During the Archaic and Classical-era, Greece was split into many city states, called poleis. There were hundreds of them, and some were no larger than a village. Each one operated as their own country, with their own government, and were often at war with one another. In this post I would like to focus the major differences between Sparta and Athens, as they were the largest and most powerful poleis during this time. The contrast between their cultures shines light on how different life could be back not even 100 miles away.
The cultures of Sparta and Athens were extremely different, especially in government, slavery, and daily life. Sparta prided themselves on their military power and nothing else, they did not bother building beautiful architecture
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Slaves in Sparta are called Helots and they were enslaved after losing a battle in 730 BCE. They were all treated disgracefully, with a minimum number of beatings annually, and having to farm their own land and give to their Spartan tyrants. While slaves in Athens were not usually treated well, if they were a skilled laborer, they could be treated as an investment. Furthermore, slaves in Athens had the potential to earn money and buy their freedom.
As far as their daily lives go, Spartan men spent all their time training. They attended the military school, Agoge, from the age of 7 to 20, then moved directly into active duty in the military. The men spend most of their life fighting, stealing, and training. Their women attended school and trained as well, although, they did these activities to prepare for childbirth and economics. School for women was considered an outrage in most of Greece, but with all the men fighting, economics fell on the women.
Athens created democracy, and in their polis, all citizens had a place in the government and army (it should be noted that women, Metics, and slaves were not considered citizens). Although the amount of wealth you had dictated the positions in office you could