Compare And Contrast Sparta And Athens

Two of the most well-known and potent city-states in ancient Greece were Sparta and Athens. Despite belonging to the same civilization, they were very different from one another, particularly in terms of their social structures.

* Slaves in Athens and helots in Sparta

Athens and Sparta had different systems for dealing with enslaved populations. Athens was a democratic city-state where slavery was an integral part of its economy. Slaves in Athens were mainly prisoners of war or purchased from other city-states. These slaves were employed in various tasks, such as agriculture, mining, and domestic work. Despite their low status, some slaves could earn their freedom, and their offspring were not considered slaves but rather free individuals (Cartwright, 2018). In contrast, Sparta had a unique system of servitude called "helotry." The helots were the indigenous people of the region that Sparta conquered, and they were subjected to severe forms of oppression.

In Athens, education was mainly focused on intellectual development, which was necessary to become a good citizen. Boys from wealthy families received formal education in reading, writing, mathematics, music, and physical education (Garland, 2020). Girls, on the other hand, received informal education at home, which focused on developing domestic skills such as weaving and cooking. In contrast, Spartan education was focused on military training and physical fitness. Boys were taken away from their families at the age of seven and placed in military training schools called agoge. They received strict physical training and were taught to be tough and resilient warriors (Garland, 2020). Girls in Sparta also received physical training and were encouraged to be strong and healthy, as they were considered to be the mothers of future warriors. The Spartan education system was highly regimented, and the students were subjected to strict discipline and