Pros And Cons Of Athens

the daily operations in Sparta (“Two Faces of Greece”, n.d). They can also veto the rulings made

Aristotle once said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” Athens was established in 3000 BC, while Sparta was respectively established in 431 BC. Athens was also referred to as the “birthplace of democracy,” a government system still in use today! Athens was a superior city state over Sparta. This is because of Athenian cultural achievements, government and social climate.

I would like to educate the masses on a matter of frequent debate. This is none other then Athens vs Sparta, and I can say the thorough research and facts have lead me to concluded that Sparta is a much better city-state then Athens. Sparta is better then Athens because of its respect of women, more equal school system, integrity of government, treatment of slaves, and superior military. First of all, women were given far more rights than in Athens. First of all, Women in Sparta could own there own land, participate in politics and the olympics among other things. Where as in Athens women weren't even allowed to leave there houses in there own accord. Furthermore on average women were married of at the age 12 or

Athens was a small city compared to Rome that honored and protected citizenship. There was a constant importance of acknowledging all citizens hard work and participation. Athenians made it clear that the poor helped build the city 's power and not just the wealthy. They took politics very seriously and made sure that everyone had a voiced opinion. Hard work and equality is what makes a nation outstanding. Unlike the Romans, Athenians had a strict but fair schedule that allowed them to enjoy citizenship equally.

Sparta was abusive to children, and any society that abuses its citizens shouldn’t last, and Sparta didn’t. Sparta was a Greek city-state whose sole purpose was military strength. While Sparta lasted for 300 years, any strong society would last longer. They also abused their slaves and killed them with no warning. The weaknesses weighed Sparta down, so here are some of those weaknesses. Sparta lacked in education, they were too harsh on the children in military training, and the Spartans didn’t allow traveling.

There have been countless battles and wars in the ancient world that have astonished historians. Thousands of bloody, inhuman battles that were fought by opposing sides. None of which have astonished historians like the battle of Marathon between the Greeks and Persians. “The battle of Marathon is one of history's most famous military engagements”(Stern, 11) according to William Stearns based off of Herodotus account. The war between the Persians and the Greeks was an extremely unique war for its time period. No military force had ever been brought together larger than what the Persians brought together. No military had ever trained and valued war as much as the Greeks had. Two runaway trains were headed right towards one another. One of the

Athens and Sparta, located between the Aegean and the Ionian Sea, allied with each other in the Greco-Persian war. Due to the advanced and powerful navy of Athens incorporation with the well-built army of Sparta, they gained victory over the Persian Empire. After the victory, Athens gained wealth and dominance over the other Greek societies causing tensions between Sparta. They both share similarities towards their cultural background but had different views in creating an ideal society in addition to their state’s place in the world. Moreover, they differ from the concepts of a well trained or educated society and a well built military, but share similarities in their government format.

After a reviewing a few elements of Athenian culture, it is clear to see Athens was clearly better than Sparta. Athens had a lot going for it that made it great, even legendary. It’s no wonder that kids today learn about Athens and Sparta in history class. Because of the government, education system, and cultural achievements, Athens will reign superior to

Sparta was a militaristic and warrior city in ancient Greece, it was focused on loyalty on the military service and the state. The people of Sparta were also known for their strengths that were built by them at a very young age. At the age of seven, Spartan boys began education and military service training that was supported by the state. Though Spartan women were not serving the military, they still were educated and got to have more status and freedom, and rights than the rest of the Greek women. As a woman one would rather stay in Sparta than in Athens because the women of Sparta got to have sovereignty, mobility/status, rights and respect.

Athens, located in southern Greece, experienced an expansion in culture and education during the years between the Persian War and Peloponnesian War (477-431 BC) which set the stage for future expansions of culture in civilizations like Ancient Rome and Europe during the Renaissance. Although Athens was very prosperous, innovative and ruled by strong leaders during their Golden Age, they still didn’t have a perfect government or social structure which puts into question how successful this period actually was.

The Democracy of Athens meant that the people rule themselves. It was easy for the Athenians to see who the people are due to the population number at the time. Therefore, they could easily make decisions. The biggest difference between Athenian democracy and almost all other democracies is that the Athenians had a direct democracy rather than being representative. The city-state of Athens, 5th century Athens to be precise, is the inventor and first practitioner of democracy. One of the earliest known democracies was in Athens, a city-state in southern, ancient Greece. In Athens, the ruler Draco tried to make many reforms in the city state. Draco organized laws by putting them in a written code, letting everyone know what the laws were and

This contrasts the two cities in their perspective of what they need. Sparta powers their army with the number of Helots within the confines of their territory. Athens sees military as important but has almost as many resident aliens in their city as Sparta has natural citizens(Document 6). Looking at a list of imported goods and exported goods into the two cities, you can see how Sparta imports materials needed for supporting an army like iron, ivory,and copper. On the other hand, Athens import necessities in which the need to survive on such as wheat, skins, and salted fish to eat. However, Athens exports many lavish materials like perfume, wine, and jewelry. The difference of trade between the two rivals sets apart a contrasting view of alikeness(Document 7). On a similar note, Aristotle writes of how Athens supported themselves financially for war materials like 1,200 calvary men and 500 members of council to reinforce their government(Document 9). This correlates to a similar degree with Sparta to show that Athens was also involved in war and was prepared if need be to fight against a rivaling city. Looking at the point of view from Aristotle, he grew up with and in the Athenian government but he also grew accustomed to many other regulations from other cities during his travel. However, as he reflects on the preparation made by the Athenians, we can see that it is a fair assessment made by a now well regarded

Politcal Economy is the earlier name for economics , the Ancient Greeks came up with the name but in

As many new immigrants come to America the process of Naturalization becomes more and more relevant. On average about 1,000,000 immigrants come to America per year and have a chance to become citizens through this process. This is quite similar but also very different than how it was in ancient Rome but Rome had a better system than how it was in Athens. Before learning the some of the good things about their system let’s dig into the basics. Rome was a city-state located on the Italian Peninsula in the middle of the mediterranean and was considered the center of trade. It was very powerful ,after revolting against the Etruscans and becoming a republic, due to its geography being both ocean and surrounding mountains protecting them from competing forces. The place that I believe has a less far system was Athens which was located in Greece and had a population of around 300,000 at its peak. Both Athens and Rome had a democracy but in two very different ways which some of them are why I believe Rome had a better method of citizenship. In my opinion Rome was better than Athens, in this category, because Rome allowed more

To begin with, Athens and Sparta were both famous in antiquity for their legend, cultures and the character of the people. On the one hand, the two poleis share certain obvious affinities, such as language, geographical scope, a common Greek ancestry etc. On the other hand, they were polar opposites in many aspects, from social spheres, political structures, to military might, which I believe there are some hidden depths in these city-states. Hence, let’s look at how did their people obtain the right to participate in public life and make decisions affecting the community, and who held public office first.