Comparing Athens And Sparta's Power In Ancient Greece

There are many important city-states that played a significant role in how ancient Greece developed. Two of the most famous city-states, also known as the “superpowers” are Athens and Sparta. These two could not have been more different when it came to geography, government, society and ideas. As time passed Sparta and Athens went from being allies to absolutely hating each other.

Athens and Sparta are the two famous city-states in Ancient Greece. The Athens was more superior then Sparta. The Athenians were stronger because they had a better geography, government, cultural achievements, and I would rather live in the Athens.

During the Fifth century, Greece was controlled by two main powers; Athens and Sparta. These city-states were very different. Sparta was known for their strength, discipline, individuality, beauty, sports, and learning (Beck et al. 131). Athens was known for education, fitness, art, literature, and wealth. Not to overlook the rights of women, which were a little elevated in Sparta, the city that had an overall greater respect for human rights, would be Athens.

Athens and Sparta are two powerful city-states, different from each other in such way that

Ancient Greece was comprised of small city-states, of which Sparta and Athens were two. Athens was renowned as a center of wisdom and learning. The people of Athens were interested in arts, music, and intellectual pursuits. Sparta, on the other hand, was recognized for its military strength. A Spartan's life was centered on the state, because he lived and died to serve the state. Although the competing city-states of Sparta and Athens were individually different as well as governmentally diverse, they both managed to become dominating powers in Ancient Greece.

Athens vs. Sparta Each polis in ancient Greece had its own form of government. Most city-states, like Athens and Sparta, at the beginning were ruled by kings. Gradually, Athens developed a different type of government and they were ruled by the people as direct democracy. Some, like Sparta, were ruled by kings at first, and then ruled by a council, which was a small group of elderly and powerful people called Gerousia and five magistrates called Ephors. This type of government was called Oligarchy, which means “rule of the few” (Brand, n.d.).

Athens as ignorant and an arrogant group of people who were trying to change the political and

Sparta and Athens are two very different city-states, with Sparta valuing pure military strength, on the other hand Athens boasted their intellectual and artistic skill. However, each of their skills was surprisingly based on the geography around the city-state. With Sparta being located in southern Peloponnese they were exceptionally isolated, comparative to the Athenian land which was located off the coast of the Aegean Sea. Since the Athenians had access to the sea they were able to trade with nearby city states and specialize in areas relating in aquatic studies. Such luxury of trade dismissed the idea of self-reliance in the Athenian land, instead they could grab all they needed from nearby cities. However, the Spartans were very secluded

If we think about the many ways these two city-states differ, the first thing that comes to mind is their government and the people it consisted of. Athens had a population of about 140,000, where as Sparta had about 100,000 people. Athens had about 100,000 slaves which is roughly 75 percent of there population. Sparta, on the other hand had only about 8,000 free men leaving the rest to slaves that is 92,000 enslaved men. With that being said, Athens had a democracy, which in term meant “ruled by the people”. Athens is considered to be the “birthplace of democracy” (www.allempires.com). This democracy allowed for every person to have a say in the way Athens was ruled, this differed from Sparta in that, they were ruled by an Oligarchy. Oligarchy means “ruled by few”, which means that

Awesome job! Your compare and contrast regarding Sparta and Athens is exceptional. I like the fact that you described many aspects of their lifestyles. In addition to Sparta’s military the individuals who chose to enlist served until the age of 60. Sparta also gained more power once they defeated the city of Athens in the Peloponnesian War. Due to the lifestyle of these individuals they were given a word in the English language Spartan which means brave and undaunted.

Both Sparta and Athens prove to be unique societies in history because of their opposing values. While Sparta focused on a militaristic culture, in which the army continued to increase in strength and numbers, Athens, however, emphasized their cultural values in arts and literature. Military focus existed in Athens, but was not as focused on its power as Sparta was. Though the location of both ancient civilizations was relatively close in proximity, Sparta and Athens were anything but allies. The nations were peaceful for a short period of time, but as time went on, the struggle for power and expansion grew. Thus causing both civilizations to direct their attentions to eliminating any nearby threats to their expansion.

If I had a choice during the 5th Century to be part of either Spartans or Athens I would choose to be part of the Spartans. I say this for many reasons I will explain shortly. Athens and Spartans were quite different when it came to the way each of the cities were ruled and the way each of the citizens that lived there were treated. In Sparta the government was very different from the Athens. If you entered Sparta it was as if you were entering some sort of camp for the military. They were very disciplined and honestly treated most of their citizens like soldiers. Now I know what you are thinking. You are thinking well Sparta does not sound fun at all so why would anyone want to live there or choose them

Everyone has heard of the two Greek cities: Athens and Sparta. Athens is prominent for its architecture, art, and the Acropolis. Sparta is widely known in pop culture and for its military reputation. Together, they could be known for being in the Peloponnesian War. These are two popular cities with different reasons for being known. There are numerous aspects to look at but the main focus will be in its politics, societies, and economies. Athens and Sparta differed in politics, societies, and economies but had very few similarities.

The ancient civilization of Greece contained many different city-states; two of these city-states were Sparta and Athens. Sparta and Athens were different in their values, politics, and societies. Sparta was focused on their military, discipline, and to have a strong state. Athens was a democratic state that was peaceful and where women were open to culture and democracy. How do these two city-states differ?

Before ancient Greece became what it is known for today, it was divided into many warring city-states. Of the many civilizations, Sparta and Athens are the most recognizable in ancient Greek culture. Athens was a group of knowledge seeking scholars who valued intellectual ability over all else.