Hist1421 Written Assignment Unit1

Greek Civilization: Athens and Sparta
University of the People
HIST 1421: Greek and Roman Civilization
Darrel Van Hoose
Wednesday, 1 February 2023

Greek Civilization: Athens and Sparta
Sparta and Athens were the two most influential poleis in ancient Greece. This essay is
mainly focused on how people in Athens and Sparta obtained the right to participate in public
life and make decisions affecting the community. We will explore who held the public office and
what rules governed the selection of public office holders. Lastly, how were the two city states
similar in their governmental structures and how differed.
Athens was the major trade center of Greece. Therefore, they are the wealthiest among
other polis and attract many economic and intellectual immigrants. But only the people born
from Athenian parents are considered to be citizens of Athens. But only free adult male could
vote and participate in political matters. Women, slaves and foreigners or Metics had no political
right.
It is no different in Sparta, where only the free adult Spartans can vote. But Spartan
women had more freedom than the other Greece polis. This is because, while the husband and
sons went out for war, it was the Spartan woman who had to take care of her house's economic
situations. Therefore, they are allowed to go out freely in public. The sole purpose of a Spartan
woman was to give birth to many children preferably male. This is because the Spartan men had
only one job and it was to be a warrior. Both young Spartan boys and girls are educated from a
young age. Every Spartan boy had to undergo military training from the age of seven to twenty.
Spartan girls also had to undergo physical fitness training to survive the many child births. This
type of training and other privileges of Spartan women were considered to be scandalous by
other poleis.
In Sparta, they had two kings. The two kings had to consult the council of thirty
aristocrats or Gerousia and five magistrates or Ephors in political matters. Therefore, the power
of the kings was kept in check by the Gerousia and Ephors. When one of the two kings were to
go out fighting in a war, two of the Ephors had to follow the king into the battlefield. The
legislative power is vested in the assembly or Ekklesia where the adult male Spartan citizens
voted to pass laws and make decisions for wars. But it is the Gerousia who actually controlled
the law by filtering what was to be passed or discussed in Ekklesia. Therefore, we could say that
the top positions of the Spartan’s government were ruled by the conservative aristocrats.
Becoming a Ephors was the only way to political power for non-aristocratic Spartans.
Athenians had a weak executive branch as they didn’t have kings or prime ministers.
Instead, they used democracy or ‘rule by the people’. The political power in Athens was
measured by the individual’s wealth. Therefore, the wealthiest citizens held all the most
prestigious positions in the office such as the Boule or council and the magistrates. But unlike
the Spartans, Athenian Ekklesia was more effective and worked in the favor of its majority
people. The largest voting power lay at the hands of the non-aristocratic citizens of Athens. They
had a people’s court or Heliaea where the citizens could sue the officials. Although Athenian
democracy seemed great, many philosophers and intellectuals led by Plato considered that
democracy was the chief cause of Athens’ problems.
“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where 51% of the people may take away
the rights of the other 49%.” (Thomas Jefferson).
In both Athens and Sparta, the public office positions were annually elected by the
Ekklesia. But in Sparta, Gerousia would remain members for life. Only Spartan aristocrats over
the age of 60 were eligible to be elected as the members of Gerousia. But there was a limit of 30
members at a time. The only members of Gerousia under the age of sixty were the two kings
who came from two royal families, Agiads and Eurypontids. The Ephors on the other hand,
elected annually. Both Ephors and Gerousia were elected by Ekklesia. In Athens the magistrates
were elected annually but the members of Boule and Heliaea were selected by lottery.
The similarities between Athens and Sparta were that both poleis allowed women, slaves
or non-citizens to participate in their political matters. Women were not allowed to hold
government office positions. Both cities used slavery to their advantage, especially the Spartan
where they enslaved the entire population of Messenia. They were both the strongest and
influential polis in Greece. They both used the election and voting systems to elect government
officials. The differences were that Sparta was the military power house and Athens was the
economic and political power house. In Sparta, the aristocratic class held the majority of power
where in Athens, the wealthy non-aristocrats had more chances. While Athenian men were
drinking wine and discussing politics and philosophy, Spartan men were sharpening their shields
and training for their annual war against Helots. Athens had strong walls, marvelous temples and
beautiful architecture while Sparta had the mightiest and strongest army in Greece.
In conclusion, both Athens and Sparta had their differences and similarities. Putting their
differences aside, under the leadership of Sparta and Athens, the whole of Greece came to unity
and it led to their victory against Persia. Although they no longer exist today, Sparta and Athens
still influence modern-day countries. Sparta’s military power and its disciplines are still admired
by today’s military and Athens plants the seed for modern democracy.
References:
Athens & Sparta: Democracy vs. Dictatorship, Dr. Peter J. Brand
Introduction to Athenian Democracy of the Fifth and Fourth Centuries BCE, John A. Rothchild

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Greek Civilization: Athens and Sparta

University of the People

HIST 1421: Greek and Roman Civilization

Darrel Van Hoose

Wednesday, 1 February 2023

similar in their governmental structures and how differed.

democracy was the chief cause of Athens’ problems.

the rights of the other 49%.” (Thomas Jefferson).

Athens & Sparta: Democracy vs. Dictatorship, Dr. Peter J. Brand

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