...Kubik 1 Lubos Kubik Dr. Carlisle Composition II March 5, 2014 The ancient Athens and Sparta In times, long before Jesus, when thousands of people were dying for there lands and where women and men had very different roles were two unique cities, Athens and Sparta, with very different politics, beliefs and day to day life. These ancient times were very popular for their wars and heroes as likely for their politics and beliefs, which were very untraditional at that time. 100 years of one of the biggest rivalry in history of human kind Athens and Sparta put their names on the map of the modern world with lessons we can learn and bravery and courage to be admired. Athens and Sparta were always compared with their distinctions. They both had very different ideas how women should be threated in the society, also the politics and beliefs in these two cities were very diverse as the final outcome of their history and their decision-making in important life or death situations. Athens is of the oldest cities in the world, which has been populated for the last 7000 years, which Sparta cannot compare to that, because Sparta became city around 3000 years ago. Athens and Sparta are both know for their government and religion, but one of the biggest conflicts, even in recent history, was women rights and their position in society. Athens, as most of the ancient cites and states, took away women rights even before they were born. They were at the bottom of the society. The purpose of...
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...Everyone has seen films depicting the soldiers of Sparta, so most would assume that their military would easily defeat any other nation’s lesser armies. History can attest to the superior infantry that Sparta produced. These soldiers were the best when compared to all the other Greek nations; however, did Sparta have the greatest military force in all of Greece? Throughout the history of ancient Greece, superior naval forces were every bit if not more vital to national defense. The idea of a strong navy was especially significant to the Greek nation of Athens. Many nations during that time would say that a superior navy was far more important than having superior land forces. With Athens and Sparta fighting countless battles for control over Greece a superior Athenian navy was more effective in war than a superior Spartan army. There were numerous reasons why Athens was able to have superior naval forces, but the largest reason was money. According to Anna Maria Gillis of Humanities.gov; when speaking of money in Athens “money mattered.” The Athenian empire was secured with continuous military victories over prospective invaders. This military success was due to Athens’ superior naval forces, and because of their victories Athens received large sums of money (tribute) from other Greek nations for naval protection. Athens used this income to bolster its navy by building more ships and paying their respective crews. Athenian naval personnel were highly experienced war...
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...The best ancient Greek city-state to live in would’ve been Sparta for many reasons. The first reason is that everyone in Sparta had rights. For example, women in Sparta had more rights than most Greek women, such as being able to own property. Even slaves had many rights of their own. According to the Athens vs Sparta History Alive Reading, “Spartan women had many rights Greek women did not have. . . They could own and control their own property.” Also stated in the Athens vs Sparta History Alive Reading about the slaves, “They could marry whomever they wanted, they could pass their names onto their children. They could sell extra crops. . . They could even buy their freedom.” Because everyone had rights, the Spartans in their own way, were...
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...allies in the Persian war; Athens and Sparta. The Persian war was a war fought between the Persians and the Greeks; these two Greek city states fought together to successfully defeat Persia. Many believe tensions arouse between Athens and Sparta during the Persian war due to opposing war tactics; quite simply they did not trust one another. This led to Athens and Sparta forming allies after the Persian war, Athens formed the Delian league while Sparta formed the Peloponnesian league. The Delian league funded their own naval army to guard and protect the Aegean from invasions from the Persians; this ultimately created a very powerful Athenian navy and Athenian empire. The first undeclared flames of war was when Sparta’s main ally, Corinth invaded Attica. Athens then taking precautions formed what is known as the long walls, which enclosed and connected Athens capital to its ports, which meant land based armies had little chances of starting war on Athens soil. This action sent fear and suspicions to Greek city states especially Corinth. Corinth was very important in commercial trade because it linked northern and southern Greece. The first outbreak of real conflict was when the Athenian navy dispatched a fleet to assist Egyptian rebels escape the Persian Empire. Rebellions in Athens then broke out, which led to Sparta invading Attica. A treaty known as the Thirty Years Peace was formed to prevent an official war between Athens and Sparta. Years went by before the treaty defected...
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...History Athens has been continuously inhabited for at least 3,000 years, becoming the leading city of ancient Greece in the first millennium BCE; its cultural achievements during the 5th century BCE laid the foundations of western civilization. During the Middle Ages, the city experienced decline and then recovery under the Byzantine Empire, and was relatively prosperous during the Crusades, as they benefitted from Italian trade. After a long period of decline under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Athens reemerged in the 19th century as the capital of the independent Greek state. Tradition relates that Sparta was founded by its first king, Lacedaemon, son of Zeus and Taygete, who named the city after his wife, the daughter of Eurotas, around 1000 BCE. Some eighty years after the Trojan War, according to the traditional chronology, Dorian migration from the north took place and eventually led to the rise of classical Sparta — famous as a martial power, foe of the Persian Empire, and eventual conqueror of Athens. After conquering many kingdoms and warring with many communities, Sparta spread to a major empire around 400 BCE. This was also the time of Athens' fall, which proclaimed Sparta superior in the constant war of the two empires. In medieval times, the city of Sparta was destroyed by many invasions. Modern day Sparta, which is known as Sparti in Greece, was rebuilt around 1834. History Athens has been continuously inhabited for at least 3,000 years, becoming the leading city...
