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Athens V Sparta Essay Example

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Athens V Sparta Essay Example
Athens vs. Sparta
The Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta were similar in that they both denied women basic rights, but they are more different because of their culture and political structures. In both city-states, their social structures featured women as minorities. However, their customs and concepts differ tremendously. Generally, Sparta had a very strict military-based state, while Athens focused on the fine arts. Politically, the two city states differed in that Athens had a democracy and Sparta had an oligarchy. Although the city-states had some similarities, they had vast differences.
Athens and Sparta were similar when it came to their social structures. Women’s rights and responsibilities were one of the few areas in which they were alike. In Athens, women had many responsibilities at home. It was their job to care for kids and the house. Women also were in charge of taking care of the slaves if they happened to get sick or hurt. Although they couldn’t vote in Athens’ democracy, women could participate in religious festivals. In the city-state of Sparta, women also raised their children and took care of the house. Here, women were allowed to own their own property. All women had the responsibility of managing the estate, supervising the slaves and doing the finances. In Sparta, women had a duty to keep healthy so that they could bear a child that could eventually join the military. Since the women of Athens and Sparta were required to stay at home, the men were able to pursue cultural and military activities. This is extremely important to the cultures of both city-states because it influences how they developed and thrived. As you can see, the city states were very similar when it came to the responsibilities of women and their social structures.
Athens and Sparta differed greatly in the way that their governments were set up. Sparta followed an oligarchy. An oligarchy is when the government is ruled by a small group of very powerful

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