The two most noteworthy city-states during the archaic and classical periods were Athens and Sparta. They both contributed a lot to our modern society, we have taken some of their culture and political ideas and applied them to our lives. These city-states were entirely different from each other, especially in government, education, and architecture. While they do have their differences, they do also have some similarities. The city-state of Athens was the first democracy, all its citizens were allowed to vote and had the right to participate in the government and military. While that provided them equality to an extent, they still dealt with classism that kept the lower and middle class from being in positions of real power. Positions in the government were divided into categories, and citizens could only obtain positions within their permitted category. To keep the democracy running efficiently and impartial, the Athenians set strict term limits. Sparta was a considered a military dictatorship, most of their citizen’s lives consisted of military training and battle. Sparta was run by two groups of men, the Gerousia, and the Ephors. Also, the city-state had two kings, both decedents of the city state’s founders. Unlike most monarchies, the kings did not hold all the power, in fact, they sometimes had to abide by what the Gerousia and Ephors decided. …show more content…
For example, they both have groups of people to lead the city-state in help make decisions. Athens has their government, with officials from every class in the society, and Sparta has the Gerousia and the Ephors. Neither of them is a monarchy, even though Sparta technically has kings. Another similarity is that some positions in their governments have term limits. Athens is a democracy; therefore, all their government positions have time limits. Sparta on the other hand is a dictatorship, but the Ephors have a one-year term