The Comparison of Athens and Sparta, Essay Example

Athens and Sparta were two cities or city states in ancient Greece. They were among the several Greek cities that began to unite to form communities which were known by the name Polis. The city states in ancient Greece were independent bodies and they were generally militaristic in orientation. The population of one city state could range from as little as one thousand people to ten thousand people. Sparta and Athens were among the largest city states, and they were arch rivals. The rivalry between them made them very competitive, and they were constantly at war with one another in the struggle for military supremacy. This short essay examines the comparisons and contrasts i.e. political, economic and societal similarities between these two ancient Greek city state giants.

The political systems of these two city states were as different as they were similar. To begin with, Athens was ruled by a group of nine kings or archons as they were known. The archons were elected to a one year period in office. Upon the expiation of the year in office, the archons were made lifetime members of the judicial council, the Aeropagus council. This council, the Aeropagus, exercised great power in the city and it was the power behind the election of citizens to be archons.

On the other hand, the Spartans were ruled by two kings who came from two different royal families. The kings enjoyed equal power, and their children were equally entitled to ascend to the throne. There was also a council of twenty eight elders who formed the cabinet of these two kings. The council of elders had considerable power and could veto or approve a decision through voting yes or no. There were also five custodians of the education and traditions of Sparta. These custodians were known as ephors, and they were empowered by law to remove a king if the king contravened the customs of the land.

Otherwise, the two states had almost similar forms of government, but the political system of Sparta was too military that it was almost dictatorial to a large extend. The Athenian system was open and democratic, and encouraged elections, albeit for a limited number of seats in the governing council, the Aeropagus.

Let this paper submit that the economic activity of the two city states was very similar. This is because the two depended heavily on agriculture. Agriculture was the main economic activity and labour for this was provided by state serfs. In Sparta, land was owned by the full citizens who were exempted from economic activities. Ordinary citizen were barred from trade and manufacturing, and this left agriculture as the only major economic activity. The same scenario was witnessed in Athens with land being the preserve of the king and the nobility.

The major difference between these two city states was in the way their societies were structured and organized. The customs were also definely different although similarities could be seen here and there. For one, Athens was the seat of cultural sophistication. It boasted of great advances in learning and was the home of renowned philosophers like Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. It was home too to prominent dramatist like Aristophanes, Euripides and Sophocles. Historians Herodotus and Thucydides among others were from Athens. Athens was the epitome of Greek culture, literature, philosophy and theater. Because of its wide learning, it was democratic and quite innovative.

The place of women is to be examined in this essay. This is because in the two city states, women were given different roles and powers.  Spartan women could own property. These women from Sparta used to control the property of their male relatives who were away in war. Upon inheriting her fathers property, if a Spartan woman had no living brothers she was not compelled to divorce her husband and marry the nearest living paternal relative as was the practice in Athens.

Spartan women were also given more freedom as they wore short dresses and had the freedom to move as they pleased. Athenian women on the other hand were compelled to wear long and concealing dresses, and could not naturally move outside their homes or houses. In Sparta girls and boys exercised nude; and young women and men often participated in the nude festivals.