Athens and Sparta were two of the great powers of the Grecian peninsula during the classical period. The fact that both rose to power geographically close to one another with such different governments yet sharing in some similar ideals is intriguing. These ideals may have expressed themselves in different ways but served similar purposes. Examining these two city-states in regards to who participated in government and held office, the similarities of their systems, and their differences will allow us to have a better appreciation of each.
In Athens and Sparta only males were allowed to participate in governance. Athenians needed to be at least 18 years of age and both parents must also have been Athenian citizens (Blackwell,
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In Sparta it was the back bone of their entire system. Spartans would annually declare war on their Helot population to keep them from attempting any type of overthrow. Their kings, which would lead in foreign wars, wielded power “almost unlimited in the field” (Brand, n.d., p.9). In Athens even though the executive branch was headed by 10 generals, according to Brand (n.d., p.33) it was notably weaker than the power held by the legislative assembly, as they were needed to authorize matters brought before them. In the end, Athens was much closer to a truly representative democracy as the general assembly would meet multiple times monthly, a much wider number of the citizenry could participate, and the Boule-council incorporated a substantially larger number of citizens. While the change of political leaders in Athens was via election annually, in Sparta the Ephors were “chosen by lot from the citizen body, able only to serve for a maximum of one year and who were ineligible for future office” (Cartwright, 2013). In Sparta, unlike any Athenian officials, members of the Gerousia would serve for life wielding political power for a period of time beyond any Athenian,