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Culture in ancient Athens and Sparta
The importance of sparta military
The importance of sparta military
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Recommended: Culture in ancient Athens and Sparta
Around the year 500 BCE many poleis existed in ancient Greece. Two of the main poleis, or city states in Greece, were Sparta and Athens. Although both of the city states were located in the same area of the world; they had different ways of living. Sparta and Athens had many differences in how they ran their city states. There were many political, economic, and social differences between the two city states. Sparta and Athens may have had their differences but they fought side by side against the Persian invaders. The city states fought off the Persians and brought in the “Golden Age” of Greece. The fate of Greece would be very different if they wouldn’t have fought together against the Persian Empire. In today’s world some countries share a few similarities to the ancient polis of Sparta and Athens.
Politically Sparta and Athens had different ways of governing their city states. Sparta had a mixed Constitution. The city state of Sparta also had a monarchy. The king had little authority over civil matters such as creating laws for its people. The king of Sparta was mainly a commander on the battle field. The foundation of the Spartan government was a group called the Gerousia. The group consisted of 28 elders, over the age of 60, which the people of Sparta elected. The Gerousia came up with all of the laws and political policies in ancient Sparta. The political decisions that the Gerousia made were carried out by five executives known as euphors. The euphors were also put into power by the people of Sparta. The citizens of Athens had very little influence in their government. Athens government was an oligarchy, meaning ruled by few. Only the rich citizens of Athens had power in the government. The lower class had a large disadva...
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...tering their country. This limits trade and relationships with other countries. Sparta did not do much trading and did not have much to do with other poleis. Cuba and North Korea also stay in isolation. Athens can also be compared to Cuba and North Korea. Although these two countries are officially communist, very few people have a say in the government similar to the oligarchy of Athens. Like Athens, lower class people are at a large disadvantage in these countries. Athens and Sparta have set examples that some countries still follow today.
The poleis Sparta and Athens had many different ideas on how to run their societies. They overcame their differences and fought off the Persian invasion to defend their homeland. Without this victory our history would look very different. Sparta and Athens have influenced the world that we live in today tremendously.
Imagine two countries, so different from each other, that conflicts were inevitable. Athens and Sparta were not countries, however, they were city-states of Greece with many contrasting values. Athens was the city of the arts, reading, and writing. Meanwhile, military was the only thing the on the Spartans’ minds. Athens and Sparta differ in many ways due to their governments, economies, and cultures.
Ancient Greece today is most known for the culture: the gods, the dramas, how people lived. What most people do not realize is that there were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of different civilizations spread throughout Greece that all had different forms of government. The three main ones were Athens, Sparta, and Miletus. Each was very different from the other. The most powerful out of all three was Sparta: a military based society. The Spartan government had a strong foundation that was all torn down by one bad leader.
During the Persian War, Sparta and Athens worked together to defeat the Persians. The discipline and strength of Spartan Army helped saved Greece from invasion. Afterwards Sparta and Athens alliances were formed. Athenians had superior naval force and enforced the democratic rule in states allied to Athens. Neighboring allied states depended on the trade provided by Athens navy. In the same time Athens had established themselves as the head of the empire. (Lecture 7 notes). Sparta had superior land army and they destroyed Athens crops in order to have a hold on Athens and force them to surrender. The war lasted 10 years with neither side winning the war. At the end they agreed to a truce. A few years later, Athens tried to conquer Sicily, but the Sicilians defeated Athens. Athens lost much of its army and navy. The Spartans took advantage of this weakness and attacked Athens and cut of their trade routes and food supplies. Spartans won and Sparta became the most powerful city in
The cultures of two of the most prominent Greek poleis, Athens and Sparta, were demonstrated first in the Athenian battle at Marathon against the Persian Empire in 490 BC, in which the Athenians commanded the battle through a democratic command, separated from the enemy by the freedom of the people, and then by the Spartans in 480 BC at the battle at Thermopylae (in the second Persian invasion), in which the Spartans showed their will to never retreat from the enemy in their fight to their deaths. In Sparta, while all citizens were socially equal, no man having more than another, the amount of political power ranged greatly from man to man. In Athens, while all men had equal political power and opportunities, the wealth ranged greatly from the rich plantation owners to the poor farmers. This contrast of political power in comparison to social equality had a presence in both battles, greatly dictating how each polis fought in the battle.
