Athens V.Sparta Compare/Contrast Essay - 848 Words

Athens vs. Sparta 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 Spartans 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. Athens became a democracy under the rule of Solon in 594 B.C. In addition to eliminating serfdom, Solon altered the stringent laws of a previous ruler,†¦show more content†¦He did not retire until age sixty. On the contrary, in the Athenian military, a soldiers rank was decided by his social or economic status before he entered the army. Instituted by Solon in the sixth century B.C., four classes made up the Athenian social ladder. Defined by income, each class had a certain measure of political responsibility. The wealthiest class supplied the army with leaders. Called the hippeis or horsemen,† the second class made up the Athenian cavalry. The third class, called the zeugitai, made up the foot soldier, or hoplite section of the army. Finally, the poorest class, called the thetes, served either as oarsmen for the Athenian fleet, or as archers on land. In addition, while Spartan soldiers trained for thirteen years, Athenian soldiers only trained for two years. Thus, while Spartan military rank was determined by a persons performance after entering the army, the soldier’s social class predetermined Athenian military status. Unlike their husbands, Athenian women were forced to stay indoors at all times. They were controlled by their fathers through childhood and by their husbands after marriage. Mostly uneducated, except for learning how to read, they spent their time managing the household and slaves. They were only allowed to leave the house to attend certain religious festivals. In contrast with Athenian women, Spartan women led a free life and