 The Greek Polis: Comparing Athens & Sparta
DIRECTIONS: Get into teams of two. One person will read about Athens, the other about Sparta. As
you read your article, fill in the chart below. Then share the information with your partner. When
you’re done, you should have a completed chart.
ATHENS
What kind of Athens was a direct
government did patriarchal democracy.
this polis have –
oligarchy,
monarchy,
democracy or a
combination?
What role do Because Athens was a direct
citizens play in democracy, citizens were
the government? directly responsible for the
laws passed. All males aged
over 20 would assemble to
make laws four times a year.
Anyone could speak to create
laws and these laws were
voted on before being passed
or rejected.
How does In Athens, young boys were
education in this taught how to speak as soon
polis reflect as possible. They also studied
what’s important and memorised great
in the polis? literature. This reflected the
great importance placed on
communication and ideas in
Athens and how cultured
Athenian society was.
What is the polis’ Only pure Athenians that could
attitude towards trace their lineage back to other
pure Athenians were allowed to
outsiders? Why? participate in the democracy.
Non-Athenians, some slaves, were
often prejudiced and were at risk of
being ostracised by the Athenian
assembly. Athenians believed that
these non-Athenian slaves were
only meant to serve Athenians.
There was a great divide between
Athenians and non-Athenians.
SPARTA
Sparta was a combination of oligarchy
and monarchy. There were two kings.
All male Spartans were part of an
Assembly that chose people to be part of
the Council of Elders. The Council of
Elders were the ones who decided on
laws and they were often distinguished
soldiers and commanders.
Spartan boys would be sent to military
schools, where they were often treated
very bad to prove how ‘tough’ each boy
was. They were not taught academic
subjects but were taught obedience,
courage and endurance. This reflected
that Sparta’s strongest point was its
military prowess and how ‘tough’ its
soldiers were.
Spartans opposed the arrival of foreign
people and were afraid that outsiders
would lessen Sparta’s discipline and
strength. They believed that outsiders
would bring nothing of use to Sparta
except for the labour they would provide.
When Sparta defeated people in battle,
they would take them to be slaves or
Helots.
 The Greek Polis

As trade and population increased in the years 800-500 BCE, growth centered on the many small city-states that
had emerged across Greece. The Greeks called each city-state a polis. A polis consisted of a city as well as the
agricultural lands surrounding it. Each polis had its own government and al the inhabitants of the territory of the
polis were expected to obey its laws and leaders. The city was the center of all political, social and economic activity.
Citizenship often had to be earned. It was not enough to simply be born in a polis.

SPARTA
ΣΠΑΡΤΑ

Too much homework? Not enough time to hang out with friends and watch the next thrilling episode of
Masterchef?

Suppose this was your life: you have only one garment to wear, going barefoot even in the winter, you sleep on a
homemade bed of reeds, you eat little, and what you do eat is unappetizing, you must always walk in silence with
your eyes to the ground, and you receive regular whippings in public in order to prove your toughness. Suppose
that because your infant brother happened to be sickly, the helpless baby was left to die, uncared for, on a
mountainside. Suppose that from the age of seven you lived in an army school where you spent day after day
drilling and singing military songs. Suppose that punishments were handed out not for stealing, but for getting
caught. Such would be your life, if you were a boy, in the aggressive military state of Sparta. In Sparta, schools
stressed courage, endurance and absolute obedience.

Spartan men had their lives mapped out for them by the government. At age twenty, a Spartan was a fully trained
soldier. At thirty, he was considered an active citizen and a member of the lawmaking body. He was then required
to get married and raise and family to serve the government. Even then he had to eat in the army mess hall rather
than at home. If he were not killed in battle by his sixtieth birthday, he was then permitted to enjoy home life.

Spartan Women Hang Tough

According to a Spartan legend, a Spartan woman had five of her sons killed in a single battle. When this news was
broken to her, she said, “All I want to know is: did Sparta win?” This indicates how Spartan women had also been
trained to consider their personal feelings less important than the welfare of the state. Spartan girls were taught to
wrestle, hurdle, and throw the spear and discus. The purpose of this health education was to develop mothers who
would bear strong children, who in turn would grow up to be strong soldiers. Spartan women were not allowed to
vote. However, in most other respects, they enjoyed equality with men. They could own property in their own
names, even after marriage.

Spartan Government: Balancing Power

Sparta was ruled by an Assembly, made up of all male Spartan citizens over the age of thirty. The Assembly elected
officials and voted on proposed laws. The Assembly was not allowed to debate issues. A Council of Elders, chosen
for life by the Assembly, proposed all the laws and policies on which the Assembly voted. The Council of Elders had
the following members:

● 2 Kings, whose positions were inherited and who served as commanders and judges
● 28 other leading citizens over the age of sixty, who had distinguished themselves as soldiers

There was also a body of 5 Ephors, or overseers, who were elected by the Assembly each year. The Ephors could
reprimand a king or Elder, punish anyone in the polis, and conduct foreign policy.
The Spartan government was designed to discourage change, since unanimous agreement between the Assembly,
Council of Elders and Ephors was required for any major action.
A Very Focused Society

Spartans feared that contact with any outside people would weaken obedience and discipline. Therefore, Spartan
citizens were not permitted to travel and foreign visitors were discouraged. Spartans came to have a contempt for
trade and industry. The self-satisfied Spartans felt that they had nothing to learn from other people. Nor did they
encourage independent thinking or new ideas among their own people.

Spartans were trained to reject all luxuries and pleasures that might distract their attention from the goal of
achieving military superiority. To this day, people who live simple and self-disciplned lifestyles are referred to as
“spartan”. From the Spartan point of view, poetry or philosophy was of little value unless it helped one become a
well-trained, disciplined soldier.

Those Crazy Helots

In ancient Sparta the soldiers were the highest class. The soldier-citizens of Sparta owned all the land and did most
of the fighting, but none of the work. There was a middle class called freemen, who were not citizens of Sparta but
lived there and carried on the trade and industry the soldier-citizens thought beneath them. The lowest class of
helots, or government-owned slaves, worked the farms of the soldiers. Helots were badly treated and often rebelled.
This posed a great danger, since helots outnumbered soldier-citizens. All rebellions were savagely crushed.
Government spies roamed the country at night, murdering any suspicious helots. Any helot who showed signs of
leadership or military skill was publicly executed.

This demanding type of society helped Sparta’s army become the main military power in Greece. The Spartans were
the head of the Peloponnesian League, a military alliance of Greek city-states not unlike NATO. The goals of the
society were very clear, and there was little crime or other civil strife.
 The Greek Polis

As trade and population increased in the years 800-500 BCE, growth centered on the many small city-states that
had emerged across Greece. The Greeks called each city-state a polis. A polis consisted of a city as well as the
agricultural lands surrounding it. Each polis had its own government and al the inhabitants of the territory of the
polis were expected to obey its laws and leaders. The city was the center of all political, social and economic activity.
Citizenship often had to be earned. It was not enough to simply be born in a polis.

ATHENS
ΑΤΗΕΝΣ

This particular moment in history shows that there are still some people out there who don’t like democracy. We
take it pretty much for granted, and accept democracy as the best and only way to run a country. But it’s taken a
long, long time for the idea of democracy to catch on. Athens was the first place to give it a try.

An International City

Athens had long had a history as a commercial center. Traders from all over the Mediterranean world stopped at
Athens to do business, see a play, hear a speech, see some impressive architecture or get a good meal. Athens
welcomed traders, merchants and travelers from all over the world, and embraced new ideas and arts.

Every Athenian Citizen a Lawmaker

Athenian citizens had come to realize that if a person wants good government, he must take an active part in it
himself. Forty times a year, about five thousand Athenian citizens – every male citizen over the age of twenty - met
in an enormous open-air assembly to make laws. The lawmaking body, called the Assembly, was the heart of the
Athenian government. In it, any citizen could speak. In order to get the floor and hold it, however, he had to be a
good speaker. He could not afford to be sensitive – the audience was perfectly happy to boo and heckle a poor
speaker. After a debate, the citizens voted. If the majority favored the bill or proposal, it became a law.

In Athens a body called the Council of Five Hundred proposed laws for the Assembly to discuss. Candidates for
membership in the Council of Five Hundred were picked at random, like in a lottery drawing.

Every Athenian citizen had the opportunity to hold a government job or serve as a juror. Athenian courts were not
unlike our own – each side would tell their story, and then each juror would cast a vote. If no one believed the
accused, then he was punished. Unlike our system, the accuser could be punished if no one on the jury believed
him. This discouraged false charges.

Athens: City of Smarties

The many opportunities given to Athenian citizens to participate in their government made Athens strong.
Knowledge of government increased. Athenian citizens were willing to assume duties to make their government
better. Wealthy citizens were glad to contribute their own money to pay for government buildings, theaters,
temples, schools and warships. Call it pride of ownership: the Athenians wanted Athens to be the best.

Education in Athens set the standard for the kind of education you get now. Because the success of Athens
depended on the wisdom and speaking ability of each citizen, boys were taught language and speaking skills from a
young age. Male tutors would teach small groups of boys math and music skills. The cornerstone of Athenian
literary knowledge were the works of Homer and Hesiod – boys would be expected to memorize long passages from
the Iliad, Odyssey and other works. Physical education was also important for the health of the future of Athens.

The emphasis on knowledge and expression made Athens famous. Philosophers like Plato, Socrates and Aristotle
taught in Athens.

Athenian women, since they could not participate in government, received almost no education. Their husbands
were selected for them. They were not even permitted to accompany their husbands to parties. Nor could they
inherit property.

For Citizens Only

Most people in Athens were not citizens. Only those who could trace their Athenian ancestry far, far back could
claim to be citizens. Non-citizens included slaves and foreigners, and those whose ancestry was not quite pure.
Only citizens could participate in government, vote or bring a case to court. Each year the Athenian Assembly had
the opportunity to vote to ostracize somebody, which meant that anyone who was thought to be a threat to
democracy or Athens could have his citizenship taken way.

This led to some pretty tough prejudices. Athenian law recognized slavery. Since slaves were there to do the work,
many Athenians began to feel contempt for labor. Even some famous Athenian philosophers justified slavery. To
them the less intelligent people were born to serve the more intelligent. They believed that the barbarian (by which
they meant stranger or foreigner) was born to serve the native Athenian. These men had little faith in the masses of
people. To them only Athenian citizens were capable of ruling.

Although the spirit of democracy existed in Athens, and along with it advances in education and the arts, there was
still a long way to go.