Comparison of Life in Athens and Sparta
Comparing Athens and Sparta In ancient Greece there were many city-states, the best known of these being Athens and Sparta. ... These differences fed into one another causing Athens and Sparta to develop different identities despite their close proximity to one another. ... The factor of the rugged terrain is the one that caused Athens and Sparta to develop so differently despite being separated by only about fifty miles. This physical isolation led to the first major divergence between Athens and Sparta, that of their political systems. Athens and Sparta both started off as monarchies. However, through uprisings and political strife, Sparta developed a very different monarchy and Athens made it all the way to a pure democracy. The government of Sparta that developed actually had much in common with the government in the United States today. ... Athens, on the other hand, went through many changes in government before settling on the pure democracy. As was stated before, Athens started off as a monarchy. ... These governmental developments led directly to the development of social structures within Athens and Sparta. The social structures within Athens and Sparta were actually nearly identical. The only difference was that at the top of the hierarchy in Sparta there were kings, and in Athens the Assembly had the highest power. ... The roles of men between Athens and Sparta were very similar, yet there were some differences. For both Athens and Sparta military service was their primary responsibility. ... In Athens when a boy turned 18 he took the Ephebic Oath swearing to defend his city and his gods, received his armor, and spent the next two years in military training. ... In Sparta, boys were trained for military service from seven and remained on active duty until 30, and could be called back into service until sixty. ... In both Athens and Sparta a man could vote and participate in government once his military service was over as long as he had not been dishonorably discharged from the military.