Compare and Contrast Sparta and Athens. History Essay

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Sparta and Athens
The Greeks were part of the ancient civilizations and they were regarded as superior in different facets of life, both physically and intellectually. Ancient Greece during the classical and archaic period (ca 800-323 BCE) was made up of hundreds of small states (poleis). Every polis controlled very small territories even though they were ran as independent countries. On the other hand, there were two influential and most powerful city states in Greece, namely Sparta and Athens. They existed as sworn enemies politically, socially, economically, militarily and all other aspects of life (Knights). This paper compares and contrasts political and social systems in Sparta and Athens and examines the superiority of one region based on historical accounts.
Military Forces: Sparta had a bigger and more powerful military personnel compared to Athens. Both cities established powerful army on the land and navy in the seas, and at a specific period, each region dominated a specific arm of the army. Attending military service was mandatory in Sparta and optional in Athens. Since Sparta was a militaristic state, its main concentration was on its land-based army that was made up of armed hoplites (Knights). As early as the age of seven, Spartans started to train their young warriors while their harsh education system “agoge” enabled soldiers to be brilliant in the battlefield. Conversely, Athens was famous for its navy and there was a time when its army expanded to substantial level to match the Spartans, but it was generally inferior.
Government structure: Differing government system was the most symbolic factor that differentiated these great powers. Evidence indicates that in the ancient Mediterranean region, Sparta was an ‘oligarchy’ implying that the city was controlled by a very few number of individuals (diffen.com). Five elected Ephors led the country with the assistance of two Kings. The King could be overruled by the Ephors who only possessed a few militaristic and religious duties. Conversely, democracy was practiced in Athens and it is implied that the “rule of the people” was the most prominent. From a group of 5,000 to 6,000 men, the number was narrowed down to 500 who were then classified into 50 individuals (Knights). Each of the individuals would then take turns to lead for a period of one month.
Views on Women: The view and status of women in the two societies had a number of differences and similarities. In Sparta, the girl child had the right to attend education while this was not the case in Athens. Nevertheless, it is believed that there were harsh laws against women in Sparta compared to the situation in Athens (Tran 3). For instance, women were not allowed to wear makeup, cosmetics, or jewelry. The ‘master race’ concept that was preva...