Preview

Athens vs. Sparta

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1218 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Athens vs. Sparta
Athens Vs. Sparta
Throughout the ancient world there were two dominating empires. (S) The Athenian City (polis) and the Spartan empire. These two cities were both powerful and famous but significantly different. However, the city of Athens was by far a much more influential and powerful city-state in comparison to Sparta. Although both the city-states had their own strengths such as their government, social structure and their military tactics, Athens was a pivotal city that still to this day effects our way of life. On the other hand all of the Spartan traditions have been lost and forgotten.
The two cities, although extremely close in location (S) as seen on the map, had completely different ways of governing and running their cities. (S) Sparta was an “Oligarchy”. The Ancient Greek “oligos” translates to “few”, while “archia” means “rule” – ‘rule by the few’ (Bernard, 2010, 2). Sparta had two rulers, one to rule the city and another to look after and run their army. This way of leadership worked well for Sparta for a period of time, however, this type of monarchy eventually failed because it was not an effective way to rule a nation. Athens on the other hand has been referred to by University professor, Richard plus many others as the (S) “birthplace of democracy” (Richard, 2008, 7). Although Athens went through difficult times dealing with years of tyranny and dictatorships, (S) Solon, an Athenian statesman and lawmaker was given unlimited power, with the intention to save Athens from falling. Solon put into place the first ever form of democracy (Richard, 2008, 7). Although in the short term, this did fail, as he was not in power for long enough to fully promote this way of governing. (S) In the long run it has been one of the most successful forms of government today. When considering the governing style of Sparta and Athens, without a doubt Athens was a far better and more important city-state, as it played a pivotal role in setting up the basics for

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Sparta vs Athens Dbq

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Greek city states were both similar and different Sparta and Athens were an example of this. Athens was known for its laws and government while Sparta was known for its farming and army. The Spartans and Athenians were 2 very different groups of people. The Spartans were militaristic people who valued strength and simplicity. They ran an oligarchy government and were a military super power. The Spartans relied on farming and conquering foreign land. The Athenians believed in arts and culture, they relied on trade. The two city-states were great civilizations and just imagine what they could’ve accomplished together!…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 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
  • Powerful Essays

    Athens vs Sparta

    • 1337 Words
    • 6 Pages

    If you had the choice between living in ancient Athens or ancient Sparta which, would you choose? While one stands for democracy, the other stands for war. Surely having been raised in America, one is more likely to side immediately with the most democratic one. However, not everyone was equal in Athens. Also, although Sparta was almost entirely focused on war, one half of the population was not completely alienated by the other. Athens and Sparta had completely opposite ways of living.…

    • 1337 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ancient Greece was comprised of small city-states, of which Sparta and Athens were two. Athens was renowned as a center of wisdom and learning. The people of Athens were interested in arts, music, and intellectual pursuits. Sparta, on the other hand, was recognized for its military strength. A Spartan's life was centered on the state, because he lived and died to serve the state. Although the competing city-states of Sparta and Athens were individually different as well as governmentally diverse, they both managed to become dominating powers in Ancient Greece.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The two rivalries of ancient Greece that made the most racket and created many of the traditions were Athens and Sparta. These two were so close to each other on the map, yet they were so far apart in the way they valued and approached life. These two city-states had few similarities but were contrasted in many, many ways. The biggest matter in both of these city-states were politics, economics, and their social statuses, however, they had their own ideas when it came down to these 3 ideas.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Athens Vs Sparta Essay

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In conclusion, Greece’s life was impacted by an intense fight between the two city-states, leaving a big mark in history. All just because of Athens and Sparta’s different ways of teaching, forms of government, and the treatment of women, can affect Greece entirely. Wow! It’s surprising that jealousy can rise up between two city-states, and start a huge battle. Although, was it really worth it? This war only led to having them more open to attack to other cities, and lots of citizens ended up dying or being severely injured. The city-states lost everything, and was almost completely wiped off the…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Ancient Greece, the two most essential cities were Sparta and Athens. The two cities had a diversity of cultures, lifestyle, and values, even though they lived in the same region. Sparta was established around 900 BCE. It is located in the Eurotoas valley of Laconia, southeast of Peloponnese (Sparta, Ancient History Encyclopedia). Ancient Sparta has a population of about 100,000 citizens. Spartans dedicate approximately all their time to military training, hunting, war tactics, and even war policies. These activities are what makes Sparta admire war and what makes other cities fear them. Athens has been around for about 3,000 years. Athens is the capital of Greece and it is also the largest city. It is also the intellectual center of Greece. Athens originated from as early as 5000 BCE. Athens began as a small, Mycenaean community and grew to become a city (Athens, Ancient History Encyclopedia). The Athenian King, who ruled the land, sought to name the city after a Greek God because he wanted the name to be divine. Athena was selected, hence, the name Athens. Athens was a city that exemplifies ancient Greece. Society, politics, and economy are what make cities diverse, but they can have a…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Athens vs. Sparta