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...Writer: Mashell Chapeyama Subject: History Selected essays on Greek civilization Introduction This booklet is a collection of essays that were written for academic purpose. The essays are centred on Greece. Particular emphasis is placed on the states of Athens and Sparta. The aim of the essays is to show the contributions that Greek states made to the modern world. The world has learnt a lot of aspects from Greece, being they direct or indirect. One of the things that Greece brought to the world is the democratic system of government. Together with lessons from ancient Rome the world has learned much. Essay1: Differences in terrain and climatic conditions between Athens and Sparta Greece has many cities and towns, however probably the main ones in ancient times were Sparta and Athens. These two cities shaped the political life and history of Greece for quite a long time. The influence mainly centred on land and agriculture. For, about 90% of Greece production was agricultural in nature, with grain production as the dominant area. Incidentally, grain was a staple product and food of Greece. As a result the land that was used for grain production was a vital part of wealth and a valuable asset, for which citizens compete for. This essay is going to explore the difference in terrain between Athens and Sparta and how it affected agriculture and political rights, including democracy as well as how agricultural production had an impact on the distribution of political...
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...Athens v. Sparta Geographical Showdown Although they pursued different cultural paths, Sparta and Athens were both strongly shaped by their geographical circumstances. After the fall of the Mycenaean Empire many local institutions called poleis took the lead in restoring Greece. Many of these city-states grew independently, adapting to their physical surroundings. The two most famous of these poleis were Athens and Sparta. For example, Athens adapted to its access to the Mediterranean Sea by basing its economy on maritime trade. Sparta on the other hand was founded on a fertile region in center of Peloponnesus, which made them very xenophobic and military based. The geography was a key aspect that affected the Athenian and Spartan economy, foreign relationships, and social structure. Athens and Sparta definitely based their economies on their surroundings. Athens was located relatively near the coast of the Mediterranean, next to Attica. The land they were located on was very arid and rock. Therefore, their soil was not fertile and unfit to live off of, yet did supply the polis a surplus of silver. Because of this, the Athenian economy was based on maritime trade of silver to Persia and other around the region of the Mediterranean. Their economy flourished due to this generous resource. Sparta on the other hand was situated in a fertile region near the center of Peloponnesus. As their population and economy grew, the Spartans progressively began extending...
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...Thucydides, an Athenian historian, political philosopher, and commander is more commonly known for his work surrounding the history of the Peloponnesian War. While serving his time as commander in the war he was exiled for his failure and wasn’t allowed to return to Athens until after the war had ended. While this may not have been ideal for him at the time, it gave him the opportunity to gather information from both opposing sides, Athens and Sparta, throughout the war. This then enabled him to write a direct and concise account of the war and to refrain from any personal opinion. He is commonly regarded as the father of philosophical history. His account of the Peloponnesian war is not only extremely accurate, but it chronicles a war that...
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...Ancient Greece was made up of seven strong states that all thrived for hundreds of years. Two of these states, Athens and Sparta, though were known for more than just being apart of the Greek empire, but for how they ran there states and what they contributed to history. The people of Athens were more for the peace and wisdom side of living. Being interested in mainly arts, music, and the education life brought them. While Sparta was more for the military, and a man of Sparta would die for his state then lay down his arms. Though these two states that were thriving to be the more dominate state they both were able to compile different ways to become two powers in ancient Greece. This essay will compare and contrast Athens and Sparta in their everyday life and social classes, their government, and their different cultures. Also it will go over how these two states failed in the end....
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...establishing of the Delian League. History is strewn with alliances and pacts that change with political ambition, power struggles internal and external which change with time; as we are witnessing today with the collapse of the Soviet Empire, emergence of Putin and China onto the global stage. The rise and decline of Athens, Persia and Sparta and emergence of Macedonia involved many such alliances, pacts between states. By 478 BC Athens emerged as the dominant power with Sparta disadvantaged despite being the dominant force in the Delian League not helped by internal strife and a devastating earthquake ,resulting in asking Athens help. It was the resulting consequence of involving Athens that a further 30 years of skirmishes between them which neither gaining the upper hand. The Second Peloponnesian War as the Greek historian Thucydides who lived through these events states :what made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear this caused in Sparta: The constant power struggles and alliances, skirmishes resulted in both Athens and Sparta being weakened undermining both. Athens second attempt to take Sicily was a disaster Thucydides......for they(Athenians) were utterly defeated; their sufferings on an enormous scale, army navy, everything was destroyed and out of many only a few returned. This defeat in Sicily was the turning point in this Peloponnesian War. From 413 BC the war was no longer a struggle between Athens and Sparta as others saw it as an opportunity...
