The Greek city states of Athens and Sparta are widely recognized as the two cities that best re

present the history and legacy of Classical era Ancient Greece. Indeed, both played a significant
role in the socio-economic, political and military history of Greece during this critical period of
Western civilization. Despite their close proximity and shared ethnicity, both states were understo
od as being very different from each other if not total opposites. Athens was glorified, both the
n and now, as Greeces cultural epicenter. It was the center of creative arts such as classic Gree
k drama, poetry and pottery; philosophy such as that propagated by the Sophists and thinkers li
ke Socrates and Plato and most notably, political experimentation. Our very conception of demo
cracy derives from Athenian political experiments. Sparta on the other hand, took no pride in an
y such creative ability. Rather, the Spartan polis was renkown for its modest, disciplined and rigi
d military lifestyle. The state and the society that it controlled was centered around the promoti
on and maintenance of the strongest armed forces in the civilized world. These profound differe
nces can be quickly discerned if one were to observe the different cultures and forms of govern
ment utilized by the two city states. However, while these differences are fairly clear to most ob
servers, how they came about in the first place is a question that requires a much deeper analy
sis.

The divergence between these two geographically close city states has its origins in the aftermat
h of the Bronze Age collapse of 1177 BC. The chaotic and often dangerous conditions that follo
wed the collapse of mainland Myceanean civilization fostered a need for protection and commu
nity among the survivng villages and cities of Greece. Many such villages and communiteis cam
e together to form what we now consider the polis. Chapter 3 of the textbook, Western Civiliza
tions does well to highlight defense as a primary motive for this consolidation among others. Th
is process of grouping and consolidation also borrowed from the models of development that h
ad long existed in the East. Specifically, the polis emulated the centralization of people in a regi
on around a religious authority. While Western Civillizations specifally notes that religious structur
es were not necessary for development in the new poleis, it is clear that Greek city states quickl
y developed their idenity around a patron god. Athenians for example, owed their prosperity to
Athena whereas Spartans paid homage to Ares and Artemis. In developing their own unique ide
ntities as a result of this religious patronage, the people of each respective city state also create
d their own customs, traditions and styles of government, some of which were based off of the
principles of their patron god and others which derived from other circumstances related to the
formation of each polis. These fundamentally different methods of conducting affairs would see f
urther divergence as time went on. One can picture this as a lengthy feedback loop, as new de
velopments enhanced the original customs and traditions of each polis. Athens for example, with
its history of relatively widespread political participation, would continue to experim ent with diff
erent forms of political organization throughout the classical era. Sparta on the other hand, entr
enched in a rigid and conservative form of governance and control, would continue to rely on
a system that allowed only a small percentage of society a stake in politics and military affairs.

While the polis system did indeed create and entrench cultural, governmental and ideological dif
ferences between the two states, I believe that it is misleading to conclude that such differences
made the two inevitable adversaries. The adversarial relationship between the two states was m
ore a result of geo-political rivalries and interests as opposed to any ideological conflict. It is on
ly natural that the two most powerful states of the region would butt heads in a battle for supr
emacy. In the face of an even greater threat such as the Persians, the two were quickly able to
unite in opposition despite their cultural differences. With the Persians removed as a threat follo
wing the last of the Greco-Persian Wars, the two had only each other to fear.