Daily life in Sparta for its citizens varies based on age and gender. The same is the case for Athenians, but with the additional factor of citizenship. The daily lives of non-citizens and slaves (including non-citizen slaves) are beyond the scope of this report, but in both Sparta and Athens, I will assert that the were cut a very raw deal. Daily Life for Children: Young Spartan boys lived together, apart from their families, and training and studying rigorously throughout the day in preparation for the military. Until the age of seventeen, a Spartan boy would be studying some practical arts, like reading, writing, dancing, and singing to supplement his tough, Spartan (for lack of a better word) upbringing. They were malnourished and encouraged to steal food, but were punished if caught. In the following years their training for the military was the sole …show more content…
Soldiers lived and dined together, and their daily lives followed a set routine. Military service ended at age sixty, whereupon a man might be elected to serve in the Council of the Elders for a year, before being truly free from his duties to the city-state ("Ancient Greece" n.d.). Athenian men led far more "normal" and well-rounded daily lives in comparison to the Spartans. At the age of thirty, an Athenian male citizen became part of the demos, and was considered a full adult. Men had jobs, such as farming or fishing, and handled the financial affairs of their households. They even did the shopping, which today is often seen as women's work! (I guess if that meant the women were kept indoors all the time, shopping didn't seem so bad.) Additionally, men could vote as part of the democratic Assembly, serve on the Council, or be involved with the courts as part of the jury ("Ancient Athens"