Athens and Sparta: Different, Yet the Same
The two rivals of ancient Greece that made the most noise and gave us the most traditions
were Athens and Sparta. They were close together on a map, yet far apart in what they
valued and how they lived their lives.
One of the main ways they were similar was in their form of government. Both Athens and
Sparta had an Assembly, whose members were elected by the people. Sparta was ruled by
two kings, who ruled until they died or were forced out of office. Athens was ruled by
archons, who were elected annually. Thus, because both parts of Athens' government had
leaders who were elected, Athens is said to have been the birthplace of democracy.
Spartan life was simple. The focus was on obedience and war. Slavery made this possible by
freeing the young men from household and industrial duties and allowing them to focus on
their military duties. Young boys were trained to be warriors; young girls were trained to be
mothers of warriors.
Athenian life was a creative wonderland. As an Athenian, you could get a good education and
could pursue any of several kinds of arts or sciences. You could serve in the army or navy,
but you didn't have to. (This applied only to boys, however: Girls were restricted to other
pursuits, not war or business or education.)
For many years, Spartan armies provided much of the defense of the Greek lands. The
Spartan heroism at the Battle of Thermopylae, during the Persian Wars, inspired all of Greece
to fight back with all their might against the invading Persians. Athenian and Spartan fought
side by side in the Battle of Plataea, which ended Persian invasions of Greece.
One way that Athens and Sparta really differed was in their idea of getting
along with the rest of the Greeks. Sparta seemed content to keep to itself
and provide army and assistance when necessary. Athens, on the other hand,
wanted to control more and more of the land around them. This eventually
led to war between all the Greeks. This was the Peloponnesian War. After
many years of hard fighting, Sparta won the war. In true Greek spirit, Sparta
refused to burn the city of Athens. Rather, the culture and spirit of Athens
was allowed to live on, as long as the Athenians no longer desired to rule
their fellow Greeks. In this way, the influence of Athens remained and grew stronger. Other
city-states had the same kinds of temples, buildings, and meeting-places, but it was Athens
that became most famous.
ATHENS and Sparta were both Greek cities and their people spoke a common language. In every
other respect they were different. Athens rose high from the plain. It was a city exposed to the
fresh breezes from the sea, willing to look at the world with the eyes of a happy child. Sparta, on
the other hand, was built at the bottom of a deep valley, and used the surrounding mountains as a
barrier against foreign thought. Athens was a city of busy trade. Sparta was an armed camp where
people were soldiers for the sake of being soldiers. The people of Athens loved to sit in the sun and
discuss poetry or listen to the wise words of a philosopher. The Spartans, on the other hand, never
wrote a single line that was considered literature, but they knew how to fight, they liked to fight,
and they sacrificed all human emotions to their ideal of military preparedness.
What would it have been like if you
had lived in ancient Sparta or in
ancient Athens?
In ancient times the Greeks lived in city states. Each state had its
own laws, government and money but they shared the same
language and religion. The two most important city states were
Athens and Sparta. We know much about Athens because it produced
many writers and artists, whose work has survived to this day.
At first both Athens and Sparta were ruled by Kings. Then both were
ruled by small groups of powerful people (oligarchies). Later Athens
came to be ruled by the people as a democracy whilst Sparta
remained an oligarchy.
Athens
Athens was the most powerful Greek state. It was a city with lots of
beautiful public buildings, shops and public baths.
Parthenon, a temple
The people of Athens lived below the Acropolis (rocky hill). The
marble Parthenon, a temple, (see picture above) was built on the
highest part of the Acropolis.
Inside the Parthenon stood a large gold and ivory statue of Athena.
Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war and was the patron of
Athens. The legend says that Athene and Poseidon had a contest to
have the city named after them. Poseidon promised the riches of the
sea, but Athena’s gift of an olive tree was felt to be more valuable.
In Athens boys went to school but girls were taught at home.
Government
Athens did not have a king, it was ruled by the people as a
democracy. The people of Athens believed that no one group of
people should make the laws and so citizens could choose the
government officials, and vote for or against new laws. The people of
Athens chose their ruler.
They held a large meeting on the slopes of a hill in Athens where any
citizen could speak, and tell the government what it should be doing.
This was called the Assembly, and there had to be at least 6,000
citizens at every Assembly.
Athenian democracy was not like modern democracy. Only citizens
over 18 could vote. Women, slaves and foreigners could not become
citizens. So democracy in Athens meant rule by the men of Athens.
Slavery
Slaves made up about a quarter of the working population on Athens.
Most were people who had been captured in warfare and sold to slave
dealers. They were then put on sale in the slave market.
Sparta
Much less evidence survives about Sparta
than Athens, but we do know that it was a
military state. Sparta was surrounded by
mountains which protected it from invaders.
Sparta was the only city state which had a full
time army. The Spartan men were well known
for being brave and fierce, and they spent
their whole lives training and fighting.
Spartans lived in harsh conditions, without
luxuries, to make them tough fighters.
Physical training and fitness was considered
to be an important part of a Spartan child’s
education. Girls did not fight in wars but they
took part in physical activities because Spartans believed fit and
strong women would have healthy babies that would be good
soldiers. Boys went to live at an army barracks at the age of 7.
Government
Sparta had its own system of government which was very different
from the other city states. Rule was shared between two kings, the
Gerousia and the Assembly. Oligarchy (rule by a small group)
Most citizens in Sparta were either Perioeci (citizens who paid taxes,
served in the army and were protected by Spartan laws) or Helots
(people from lands conquered and ruled by Sparta who had no
rights).