Athinais Vs. Sparta Essay, Research Paper

Athinais Vs. Sparta

Athinais and Sparta were both City states in Greece in ancient times, yet they had no societal similarities. They were invariably at war, and at one clip at a deadlock. They existed in the same clip and topographic point, but had wholly different positions on life and life styles. There were differences in the household life of people and paradigm of Athenians and Spartans.

Sparta was Drastically unlike Athens and all other city states in this facet. In Sparta the work forces were full clip soldiers. Even though there were few Spartans, there well-trained warriors were feared by other city states. The manner Spartans should move was based on maintaining the slaves ( besides known as helot or heliots ) from revolting becuase heliots immensely outnumbered Spartans. Citizens were taught to believe likewise to maintain from contending because this might promote heliots to assail. Boys lived in barracks and had the same instruction. As good, bibulous soldiers would do it easier for heliots to revolt so prohibition was practiced in Sparta. Family Life was about nonexistent. Sparta resembled more an ground forces cantonment. Males of all ages were kept together and pass a batch of clip with each other. This was meant to do them turn similar in character every bit good as devoted to each other so they would be an efficient combat force. Family life would engender diverseness and the Spartans believed in integrity to be more of import than households. At a really immature age male childs were taken from the place to develop together. Girls might kip at place, but during the twenty-four hours they worked and exercised together, passing less clip with their households than most Grecian misss. Work force could get married immature but were non allowed to pass clip with their married womans until the age of 30. Most married twosomes met in secret. The Spartans knew of these secret meetings, but did non care. They wanted them to take topographic point so the twosomes could engender more Spartans. These meetings, nevertheless, were non allowed to be excessively frequent because so soldier might go more interested in his married woman than his ground forces. This shows really much what household meant to Spartans. Family was a adult male and married woman acquiring together to engender kids, but to hold a functional household scene was hurtful to the ground forces and was non practiced. Womans in Sparta were given more freedom and held more responsible than adult females in Athens. Men were either at war or developing most of their lives go forthing adult females free to travel out and pass clip with each other. They had much more freedom and wealth than adult females in Athens. When work forces went to war adult females were left to do determinations for the community & # 8211 ; adult females in Athens would ne’er hold been left entirely to make this. Mothers of Spartan soldiers were really rough towards their boies. If a soldier throws their shield down it is to run off from conflict like a coward.. To come place on a shield means the soldier is dead. Spartan female parents would direct their boies with these words: & # 8221 ; Come place with a shield or on one. & # 8221 ; This meant if you lost your shield Don & # 8217 ; t bother approaching place. In decision, Spartans had no household life, male childs were kept together to make integrity, and adult females had more power, regard, and equality than Athenian adult females.

In Athens there was a household life, but it was frequently separated by genders. In a affluent household,

hubby and married woman lived in about different universes. He was out-of-doorss in the community with the other work forces. The married woman stayed indoors with her girls and other female relations. Neither did housekeeping or shopping. Slaves took attention of that. In a rich house their were different topographic point to populate for work forces and adult females. The Husband and married woman would non discourse really much. Another ground for separation was the age difference. The adult male was frequently married in his mid-thirtiess and the adult females was in her teens. They ne’er had much in common at first so most adult females had immature fellows near their age. This manner of life was common, but in poorer houses life was different under the fortunes. Poverty forced hubbies and married womans to populate together because of little quarters. Womans and kids would make the work in these houses. Sometimes immature misss would travel out into the market to shop. Poor Athenians frequently married immature and for love malice tradition common in richer houses. Sometimes work forces would non get married until they were over 30 which caused jobs in the house. The kid of 30 would desire independency as an grownup but the male parent still wanted to keep his reign over his family. This caused a batch of contending between male parent and boy in Athenian families. Womans in Athens were non respected. They were non seen to hold any sentiments on anything, and were better seen and non heard. They were weak and were controlled by their hubbies. If a adult females had a kid, she could be a small relaxed becuase the adult male was so less likely to disassociate her. A divorced adult females was shunned by Athenians. This shows that a women’s utility to her hubby ends if she can non bear kids. They could have no land or objects. All in all, adult females stayed indoors, work forces worked outside the place, adult females had no power or regard, and households were kept together as holding war-ready work forces was non as of import.

No similarities can be found within the societal facet of civilization between Athens and Sparta. Athens was much like the remainder of Greece, but Sparta was genuinely the black sheep. Equally far as my surveies reach, I could non happen any research or grounds that would take me to believe that there were any similarities between Athens and Sparta in this regard.

These City states were flashes in the pan of history. They were both manner in front of thier clip, yet had different veiws on life. There were differences in the household life of people and paradigm of Athenians and Spartans. Sparta concentrated on integrity while Athinais made the single of import. Sparta gave equality to adult females while Athinais allowed adult females to have nil. Sparta chose to open the metropolis to its milieus, while Athens built a wall around its metropolis. Which made for a better City state, and a better life for each citizen? Each metropolis province came up with its ain position on how we should populate, and each can be held as an illustration of how a community can hold a superb reply to these inquiries and its neighbour can hold the inverted reply merely as brilliant.

Plants Cited

Pearson, Anne. Eyewitness Books Ancient Greece. New York: Afred A Knopf, 1992.

Pearson Anne. What do we cognize about the Greeks? New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1992.

Schofield, Louise. Ancient Greece. New South Whales: Weldon Owen Pty Limited, 1997.