ATHENS AND SPARTA

Athens and Sparta

Athens and Sparta

Introduction

Sparta and Athens are like apple fruit and oranges; the same but different. Both are crop developed on trees in the case of the apple fruit and oranges, and both are city-states in Greece in the case of Athens and Sparta. Apples and oranges have distinctly different flavours, textures and flavors. Athens and Sparta had markedly distinct kinds of sources, social class, government and infantry history. In this paper both likenesses and dislikenesses between Athens and Sparta will be discovered, so as to learn the real truth about these two very old city-state giants.

Government of Sparta and Athens

The development of communal class and government in Sparta and Athens had a long road that had numerous bumps before the two city-states come to their last aim or destination. How each city-state took the bumps divided one city-state from the other. Sparta s communal class was first made of two kings who were descendants of the Dorian king. In 735 B.C. the Spartans invaded Messenia, making its people the lowest class of people, helots. Sparta utilised Messenia s fertile land for farming. The earnings generated from agriculture was utilised boost the aristocracies wealth, making Sparta more powerful. In 600 B.C. one hundred thirty-five years after Sparta conquered Messenia, Sparta developed a constitution which provided power to the elders of the aristocracy. Sparta s constitution called for village meetings which provided male non-aristocratic people thirty-five years of age and older the opportunity to veto legislation suggested by the male elders of the aristocracy. (Encyclopedia Vol. 4) The elders of the aristocracy recounted to the two monarchs who controlled the Spartan army.

In 700 B.C. aGreek champion, Theseus, joined Athens with some other city-states and established a monarchy. In 600 B.C. the monarchy was restored by a assembly of aristocratic individuals who called themselves Archons. The aristocracy, in a gathering called the Ecclesia elected three Archons. The number of Archons was subsequent altered to nine. The Aristocracy also controlled a assembly called the Areopagus. As the aristocratic power increased the little freedom the lower class had diminished, which led to some communal crises. In 621 B.C. Athenian leader Draco, established a series of laws that gave critical penalties for secondary crimes. Most of the misdeeds were punishable by death. Twenty-one years after Draco s rule completed in 594 B.C., Athenian foremost Solon abolished the Draconian laws, and established new ones ...