Preview

Athens vs. Sparta

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
712 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Athens vs. Sparta
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in one of the two strongest empires 2,500 years ago? Athens and Sparta were the most powerful empire and city-states in Greece 2,500 years ago. They both shared many of their beliefs and heroes, but they were very different when it came to their government. Athens had a democracy and trade while Sparta was a military state and its focus was training the people for war. Sparta was a better place because the women had more freedom, they were prized for reproduction, and they did not have to worry about raising their children after age eight because they had to go off to the military. I would rather live in Sparta because women had more freedom and independence, there was a strong sense of security and they’re government was very well protected, and women were prized and their women’s fitness was priority.
In Sparta, the women had so much more freedom than the women in Athens. The Athenian women had to stay home and do what the man said and do all the work around the house (F). Their women were treated like children and many times the women were expected to be timid and fearful (E). On the other hand, in Sparta, the women could take legal action under the supervision of a male guardian. They were prized for reproduction, women owned two-fifths of the land and they did not have to take care of their babies for long. The women only had to take care of healthy children for about 7 years then they would get taken away to the military (B). Also, they could own land and hire people to work for them. I like this way of living better than Athens because I, personally, like being independent and knowing that I can do things on my own. Second, Sparta was a better place to live because they had a very strong government and sense of security. The military in Sparta was very strong and they won many of their battles. Spartan women when handing their son or husband a shield would say “Come back with your shield, or on it.”

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Athens and the Sparta shared some similarities on the existence of the slavery and the social status of men and women. The table of the population of the Athens and Sparta (Doc 6) shows that both of them had slaves. For these reason, people of other classes were privileged which made them to feel strong solidarity with each other. And the solidarity of each Athenians and Spartans had their poleis be developed more quickly by increasing efficiency of work, politics and education. Besides, according to the Xenophone’s book, it is shown that the Athens’ and Sparta’s men had a higher social and political status than women. In other words, men were in the center of each societies. Specifically, in the Athens, only men could participate in the…

    • 194 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sparta vs Athens Dbq

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The economics of the Spartan and Athenian city-states was completely different. The Spartans focused on trade and not have to rely on other city states. But, Athens had to rely on trade since there was nowhere to farm around there. In…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The cities of Athens and Sparta were both advanced for their time, but differed in their idea of appropriate women’s roles. While Spartan women were relatively important to the social and political spheres, women in Athens were considered nothing more than breeding machines to produce men for the society’s powerful army. Aside from the fact that both groups of women were married for the sole purpose of bearing children, there are hardly any similarities between the treatment of women in Sparta and Athens.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sparta Dbq Analysis

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Imagine a world where innocent people were killed, and kids were taught to steal food, and if they got caught they were whipped.Does that sound right to you? Sparta, a city state located on the southern peninsula of Greece called the Peloponnese, was known for their athletics and fighting. After examining all of Sparta’s strengths and weaknesses. I think that the weaknesses outweigh the strengths because of how they had cruelty and harshness, no freedoms, and a basic education.…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In ancient Greece the city-states was in a constant state of war with one another. allies quickly became enemies, and enemies quickly became allies. As the Greek philosopher Plato said, " only the dead has seen the end of war".…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Athens, life revolved around men. The women were just wives, meant to bare children and tend to home issues (137). Women could not vote or take part in government in either society, but women could own and inherit property in Sparta (122). Overall women had the same responsibilities and household duties in both cultures, but they were permitted more rights in Sparta. In Sparta, men were taken away from home at a very young age and put into government custody, where they would be placed in barracks and trained for the military with very harsh disciplinary acts (122). At the age of 20, they were enlisted into the military, and could marry, but remained living in the barracks until they turned 30. Family was the main focus in Athens, and women were expected to have many children, especially…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The classical Greek civilizations of Athens and Sparta showed some similarities, yet also showed a large number of differences. For example, these city-states had completely different views about women and their rules on female freedoms show this. Athenian women, like most of the women in other Greek city-states, were considered to be useful only for child-bearing and domestic jobs. Sparta, however, was the oddball out, giving the women of their civilization many more rights and freedoms. “Teaching a woman to read and write? What a terrible thing to do! Like feeding a vile snake on more poison.” (“Contrasting Patriarchies in Athens and Sparta”).…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Allies from their existence, Athens and Sparta had fought side by side for centuries. These two Greek city-states fought together in the Greco-Persian war, but when the Persians retreated, tension rose. Athens gained more power than they needed, plunging the two cities into nearly three decades of war. The outcome was devastating. Although Sparta won, they were extremely demoralized. Athens was bankrupt and exhausted, and neither city regained the military strength they once had. This infamous conflict came to be known as the Peloponnesian War.…

