Compare And Contrast Sparta And Athens

Sparta and Athens are both ancient Greek civilizations. They are both known throughout the world as fierce warriors of the ancient world. Not only are they known as warriors, but they are known for their society. These civilizations fascinate many people with their many advances in political and social fields. Both have influenced culture today in many ways. However they do share similarities and differences. Although Athens and Sparta may seem similar in their social structures, they also share differences in their political and cultural institutions.
Athens and Sparta are both similar in their social institutions. They are both considered a polis, which is an ancient Greek city state. They had an agora where the citizens met to hold elections, public debates, or even protests. Men and women were separated in Sparta. Men received training at the age of 7 to become soldiers. They then fought in wars and did hard work. Women stayed home and took care of the
They also shared differences in their culture and beliefs. Athens wanted to control more land while Sparta wanted to have itself seen as the “protector of Greece.” They both worshipped the same gods and showed respect towards all their people. Athens and Sparta were both also very interested in dramas and philosophy. Athens was the site where the more popular philosophers of the past, such as Socrates or Plato, came from. Another view in which they differed was what they found important. Sparta believed their military was more important than anything else, so they spent more time trying to improve it then other issues. Athens, however, believed the most important part of their society was their democracy. As for their military, Athens had ships that gave them arguably the best military on sea. On land, however, the Spartans were far better than other lands. Spartans fought in organized formations called a phalanx that were composed of hoplites, or Greek