Athens Over Sparta example essay topic

397 words
Sparta & Athens Sparta and Athens so close yet so different. Since the being of these two great city~states everyone has been fascinated by the similarities, but more by the differences. This essay will tell more about the differences than the similarities. I'll start with the similarities. Sparta and Athens are alike in few ways one was is in there class of social groups.

Sparta has citizens first, then neighbors second, and helots at the bottom. As Athens also starts with citizens first, then metics second, and slaves last. Although they differ in the jobs are pretty much the same. They also had overseers / rulers who served one year terms.

Sparta name for them was ephor's and Athens name for them was archon's. Another thing that they had in common was the early government of Athens which was the 'Age of Kings' and the government of Sparta which also had kings. The more topic with more to talk about would be the differences. The greatest differences would be in government and way of life. The way of life in Sparta was very much for military where all men in citizen class were to be taken at the age of seven and start training in the military whereas the Athenians were more for education and a healthy body. The governments near the end were different in that Athens had almost a full democracy which was brought up by five leaders who reformed Athens to a democracy.

Draco started by getting a code of laws. Then Solon abolished enslavement for dept. Pisistratus abolished landowning requirement for citizenship and divided up the estates among the landless peasants. Cleisthenes abolished class divisions based on wealth and broadened the Assembly member ship also established a council of 500.

Lastly Pericles opened offices to all citizens and provided that officeholders be paid. On the other hand the Spa trans were still militaristic there government consisted of an Assembly, Council of Elders and two ceremonial kings. In conclusion I would like to say I have learned much more about Athens and Sparta especially about the birth of democracy. In my o pion I would have picked Athens over Sparta any day like they say 'The Pen is Mightier than the Sword'.