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Greeks in ancient western civilization
Greeks in ancient western civilization
Essay on ancient greeks
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Greece is a country united by its name, but divided by its ways. Although Sparta and Athens were both Greek cities, their societies were different. Sparta was focused on having a perfect military, whereas Athenian daily life revolved learning and knowledge. When Spartan boys were being trained for an army, Athenian boys were being trained for life. Both of these societies revolved around different government, education from when kids to teenagers, the responsibilities each individual had to keep their spot, and how women played a role throughout each city state.
Sparta was a city-state based on strict military ruling, at the age of seven a young Spartan would start out training and be trained into killing machines. When a Spartan baby is born, high elite Spartan soldiers would observe the baby to see if it was healthy and strong, if not the baby was ill and weak so it would be taken up a mountain and left there to die. This is just one example that shows how Sparta only wants a strong army and doesn't care about anything else. Strict rules of the government made it so that every Sp...
Like most Greek states of the Archaic and Classical Era, the Spartan city-state was a militaristic one. Sparta, however, took the idea to its extreme. In order to become the best soldiers, Spartan citizens had to dedicate their entire lives to the occupation. In fact to be a soldier – a hoplite – was the full infrastructure of Spartan society. While most Greek city-states looked down on labor, physical work, and even working for profit, they still had to work for a living, produce something. “The Spartans a...
Athens and Sparta are both infamous Greek city states. Both could not be more different, yet similar in the way they governed their own city state. Another, main difference was the women’s rights and roles in the system. Athenian and Spartan women both were considered to be second to their male counterparts. Spartan women had more rights than Athenian women. Through, research realizing that the Spartan women were slightly greater role than Athenian women.
Sparta was known for being strong, but was it really? In case you don’t know, Sparta was a Greek city-state. Sparta only focused on war. Spartans were only taught the basics of other topics. Spartans were trained for 13 years just to fight. Reading and writing were only taught in Sparta for practical reasons. The strengths didn’t outweigh the weaknesses. There were more weaknesses to Sparta than there were strengths. The strengths of Sparta didn’t outweigh the weaknesses for three reasons. The first reason is that the babies were killed just if they looked weak. The second reason is that the Spartans barely new anything about other topics (math, reading, writing, etc). The third and final reason is that the helots outnumbered the Spartans 50 to 1.
In today’s society it is hard to grasp the reality that once was Ancient Greece. Two of the greatest powers in Ancient Greece was Athens and Sparta. Although Ancient Sparta and Athens was in the same relative area there civilizations were astonishingly different. Their Governments were very different, Sparta being a kind of warrior race and Athenians being a place of indulgents and relaxation. The interests of the Greek people were better served by the Democracy of Athens compared to the Oligarchy of Sparta. Evidence of Athens fair treatment towards its citizens have survived down the ages. Athens had lots of relaxing activities that were not only allowed but encouraged. People of Athens also had freedom and could choose what they wanted to do with their lives. The Government of Athens also accepted many different cultures as well as many different trading opportunities for the prosperity for its people.
Athens and Sparta were two city-states in Greece, but which city-state was actually better? Athens and Sparta were enemies in everything that they did. They always argued which then caused many wars to occur. In Athens they focused on getting a good education, but in Sparta they focused on war and military training. Although they each were good city-states in their own ways, Sparta would be the better city-state to live in rather than Athens.
The Athenians and the Spartans were the two rivals of Ancient Greece, Close together on the map but not in what they valued and lifestyles were completely far away from each other. Athens form of government had an assembly where they
Not only did city-states have different governments, they had different cultures too. Athens and Spartans lived very different lives in many ways, such as their geography, government, and education. The Athens lived in central Greece, only four miles from the Aegean Sea. They could just hop on a boat, travel to the outside world and learn new things. Sparta was more isolated, on a plane between the mountains and the sea. They were suspicious of outsiders and their ideas, they grew what they needed and took what they couldn’t grow from their neighbors. They could not get along. Another difference was government. Athens became a democracy in 500 B.C.E. All free men over the age of 18 were considered citizens and a council of 500 men over the
Secondly, Sparta emphasized on only expanding their power and gaining control over other kingdoms. That is why you didn’t have a choice if you wanted to be in the army or not, they put you in it. Even as a little boy you were taken away from your family and your home at age seven. As soon as you got there you began your training, and you didn’t stop training until you were twenty years old. If you didn’t do what you were told to do you would have major consequences and possible death.
