Sparta and Athens were two stunning examples of ancient civilizations. Yet the question that many people have tried to determine is which Greek city-state developed a better model of civilization? Sparta was the best example of an ancient Greek civilization. Sparta’s long history of having a powerful army, and intimidating war tactics helped build it build a strong foundation to grow upon. Yet most people overlook Sparta’s other robust features that lead to it being superior to Athens. These characteristics made Sparta and it’s people stronger, and allowed them to become the thriving civilization we know today. Sparta was a superior model of civilization to Athens because of its strong army, the rights it gave to women, and the fact that it was self-sufficient. Sparta’s structured and beautifully crafted civilization was partily due to their extremely …show more content…
Women had very important roles in Sparta’s civilization. They were not only the head of the household while their men were away at war, they could also own their own property and shops. Women weren’t allowed to fight in the army, but they were trained to be physically fit. This was because in Sparta they believed that strong women would bear strong sons (Guilford, 2014). So women exercised often and did gymnastics to stay in shape. While men were away at war the woman was the head of the household and was in charge of keeping everything running smoothly. With all the Spartan men and boys training to fight in the military, women were the majority of people left at home. So in Sparta women were allowed to own property, have farms, and own shops. In Athens if a woman was wealthy enough they might have received schooling but other wise they didn’t have the same ability to do things like women in Sparta. Women’s connection and role in Sparta’s civilization lead to it having a stronger society that was an overall better place for women and men to live
Athens vs. Sparta DBQ Athens and Sparta were two of the world's greatest ancient civilizations. Though they were both city-states in Greece they had their differences. Some of the largest contrasts were education, government, and the roles girls and women played in their societies. In Sparta the schools for children were very harsh and military based.
The role of the Athenian women was different compared to the role of a Spartan woman. In Athens, there were different classes of women; the women had very little choices open to them (Bailey). The women were not able to vote nor own/sell anything of great value (Bailey). The respectable women were not allowed to walk around town unless it was to a neighbor’s house or a religious service (Bailey). The women were at home and had to take care of the household and the children.
Her response here shows that Spartan women were brought up to be tough like their male counterparts. Spartan women had more freedoms than the Athenians. For example, unlike the “housebound life of the Athenian matron” , Spartan women were able to go out in public and even interact with other men. Despite both being Greek, women had very different roles to play in their societies. These differences
The role men played in the polis starting at a very young age, going all the way up until their death was a major factor as to why they were as powerful as they were. Sparta raised children in a very unique way compared to other Greek
In Athens, women were mostly secluded from many things. They could not vote, leave the house without permission from their husband, and more. In Sparta, the rules for women were much more lenient. Spartan women would train with the men and could own land. In both Sparta and Athens, women could marry and raise children.
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.
After all, the women that lived there were granted more rights than most that lived elsewhere. They also allowed girls to get an education. They had a pretty good social structure as well with full citizens at the top, noncitizen in the middle, and slaves at the bottom. Probably one the most renowned facts of Sparta is their military strength. The army was incredible, they even beat Athens in the Peloponnesian War.
(Doc B) Due to the fact that Athens taught women basic domestic skills this allowed men to focus on the advancement of the economic climate, such as trade on the Aegean Sea because they didn’t need to worry about their homes. “Finally, the citizen boys entered a military training camp for two years, until the age of twenty. Foreign metics and slaves were not expected to attain anything but a basic education in Greece, but were not excluded from it either.” (Doc H)
To be a loyal and disciplined warrior was exactly what Sparta needed and it’s what Sparta was built on. This was the basis of their concept of Arete. The women of Sparta also had their own expectations from Sparta. They were the ones who were to bear the children that would be trained.
Even to this day, we still use Athens and Sparta’s societal systems and structures because they were so revolutionary. Athens even introduced the idea of democracy, and Sparta had a strong military culture. Although Athens and Sparta were close together, Athens focused on leadership and education while Sparta focused on the military and war. However, due to their different governments and cultures, each has their strengths and weaknesses. However, because Athens focuses on its future leaders, Athens is the better model for a society.
Women were thought of as dependents of the father or husband. Women lived in gynaeceum: women’s quarters where they could oversee the running of the home and have very little contact with the male world (O’Pry, 2012). Spartan women, on the other hand, seem to have a bit more freedom and were able to own property. Sparta allowed for women to get educated in the same manner as the males. Sparta had a laid back culture and men were to serve in their military.
Sparta’s women were known for their promiscuity and boldness . On account of Sparta’s strict militaristic lifestyle, their lives were very different compared to regular women in most city-states of Greece. Although their main job is still child-bearing, this job held much more honor and respect because in theory, a Spartan women gave birth to strong, Spartan boys who would in turn become strong and successful soldiers for Sparta’s renowned military . Just as boys were trained to become soldiers from a young age, girls were taught to be the mothers a militant Sparta
The Spartan women were able to own plots of land and run their own households, they even got an education. At Athens, got a little amount of formal education and had less
Clearly, Sparta and Hellenistic women had more freedom and social rights than Athens women. The reason of how this phenomena occurred might be that at that period of time, Athens had the largest population of Attica. This indicates that the in this male community in Athens, the males could carry on almost all of the responsibilities of a society while the women could just stay at home and serve the men while they took part in public life. However, in Sparta and the Hellenistic era which there were not so much people around, women’s role would be more than simply taking care of household and children, they would need to shoulder some responsibility for their society, which brought along freedom and rights for
Sparta vs. Athens 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.