Athens and Sparta

During the Lyric Age (800-500B.C.), the Greeks expanded geographically, artistically, and politically. The revival of literacy there was a literary flowering where poets began to break away from the heroic tradition and write about their own lives. It was during this time that Sparta and Athens rose to prominence, the two antipodal city-states of Greek society. Here I will explore the contrasting governments, attitudes towards women, values, and education systems of the two …

…Greeks as it instilled in society the civic virtues of dedication to the state and a code of moral conduct. Athens and Sparta were as different as night and day. They had different forms of government, educational systems, and attitudes towards women. Where Sparta excelled in military prowess, Athens excelled in Naval warfare. Where Athens nurtured the individual, Sparta quelled it. Both a great part of Greek history with two very different contributions to civilization.