Sparta and Athens
Athens and Sparta were both prominent city-states of Ancient Greece, and are among those which we remember most. Whilst they both were part of the Greek society, spoke Greek and worshipped the same Gods, Athens and Sparta were remarkably different in their lifestyles, customs and social edicts.
Ancient Greece was located on the Mediterranean Sea. It was mostly made
up of islands, hence the Greeks being a largely merchant and trade based
society. Crete for example, the largest island apart from the Greek mainland,
had access via trade routes to many other Ancient civilizations such as the Minoans and Mycenaean's, providing Greece with exotic goods and services which set them apart from other ancient civilizations.
Sparta and Athens shared a long rivalry over dominance in ancient Greece. Stark differences in their social structures had advantages and disadvantages on both sides, deepening this dominant city-state competition. Sparta was a military precise city-state which relied on harsh laws and values and a rigorous social class system to maintain order, however the strict lifestyle produced an extremely skilled and disciplined military fiercely loyal to Sparta. The city-state remains a tactical treasure trove for historians and scholars alike. Athens had the largest and most successful navy in Greece, also with tactics still keenly researched and studied in present times. The city of Athens is thought of as the founder of diplomacy, a form of government that has helped create the modern world. So great was their rivalry that civil war often broke out between the two city-states, as can be seen in the Peloponnesian Wars and even in the eventual decline of both Spartan and Athenian dominance in Greece as the Classical Period on the Ancient Greek timeline elapsed. During the progression of the Greek Golden Age however, the two city-states contested each other repetitively for power, trade superiority and land control.
Ancient Greece was located on the Mediterranean Sea. It was mostly made
up of islands, hence the Greeks being a largely merchant and trade based
society. Crete for example, the largest island apart from the Greek mainland,
had access via trade routes to many other Ancient civilizations such as the Minoans and Mycenaean's, providing Greece with exotic goods and services which set them apart from other ancient civilizations.
Sparta and Athens shared a long rivalry over dominance in ancient Greece. Stark differences in their social structures had advantages and disadvantages on both sides, deepening this dominant city-state competition. Sparta was a military precise city-state which relied on harsh laws and values and a rigorous social class system to maintain order, however the strict lifestyle produced an extremely skilled and disciplined military fiercely loyal to Sparta. The city-state remains a tactical treasure trove for historians and scholars alike. Athens had the largest and most successful navy in Greece, also with tactics still keenly researched and studied in present times. The city of Athens is thought of as the founder of diplomacy, a form of government that has helped create the modern world. So great was their rivalry that civil war often broke out between the two city-states, as can be seen in the Peloponnesian Wars and even in the eventual decline of both Spartan and Athenian dominance in Greece as the Classical Period on the Ancient Greek timeline elapsed. During the progression of the Greek Golden Age however, the two city-states contested each other repetitively for power, trade superiority and land control.