Athens and Sparta are two interesting city-states in ancient Greece where someone could choose to live depending on the inclination of the individual. Some individuals might choose to live in Athens because of the system of government and developmental philosophy while other individuals could choose to live in Sparta because of its military and warrior-like philosophy.
In Athens, there is an element of respect for the will of the people, which is known as a democratic system of choosing leaders (Ancient Greek Democracy, 2010) while Sparta had a different way of life (Oligarchy) and create incentives for citizens, even outsiders to love its system. For instance, aristocrats in the city-state of Athens really appreciate the Spartan system where
…show more content…
First and foremost, I like a society where knowledge is regarded as the ultimate; a society that breeds intellectuals and promote philosophical dialogue. Athens happens to be that place (Brand, n.d.). Secondly, absolute independence runs in my vein and in Athens that is what they had in place; independence to determine who governs the society at any given period. Although the Athenian democracy was not as advanced compared to what we have in these modern times, however, the system helped to shape our modern worldview in one way or the other (Cartledge, 2011). While critics of the Athenian democracy would argue that aristocrats were often imposing their manipulative agenda on the government, I would acknowledge that fact to be a part of democracy even in the 21st century where some powerful people can twist their agenda on a government. A typical example is the National Rifle Association (NRA), who would not let any government or elected official dare discuss any amendment in firearms regulation (McGreal, 2015). What is apparent about democracy is that it enables a society to participate in the government formation. That is why Athens would be my livable
Sparta’s government was said to have a mixture of the major types of government which is oligarchy, monarchy, and democracy. While Athens seems to only have a democracy. In Document 2, an excerpt from “The Spartan Constitution” by Aristotle there’s a quote that states “they praise Lacedaemon because it is made up of oligarchy, monarchy, and democracy..” This quote tells exactly what type of government Sparta had. It’s also said that Sparta is the foundation for the governments we now have in the world. Athens on the other hand had a democracy as stated in Document 3, an excerpt from “Funeral Orations” by Pericles a quotes from this excerpt states “it is true that our government is a democracy, because it’s administration is in the hands, not of the few, but of many..” This quote clearly states that the type of government Athens has is a
Athens is more superior than Sparta through, government, economy, and culture. Athens government is a democracy which means all citizens get to take part. In Athens “ all men are on an equality” which means “ Not of the few but of the many” (doc 3 pericles). Every citizen in Athens is allowed to take part in government, even poor citizens. Unlike Sparta, who has an oligarchy, monarchy, and democracy. The Spartan government is made up of kings and elders only. Not everyone gets to participate.
During the times of Ancient Greece, two major forms of government existed, democracy and oligarchy. The city-states of Athens and Sparta are the best representatives of democracy and oligarchy, respectively. The focus of the times was directed towards military capabilities, while the Athenians were more interested in comfort and culture. It was the oligarchy in Sparta that put a war-like attitude as its first priority and best met the needs of Ancient Greece. These factors empowered Sparta and led to the development of an authoritative and potent state. Other contrasting issues included women’s rights, social classes, and value of human life.
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.
Athens was the largest polis in Greece. Its population was over five times as great as the other small city-states. Athens stood out from Sparta as well as the other city-states not only because of its immense population but also because it was the commercial leader of Greece and was home to a great navy. The Athenians valued their political freedom and free thought. Like the Spartans they too wanted to protect their state but unlike the Spartans, the Athenians strove for excellence not only in being warriors but also in their everyday lives. Since the Spartans were only concerned with being great warriors, the Athenians became the cultural center of Greece during the Hellenic period. Athens original government was a monarchy ruled by one king, however, the king's influence began to diminish with the changing times and soon Athens was under the rule of an oligarchy.
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 and Sparta were two of the most powerful and well known cities among all the Greek nations. Most would find it easier to find more similarities among these two groups of mighty people. But there are some differences between these two power houses. For instance the way that these cities were governed and their political procedures and functions were quite different from each other.
Athens and Sparta, two rivals of ancient Greece that made the most noise and gave us the most traditions. Though they were close together on a map, they were far apart in what they valued and also how they lived their lives. Spartan and Athenian society were very different in many parts. The differences are what set these two apart, and the things they shared in common are what unified them as Greek city-states. Sparta and Athens shared similarities and differences in their systems of government, military, judgment and views of their women. In addition to this, the social gatherings of Athenians and Spartans that were also similar and different.
Athens is superior towards Sparta throughout ancient Greek history. During the Archaic Age, Sparta was solely focused on fighting wars and training their children for these wars. Athens on the contrary, was a city that focused heavily on the arts and was a very relaxed and peaceful city to live in. In Athens, all men born to Athenian parents were citizens, in Sparta, only the wealthy were citizens. In 594 BCE, Salon, the new leader of Athens, he created a constitution that ended the political control of the wealthy. Unless someone was part of the 1 percent, Athens gave members of society more rights than Sparta. By 508 BCE, Cleisthenes came to power in Athens and creates a democratic constitution of all people. While this advancement occurred
Being the birthplace of democracy gives Ancient Greece a very important reputation. One of the most famous civilizations lies between three seas, the Aegean Sea, Sea of Crete, and the Ionian Sea. Such abundance of water makes Ancient Greece good in fishing and trade. Two of the biggest city-states were Athens and Sparta. While Athens was a democracy, Sparta was an oligarchy, which means ruled by few powerful and wealthy people. Ancient Greece is also known for many things like the birthplace of the first Olympics, beautiful architecture, and famous philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The two biggest city-states have always had issues. Sparta and Athens are very different from the way they are administered as well as their practices. Athenians were the most scholarly types while the Spartans were more of the military type. Due to the fact that Sparta had a very military lifestyle, they were good at raising strong outspoken women in a society where women were kept at home.
So between Athens and Sparta both forms of Government were similar in ways but as time passed Sparta countered with the thought of two kings on the throne and letting one person gain absolute control. This is where the two separated until later. Even with similarities there were also difference between the two city's. Sparta was one to be ruled by few and Athens was all men are given the opportunity to vote and participate. Over time in Athens you seem to have a better chance of becoming somebody where in Sparta most people were slaves and under the control of the Aristocrats in the
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.).
People in Athens and Sparta like any other city-states, were participating in their own day to day activities of public life. Athenians had been followed democratic government and open culture compared to Sparta which had been followed a dictatorial government and warrior society.
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?