The Persian war brought massive change to the people of both Sparta and Athens. The Persians were great conquerors who crushed rebel cities with ease. King Darius sent a large force to punish Athens with its interference. The Persian army landed at Marathon where Athenian forces attacked. Though they were outnumbered 2 to 1 they emerged victorious. Athens had convinced Sparta and other city-states to join them in their battles.
The rise of the poleis, brought about new social and political idea. Through the reformation of the state, each polis developed their own constitution which dictated how the government and citizens were structured. Within this new structure, more political opportunities arose for citizens, enhancing their sense of citizenship to the city through greater contributions. Through Athens, early forms of democracy arose and in Sparta, military strength became their dominant characteristic. In both cases, citizens were united in pursuit of common purposes, which was why the rise of the early Greek poleis was successful. Thus the early poleis became a model for shaping the nature of the state, and it is the different factors, that resulted from the reformations, that have influenced the development of the state.
Sparta, an ancient Greek city-state, was most well-known for its militaristic lifestyle and its soldiers’ prowess in battle. Though war was an essential part of life in Sparta, many other aspects contributed to its society. Sparta’s origin, unique government, slaves, bold women, and elite warriors all shaped the legendary city-state and defined its culture.
Sparta’s form of government was an oligarchy. Their political system was unusual in that it had two hereditary kings from two separate families. These monarchs were particularly powerful when one of them led the army on campaign. The kings also sat on the council of elders known as the senate (γερουσια). This body consisted of 28, over-60 years of age, males who held the position for life. The γερουσια made the laws, led the citizen assembly, proposing issues on which to vote, and it was also the highest court in Sparta. “Amongst the many changes and alterations which Lycurgus made, the first and of greatest importance was the establishment of the senate, which, having a power equal to the kings’ in matters of great consequence, gave steadiness
Athens and Sparta were both city-states in Classical Greece. While Athens embraced democracy, Sparta was a dictatorial fierce warrior state. Sparta was a militaristic community, Athens was a freethinking, and commerce minded city-state. Modern societies have modeled their government organizational structure and military discipline practices from lessons learned of these ancient city-states. There is much is to be praised regarding Classical Greece for their courage, their progressive thinking and the birth of democracy. However, I think it is important to remember that in both cases, Athens and Sparta were able to sustain their lifestyle on the backs of countless slaves, non-citizens and women and that there is a darker and less romantic side to the past.
Athens was a much more superior polis compared to Sparta because the Athenians invented new ideas and creations that supported the people, such as democracy, the Athenians led the Delian League, and Sparta created the Peloponnesian League after the Athenians created their alliance, and the Athenians changed the ways of their government many times to suit the people, and the Spartans did not.
Athens was one of the largest Greek city states. (Stockton, 4). It was about one thousand square miles (Stockton, 4). Athens was founded in the 8th century BC (Muller). It was at first ruled by the college of archons. (Muller). After a term of one year, the archons became members of the Council of Elders (Muller). The people had a voice in the popular assembly, the Ekklesia (Muller). However, it did not have real power until 600 BC. By then, it was an established institution of Athens (Muller). It became the central policy making body in the 5th century. There were two main governmental bodies, the Assembly and the Council. (Acropolis). The Assembly was responsible for policy making. (Acropolis) The Council was responsible for administration and implementing the Assembly’s policies. Not everyone could participate in Athenian politics. Slaves, resident aliens, and women were excluded.
These governments came in different styles such as a monarchy which was led by a king. Another form of government that was seen among the Greeks was aristocracy in which the polis was ruled by a small group of noble, land owning families. One of the more notable polis of ancient Greek was that of Sparta in which they used the oligarchy as there form of government. This type of government is where the people are ruled by a few powerful people. Finally, there was democracy which means “rule of the people” (The Legacy of Ancient Greece and Rome 1-7). This was the government that Athens utilized and helped establish. These varying types of government can be seen throughout governments today, however, it is the government established by the Athenians and their political structure that had a greater impact on the west than that of its Greek polis counterparts.
The ancient Greece was divided among several hundreds of city-states called “Poleis”. Within this poleis, Athens and Sparta were the most powerful, significant, largest and significant states.
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.
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.