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...Sparta The Spartan country was ruled by two kings, the kings would lead the army in times of war. Even with the kings, they had five magistrates that were elected from high up families.Then they also had a council made up to create all of Sparta’s laws. This council was made up of the two kings and twenty-eight elders. The elders, all being of the age sixty or older, took the laws to an assembly made up of citizens for a vote. Although, when voting they to don’t discuss the law, nor do they alter what they had. They stated the law, and voted straight after. The only way to be qualified as a citizen of Sparta was to be a descendant of the original Doric invaders who settled and created the city. This required the number of Spartan citizens to usually not exceed more then six or seven thousand people at any time. The non-citizens outnumbered the citizens, but they were kept in check by the strong Spartan military force. Sparta produced what most say to be the most iconic military in ancient history. They are known for their bravery, professionalism, and skill: a reputation well deserved. They proved themselves, many times, that they were the best of the Greek hoplite warriors. Spartan political power didn’t peek until the 6th to 4th century BC. However Spartan military power had its roots in the system much earlier. Unlike Athens, Sparta’s economy depended on conquering other people and farming, as the land Sparta sat on was not enough to feed all of it’s people. Considering...
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...AHE 1108 History of sport Examine and discuss the role of women in sport in ancient Sparta By Srdjan Vulic Identification number: S4129049 Name of lecturer: Rob Hess and Matthew Klugman Name of tutor: Fiona McLachlan Tutorial group: 11.30pm, Tuesday, Semester 2, 2014 Date of submission: 3rd September 2014 Sparta was a city in Ancient Greece between 650 B.C and 362 B.C which was seen to have one of the strongest soldiers and women due to their early commencement of training in tough conditions to strengthen their bodies and to toughen them up. Men were always seen as the dominant species compared to women, they were seen to be stronger and had more dominance and respect in the Olympic Games and sport. Instead of encouraging women in Greece to participate in the Olympics they were instead dispirited and some laws were made to prevent them from participating. Spectators would rather watch men participate then women because they believed women were weak and were not as exhilarating to watch as men. Spartan women had more freedom and respect than many other Greek women, ‘Spartan women were allowed to be landholders and they were free to speak for themselves, unlike many other Greeks.’ Spartan women were ordered to do no less body building than the males, Lycurgus the lawgiver of Sparta believed ‘stronger children come from parents who are both strong.’ The women were trained the same way as the men, they would both be taught how to survive in tough conditions and they would be removed...
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...It was 404 B.C, and the Peloponnesian War, the war between the two city states, Athens and Sparta, had been going on for about three decades. Finally, with one last push, Athens finally surrendered, leaving Sparta to be the strongest city state ever to be seen in the course of history. Over the course of history, Sparta became invincible, far superior to Athens because women had more freedom than other city states, they had two governments for different times, and they lived a military life. First, Spartan women had more freedom and education than other city state women. At a young age, Spartan girls along with boys were able to all afford a public education, while in city states like Athens, women and girls had to be taught at home. Some...
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...Alexander the Great, one of the most famous leaders in history, found balance between war and diplomacy, creating an empire the Spartans will forever have fallen short of reaching. Starting as a city-state in the southern Peloponnese, Sparta faced both internal and external opposition. Spartan fear of being overpowered by servant helots, and later Athens, generated the development of a very specific form of education for Sparta’s defense. Did educating in war tactics rather than academic studies prove beneficial against the costs? No, Sparta’s education decimated its chances of surviving by not planning future growth, not promoting alliance with neighboring city-states, and by training citizens solely in battle. Sparta’s lone fixation on protecting...
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...Christian Salerno The Archeology of Cities Dr. M 2/18/16 Sparta Sparta was a militaristic society, who reached the height of its power after defeating its rival state of Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.). Spartans were trained at the age of 7 through a state sponsored education, military and socialization training. They trained in discipline and endurance in what is called an Agoge. Spartan women were not part of the military but were still educated and well more involved than other Greek women. All manual labor was performed by slaves call Helots. The military prowess of the Spartans was short lived though, due to the fact that they were defeated by Thebes at the Battle of Leuctra in 371, which lead to a long period of decline. Spartan Society Spartan society focused mainly on three main groups: Spartans, Spartiates, and the Helots. Spartans were the tip of the spear when it comes to the military might of the Spartans. The Spartiates were the full-fledged citizens of Sparta, and finally the Helots who consisted of the slaves who were the craftsman and laborers that created the weapons and armor for the Spartans. The Spartan Military Unlike the other Greek city states Sparta focused on military might instead of arts, learning, and philosophy. All male Spartan citizens were forced to join the military at the age of 7 were they received their military and socialization training at the Agoge. Training was rigorous and came with continual abuse, competitions...
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