Athens and Sparta: Their Cultures and Their Differences

During the early centuries prior to the birth of Christ, Athens and Sparta were the two most well-known Greek city-states. Since both Athens and Sparta resided in Greece, one could come to the conclusion that their societies and the culture of their city-states might be largely similar. Surprisingly enough, this is not the case. Though certain aspects of their cultures were alike, on the whole their cultures were unexpectedly unalike. Before the Spartan culture can …

…foreigners, individualism, thought, and the arts were all a part of Athens. Contrasting was Sparta whose focus was on the state, achieving power and independence, and their military. They were not able to ever unite, because of their sociological and cultural differences. Geographically they were so close that they could not ignore one another but fought for the top position among the Greek city-states. For in the end, it was their differences drove them apart.