Table of Contents
Introduction
In this paper I will make comparisons between two major cities in ancient Greece: Athens and Sparta. There are many things to compare in these two city-states such as rights, social structures, wars, and which city-state survived and why. Their governments were also very different. Sparta ruled as an oligarchy and Athens ruled as a democracy. Athens is still an active city today, while Sparta is no longer in existence partly due to a big defeat in the war with the Thebans.
Social Structures
Ancient Sparta had four main social structure groups. In the first class, at the top of the rankings, were the two kings and the Council of the Elders. Second class, in the middle of the rankings, included the Aristocrats. Third class was the Perioeci class. The last class, at the bottom of the rankings, included the Helots, also known as slaves.
In Athens, there were four social classes also. One thing to note is that women didn’t count as citizens in Athens, so they did not fit into any group; only freeman counted. At the top of the classes were the Aristocrats. The second classes were made up of small farmers. The third class was made up of Thetes, and the bottom class was made up of Metics. Metics were people who weren’t from Athens and these people could not own land. They could own shops and stores; which meant that even they had more rights than women in ancient Athens. Slaves were not considered a class.
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Slaves in Athens were treated better than most other slaves in other Greek city-states. Slaves in Athens differed in statuses; some were given very important roles such as policemen. Helots, were slaves of Sparta. Each free Spartan could have up to seven slaves. The slaves in Sparta had jobs like slaves in other Greek city-states such as making wine and plowing fields.
Governments
The two city-states had completely different governments. Historians believe that Athenians were the first people to have a democracy. Athens was ruled by archons. The archons were voted on every year. Athens still lives and thrives today. Some people believe that if Athens wasn’t a democracy, it wouldn’t have lasted all these years.
Sparta, on the other hand, ruled as an oligarchy, which is when two kings’ rule over the land. Sparta, unlike Athens, died as an entire city-state because of a surrender to the Athenians.
Friend or Foe
Another main way Athens and Sparta were different was their friendships with other polises. Athens didn’t have the strongest army, but always went to war. People in Athens were greedy and wanted all the land. When they would try to conquer more land, they would go to war until they got that certain polis.
Sparta had one of the most powerful armies, so everyone feared the Spartan army. Although they were very strong, the Spartans kept to themselves. They were sheltered by the mountains and only used the army if they absolutely needed it.
Daily Life in Ancient Greece
People who lived in Athens had a creative life. Men could do several different jobs such as being in the navy or army. Spartan life was mainly based on obedience and war. Women in Sparta could also do many things that other freeman could do. Women in Athens were not considered citizens and had to stay home and were rarely seen outside of the house. Women in Sparta were treated equally and could play sports and even own land. Most people were shocked by this because Sparta was the first city-state to do this.
Summary
Sparta and Athens were very different from each other. Their main different was their government. Sparta was an oligarchy. Athens was a democracy. They also differed in rights for people. One way they were alike is that they were two of the most powerful city-states in ancient Greece. We have learned valuable things from these two city-states.
References
- White, David. 2002-2019. Athens and Sparta Similar yet Different. (U.K.) 2-14-19 http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/athenssparta.htm
- (U.K.). 2018 Social Hierarchy Structure Athens. (U.K.) 2-16-19 https://www.hierarchystrucutre.com/ancient-athens-social-hierarchy/
- (U.K.) 2018 Social Hierarchy Structure Sparta (U.K.) 2-16-19
- (U.K.) (U.K.) PBS Two Faces of Greece: Athens and Sparta (U.K.) 2-17-19
- https://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/educational/lesson1.html
