Athens and Sparta

image courtesy of http://www.mcm.aueb.gr/ment/spetses/Lymperopoulos/pw_cont09_hk1.htm


Athens and Sparta are two of the most recognizable city-states in ancient Greece. Each had a distinct culture.

Athens

City state in Ancient Greece
Valued education and arts
Valued individual expression
Government was a democracy

Sparta

City State in Ancient Greece
Valued obedience and military service
Valued the group
Government was an oligarchy


Athens and Sparta were allies in the Persian Wars fighting side by side. Legend has it that a runner named Pheilippides brought news of victory over the Persia from the battle at Marathon to Athens. He collapsed and died after running the 26 miles from Marathon to Athens. Today a race that is 26 miles is called a marathon in honor of Pheilippides's run.




*Regents Questions

In a comparison of the ancient cities of Athens and Sparta, Sparta placed more emphasis on
(1) education
(2) military service
(3) family order
(4) human rights

Which statement most likely represents the view of a citizen of ancient Athens visiting Sparta?

(1) “The government and society in Sparta are so strict. The people have little voice in government.”
(2) “I feel as though I have never left home. Everything here is the same as it is in Athens.”
(3) “This society allows for more freedom of expression than I have ever experienced in Athens.”
(4) “I have never heard of a society like Sparta that believes in only one God.”


Which statement about Greek civilization is an
opinion rather than a fact?

(1) Boys in Sparta were trained to be soldiers.
(2) Athens had a better culture than that of
Sparta.
(3) Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were Greek philosophers.
(4) Many adults in Athens did not have the right to vote.