan, What Life Was Like at the Dawn of Democracy).
Herodotus invented the field of study that we know today as ‘history’. Roman writer Cicero called him ‘The Father of History’ because of his famous work The Histories while others sometimes called him the ‘Father of Lies’, also discrediting his works. Herodotus traveled to many places in Egypt, Africa, and Asia Minor. During these excavations he wrote down his observations, and experiences that helped to equip the following generations with thorough accounts of important historical events
.
The Greeks were one of the first civilizations who tried to find a natural cause for the world. The Greek made a lot of contributions to science and math. The observed that all matter was made up of atoms. The Greek used a system of "observation: inference" . From this they were able to hypotheses ideas and create theorems. One of their most famous theorem was the Pythagorean Theorem (a^2+b^2=c^2) for right triangles. They also used square numbers. Although most Greek believed the earth was the center of the universe, one greek astronomer, Aristarchus, thought earth could revolve around the sun. One mathematician ("the father of geometry") Euclid wrote "The Elements", a book that was used to teach geometry for more than 2,000 years. Another mathematician (Archimedes) figured out the laws of the lever and pulley. He also worked with chemistry and physics. Some greeks also studied zoology and botany (the study of animals and plants). Hipparchus invented trigonometry. The greek played a huge part in science and math and changed our knowledge forever.

One of the greatest philosophers of Greek history is Socrates. He started the Socratic Seminar, the process in which you ask questions that can be answered in different ways. Socrates challenged people to think and maybe change their view on life. He asked people questions and made them talk and truly think about their answers. He preached all around. Eventually, Socrates was charged with corrupting the young. He didn't always respect the gods. He was ordered to be executed. Socrates drank a poison instead. Plato was a student of socrates who discussed politics and the nature and ethic of ideas. Aristotle was also a student of Socrates. He made advances in science and his logic influenced scholars for thousands of years.

The number one reason that Athens is more impressive than Sparta is because of their substantial impact on many of the systems that we manipulate today. During the 500s BCE after overthrowing their tyrants, many poleis returned to governments ruled by aristocrats and kings, but Athens and others turned to democracy. Under the rule of Pericles (whose name means “surrounded by glory”). “Athens blossomed as the center of education, art, culture, and democracy” (Joshua) . This time was The term Democracy means a system of government by the whole population or all eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. The term has its origin from the Greek word dēmokratia - a union of demos (meaning the people) and kratos (meaning rule). Athens had developed one of the most advanced governmental systems at the time. There are so many democratic nations in the world to think that our very own is one as well thanks to the ancient civilization of Athens.
Athenian democracy was inhibited by only men during their time. “Under this system, all male citizens had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in the political arena” (Cartwright).
Citations
Mark, Joshua J. "Pericles." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 28, 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/pericles/.
Cartwright, Mark. "Athenian Democracy." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 03, 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/Athenian_Democracy/ .