The Spartan Monarchy

Monarchy. In the Ancient Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta high-ranking executive posts political, they were both dominated by aristocratic military generals. The Spartan’s had two kings from the Agiad and the Eurypontid families, who represented the generals of the Spartan army, the latter of which with a dominant power due to longer family involvement, (Halsall, 1999). Whereas, Athens had no kings, but ten generals, within their magistrates that helped regulate the 500-man council through political and war-time decision. Athens magistrates, were the equivalent to the Spartan Ephors annually elected aristocrats with a heavy-hand in the decision making.

Aristocracy. In Athens, there was a more abundant spread of wealth whereas 500-bushell

The kings who served as the generals had a highest accumulation of wealth due to their royal families. Aristocrats in Sparta were of the highest ranks only below the king, then came Perioeci and homoimoi the Spartan middle class, and then the helots or public slaves. Those aristocrats in Spartan society were evaluated through a test at the age 20 while they would be graduating to militant status, this also could determine aristocracy which determined responsibility over the lands and the possessed slaves, and military operations allowing them to generate wealth, (Hierarchy Structure, n.d.). Aristocrats were selected from annually for Ephors, while the Gerousia were aristocrats over 60 elected for the remainder of their lives, (Halsall, 1999). Men in Athens, give-or-take, had the ability to control their wealth to a further extent than Spartan

With an understanding of the structure of both aristocratic parties and the monarchy for which holds each altogether, we can evaluate democracy. For Spartan society, to an extent, individuals were still elected for Ephors and Gerousia positions, this means that there was a represented democracy but due to limited community involvement, only 35 aristocrats in the main political posts, it can hardly be coined as a democratic society. Whereas, in comparison, Athenian society had the people's assembly consisting of 500 male-citizens, directly involved with council and magistrate decisions allowing an everyday communal input on political and war-time decision. Due to exclusion of women politically speaking and slave ownership, in both cultures, Athenians still had some of their own flaws, but more closely represented what we see today from modern democracy.

Reference List: Brand, Peter J. (2010). Athens & Sparta: Democracy vs. Dictatorship. Halsall, P. (1999). Ancient History Sourcebook: 11th Brittanica: Sparta Retrieved April 17th, 2017 from: http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/eb11-sparta.asp Hierarchy Structure. (n.d.) Ancient Spartan hierarchy Retrieved April 17th, 2017 from