.Athens vs Sparta: Deep Thinkers vs Military Might?

Hi and welcome to Ancient History Encyclopedia. My name is Kelly and today I'm going to discuss some of the similarities and differences between the Greek city-states Athens and Sparta. First, let's look at each city-state's form of government. In the 5th to 4th century BCE, democracy was the system of government in Athens. Democracy meant that all male citizens had equal rights in politics, could participate in public affairs, and had freedom of speech. The assembly, or ekklesia, was the main body of democracy and would meet at least once a month. All Athenian males over the age of 18 would speak up during their assemblies and would vote on all decisions. That leaves out women, slaves, and foreigners who lived in Athens. They could not attend the assemblies and did not have a say in politics. The Spartan government was relatively unusual, with two kings, each from different families. These kings were very powerful as they led the army and were priests of Zeus. They also held seats on the Council of Elders, the highest court in Sparta. They would have proposed issues that the meeting of the citizens, or ekklesia, would have voted on. As you may have realised, Sparta uses the same word, ekklesia, but with the more restricted use, as only the Nothing else. Like Ergis, in the 6th century BCE created the social system in which male citizens were to focus on military training and politics, while the city's helots, or serfs, were denied a political voice. The helots, who grew the crops and did the other lower class jobs in the city, were denied access to land, were not allowed to leave the land that they were assigned to work, and could not become full citizens. To be a Spartan was to be strong, courageous and disciplined. Boys were trained and educated to be soldiers from as young as seven years old. When a boy turned seven, he would leave his home and join the army with other boys the same age. This militaristic upbringing was known as the agoge, and saw the boys jumping, running, swimming and increasing their strength. They weren't given much food and were encouraged to steal, but not get caught. This rigorous military and athletic training got much harder once they turned twenty. The result of such demanding training was a professional army, known as a hoplite army, and they were feared throughout Greece because they were tough, elite soldiers famous for their skill in war. In contrast to Sparta, Athens put an emphasis on the education of the boys as rhetoricians, to be persuasive public speakers and deep thinkers. Along with physical training less strict than Sparta, Athenian boys were taught to read and write, as well as to be proficient in the arts such as music. They also studied literature such as the works of Hesiod and Homer and other poetry. Between 18 and 20 years old, boys had to perform in military and civil service, and their education would continue with politics and rhetoric, which was the ability to speak persuasively. Boys from richer families would get the opportunity to study finer topics such as astronomy and philosophy. The Athenian army was made up of the male citizens of Athens, and their training started once they turned 18 and was conducted in the gymnasia. The Athenian army would come to include resident foreigners, slaves, mercenaries, and neighboring allies. Unlike most other Greek city-states, girls in Sparta were educated and were permitted to exercise and compete in athletic events, a big difference to Athenian girls who were only taught domestic skills such as weaving and caring for the home. Spartan women were also allowed to own land, a custom not seen in any other city-state in Greece. Athenian girls were only taught what was needed to raise a family and care for the household, and they weren't permitted to leave their house unless it was for a special occasion. They couldn't exercise or have a job, they weren't classified as Athenian citizens, and they weren't allowed to own property or land. In all definitions, they were the property of their father or male guardian and then of their husbands after marriage. As you can see, the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta were very different in most factors. Although they spoke the same language and held men's rights higher than women's, Sparta gave women more freedom and access to education. Although they both had an assembly in their government, Athens was a democracy, whereas Sparta was a monarchy ruled by kings. Sparta's physical and military training was of higher importance than other education, whereas Athens, who still had a strong military, considered the education of a wide range of topics more highly. Athens contributed to art, architecture, literature, philosophy, political science, and medicine, whereas Sparta contributed to the concept of the efficient war machine and state unity. Athens focused on individual achievement and accomplishment, but Sparta concentrated on the communal good. Athens was militarily supreme at the sea with their navy, and Sparta was stronger on land with their army. So, which Greek city-state would you have preferred to live in, and why? This video was brought to you by Ancient History Encyclopedia. For more great articles and interactive content, head to our website via the link below. Ancient History Encyclopedia is a not-for-profit organization, so if you'd like to support our work, please hit the support button on the screen or via the link below. Thank you so much for watching, and we'll see you soon.