    • 1609 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Did Sparta Change

    • 1516 Words
    • 7 Pages

    While this system helped Sparta become the military powerhouse it was in ancient times, it did not help them create an environment in which a complex political system could grow. The Spartans decided to opt for a political system that was stable and a system that protected the people of Sparta. By using oligarchy as their form of government, the Spartans let the powerful few rule which stagnated the role of the everyday citizen in politics. Now those few powerful people controlled every aspect of life in Sparta. Even though Sparta did not have a government that thrived on the participation of its peoples, Sparta did have one unique characteristic that the other city-states did not have. Spartan women had a status of power and respect that was not seen in the ancient world. Spartan women were given almost the same rights as their male counter parts. The women were taught to read and wright, they were allowed to participate in sports, and Spartan women even had the ability to own land in society. Even though they had all these rights, Athenians still participated more in government. This is shown by the way Athens ran its government. An example of this is…

    • 1516 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first reason is very simple. Spartan women were given more freedom and in many ways, had even more power than the men. The men of Sparta spent much of their time fighting or practicing military techniques. This left the city to be run by the women and their slaves. Here, the women could own their own property, slaves and handle the money. Money in Sparta was not allowed to be given to men, including the kings. This was because they felt that money would make them weak and cowardly. Instead the women controlled the money and much of the city without the intervention of men. This counters the freedoms that women in Athens had. Athenian women had to do chores such as cooking, cleaning and raising babies. They were also not given an education and had no freedoms but the family.…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    athens and spartans

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Spartans and Athens had a really different life than each other. The Spartans treated their women equally to men. The Spartan women had almost the same right that Spartan men had. “Spartan women had the right to vote just like man had the right also.”(CITATION) Women were allowed to vote the same as the man were allowed to vote. They had more freedom then the Athen women. The Athens would treat their women unequally compare to man. “Athen women didn’t had the right to vote like man did”(CITATION0 The Athen people would not let their women vote because they thought they shouldn’t vote for no one. They think they wouldn’t take it seriously and that they can’t think. Another reason why the Spartan didn’t live the same as the Athens is because how they treated their child. “Either if their child was strong they would send him to fight for his life but if they were weak they would automatically kill them.” This shows us that they don’t have a heart like the Athens do. They could kill anything and they won feel bad for what they had done. The Athens would keep their child either weak or strong and try to make them live a better life than the Spartan kids are living. That’s why all the Spartan people were aggressive because they weren’t treated right and weren’t being taking care of the way they should of have.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    After comparing Athens and Sparta, I believe as a young woman living in Sparta would have been better for me. As a woman in Sparta, I would have been taught to be physically fit, so I could have children and defend Sparta. I enjoy sports, so this would be fun. Although women wore no jewelry or makeup, it was okay for them to be strong and protect their home. Also in Sparta, I could speak freely and own my house. I also had the right to choose my husband. If my husband went to battle for too long, I could get a new one. Living in Athens, I would not be able to choose my husband. I would have to do all the housework. I would not be able to learn anything, but how to take care of a home. Also I would not able to really speak to my husband about my opinions. I could not own my house. I would be spending all my time taking care of children and cleaning the house.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Athens Vs Sparta Essay

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Did you know that Spartans were so harsh and strict, they banished citizens that were overweight! Spartans were hostile and stern, which made them very powerful. They were solitary people that were simple but strong. Also, they were very protective, and fearful of other city-states trying to weaken the government through new ideas. On the other hand, Athenians were cultured and artistic people. They had creative minds, and loved to socialize with other city-states to spread new ideas. Athenians and Spartans had many diversities and differences, thus causing the Peloponnesian War that had tragic effects which impacted Greece for many years.…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sparta and Ancient Rome

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Describe daily life in Sparta. Be detailed in your descriptions (government; rules of citizenship; slavery; military aims/objectives/practices/philosophies; trade with other city-states; rights/roles of women and children)…

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    By the middle of the 5th century B.C. Athens and Sparta, the two most powerful Greek city-states, found themselves on the brink of a full-scale war. According to Thucydides, at the beginning of the war both Athens and Sparta were at the pick of their might and flourishing and could trade and cooperate to each other’s benefit; instead, they got involved into an armed confrontation, in which the rest of the Greek cities participated, on one side or on the other.…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics