Hello to all my fellow classmates,
Last week, we learned about the similarities and differences of governmental structures between the two most powerful and influential city states, Athens and Sparta. Although they were a part of Greek civilization, they had significant differences in many aspects, from the economy, education to social rights.
Both of the two city states had slaves, but the roles of the slaves and how they were treated were quite different. First of all, the slaves of Athens were either born from slave parents, or forced to be ones. They could serve as teachers to their owners' sons, or other household and physical work (Chrysopoulos, 2022). It could be said that the slaves were treated more nicely in Athens compared to Sparta. In Sparta, slaves, also called helots, were mostly captives of war. They were treated harshly and inhumanely because they outnumbered the Spartans and so, the Spartans worried that they might revolt some day. Despite that, they were given certain rights, such as they can
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Their education system had not only physical training, but they also taught reading, writing, arithmetic and literature (Teacher's Curriculum Institute, n.d.). Athens also learned how to sing and play an instrument called Iyre. However, only boys were allowed to be educated. Boys were taught at home until the age of 6 or 7, and sent to school until the age of 14. (Teacher's Curriculum Institute, n.d.). Girls, on the other hand, were taught how to do household activities. They could not learn how to read or write. In Sparta, their education was solely focused on military training, as they wanted to produce tough and strong warriors. At the age of 7, boys were sent to train for battle, and even girls were trained to fight (Teacher's Curriculum Institute, n.d.). Even though boys were taught reading and writing, those skills were not really important in