Spartans were Oligarchy, which means they were run by a small group of men, 28 to be exact (compared to the hundreds in Athens). Most of the political authority rested in these men, all over the age of 60, who served for life, and “were the wealthy and more influential people in society.” Athenians on the other hand were a democratic society, which meant the citizens debated and voted on the issues. Many thoughts this may not be the best way to run the government. “Athens had been described as a government run by amateurs.” (Ibid) This gave the people power to make decisions that might not be the most wise due to inexperience. There were critics who called democracy the “mob rule” and had “no confidence in the common people to make important decisions.” (Ibid) While this method of government worked for Athens, Sparta could not consider it as an option, as they led the way in their Peloponnesian League as the major oligarchy government, believing that freedom came from “preserving the independence of their fatherland” (Ibid), not political
Sparta was a society built on ideals that set them apart from every other Greek society, for their impeccably unique mentalities. The Spartan people introduced a new society with the focus on creating the perfect soldier. Sparta, which was also commonly known as Lacedaemon, was an ancient Greek city-state. Today, the remains of the society can be seen in a region of southern Greece called Laconia.Sparta was a thriving city-state for a short-lived time; ranging from 431-404 B.C.E. The society of Sparta was especially prosperous due to their unique hierarchy. The population of Sparta was divided up into 3 segments: full citizens known as Spartiates, Helots (servants/slaves) and Perioeci, people who are neither slaves nor citizens.
In Ancient Greece, Athens is more superior than Sparta because of their government, economic structure, and cultural values. Athens allows people to be a part of government, is friendly to other city-states, and is open for trade. While Sparta has only a few people ruling, goes to war with other city-states, and is isolated from them.
Athens and Sparta were the two major polis in the classical Greek world, both very powerful and influential, but in very different ways. The majority of the hundreds of polis that make up Greece, independently ruled themselves. Greeks would go to Oracles to divine their future or settle disputes. Young Greeks would meet in Olympia for athletic competitions; known as, The Olympic Games. Athens and Sparta both had the Olympic Games and Oracles. They also shared other things; such as, language, culture, and history. Sparta had a population of 140,000 people and Athens had a population of 200,000 people.
There are many similarities and many more differences between Athens and Sparta. They were both city-states within Greece. Although these cities were both close in ancient Greece they were very different. These city-states ruled very differently and were quite opposite of each other. The differences will become more value-based than the similarities, which had purely to do circumstances, such as time period.
lthough it might seem that Athens and Sparta's would have a similar military because both of them were very close to the Aegean sea, but they are very different. Athens had lots of ports in Aegean Sea this made it so they had a very strong navy and they spent a lot of their time in boats. On the other hand though they were not exceptional with their ground troops. In Sparta things are very different than in Athens. Sparta had an excellent army. The boys were trained to fight a soon as they turn seven years old. This made them have one of the best armies of their time. Although they had a great army their navy struggled and lacked success. Athens and Sparta both had their strengths and weaknesses.
Because of the tranquil times, the civilization’s society had more time to focus on writing, math, astronomy, and artistic fields, as well as trade and metallurgy. Out of all the city-states of Greece, two excelled over all the rest, Sparta and Athens. Even though they were the most advanced and strong civilizations, they were bitter enemies. While Athens focused mainly on the people’s democracy and citizen rights, Sparta were ferocious and enslaved its original inhabitants, making them unable to leave and kept under a close eye to prevent insurgence (History of Greece:The Golden Age of Greece). Additionally, Sparta had strict and trained soldiers that underwent intense physical exercising and instruction.