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Envision a world where the people are ravenous and yearning for any remnant of food they could obtain, where the society is overrun and no one has a free say. This is the type of society the ancient Spartans would have lived like unlike the ancient Athenians. The Athenians lived a far more diverse life if compared to Sparta. Ancient Athens was better to live in than ancient Sparta due to its efficient and honorable government and flourishing economy.…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Our first speaker praised our wondrous military. I will be continuing my team's argument that Athens is far superior to Sparta by examining the mindset of the Athenian government. To prove/support my belief that the Athenian government was superior to that of Sparta, I will be arguing 2 major points. Firstly, that the government in Athens was fairer than theirs and secondly, that the system of governing was stronger than theirs.…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    First to start with political structures of the cities, all of the city-states, like other Dark Age communities, were ruled by aristocratic clans. These three city-states had the same problems such as population growth, rapidly increasing inequalities between rich and poor people, because of this political structure but the solutions to these same problems were different in each city-state. To solve the problems, first, Corinthians created a new order to solve the problem which was called tyranny. This system had a leader called “tyrants” who were supported and chosen by citizens to meet their demands and solve the problems within the society. Tyrants restructured taxes, construct new structures for enhancing trade in the sea and they also gave rights to their supporters. “Tyranny” was successful for some time in Corinth but as it always happened before, the great weakness of this system arised. When the tyrant of Corinth, Periander, died, new tyrant weren’t supported by the citizens so the system collapsed with it. The system, then, turned into an oligarchic system and continued the tribal and council system established by tyrants and it was remarkably successful(CW , Ch.2 , pg 56). On the other hand, Spartans followed a different path to solve the problems. A unique military system and a rigid social structure were the basis of the Spartans’ political organization. Sparta was ruled by a system consisted of combination of monarchy, oligarchy and democracy. The…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout Ancient Greek history various forms of government have ruled the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta. These have included aristocracy, oligarchy, tyranny, monarchy, and democracy. An oligarchy is ruled by the few, which could also be as a small group of the aristocracy. Monarchy is ruled by a hereditary single sovereign, while tyranny by a single leader who took power by force. Democracy is the rule of the people. This essay will show the changes of government between the city-states (Cartledge, 2011).…

    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Athenians and Spartans were rulers in their own right and developed different political systems. Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece, the birthplace of democracy. Athenians were patrons that support, protects, and believed in living and dying as a champion. Their foundation was primarily focused on economic growth. Spartans believed in being resilient and self-disciplined. Sparta was extremely powerful after defeating rival city-state Athens in the Peloponnesian War. Sparta was dedicated to the military and to the state. Spartans believed in education and military training.…

    • 88 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ancient Greece was divided into many different areas, called city-states. There were many city-states throughout the entire country, and each one had its own government. Athens and Sparta were two of the most powerful city-states in Greece. Sparta was governed by the military, while Athens had a democratic government. Over time, people's opinions about what made a good government changed, and various types of governments developed as well.…

    • 535 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Athens and Sparta in the ancient Greece world are both revered by many modern civilizations as being foundry influences on modern democracy. The two city states, however, were polar opposites in how they viewed democracy and ran their government. Sparta was known for its military prowess and power, while Athens has always been famed for its progress in the arts and sciences. While both being developmentally different and butting heads sometimes, they both were integral voices on how similar democratic societies ran their governments up until today. The defining differences between the two is that Athens was a heavily class based Democracy, compared to Sparta which was more definable as being an Oligarchy.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Did Sparta's Decline

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages

    After a long endeavor, Sparta arose victorious. Having crushed its rival Athens, Sparta took hegemonic control over most of the other Greek city-states. Rather than rule as an empire, Sparta chose to “exercise considerable influence over the domestic and foreign decisions of these independent states” (Hooker). The other city-states hated this as Sparta tended to uproot a lot of what the other cities had worked so diligently to build. In the case of Athens, Sparta “pulled down the democratic government and established an oligarchy” (Hooker). Not only were they sulking in the shame of their defeat, but they were subjected to what they would have considered a backwards and insulting form of government. Richard Hooker, in his article “The Spartan Hegemony,” says that this oligarchy ruled “with an iron fist, often ordering summary executions of political opponents,” and the local Athenians ended up dubbing them “the thirty tyrants.” This is the most extreme example of their broad mistreatment, but their hegemonic influence caused many of the other city-states to greatly resent them. Inarguably, Sparta’s controversial foreign policy decisions cost them many key allies and made them many…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics