Athens vs Sparta Comparative Essay
By Nina Becket
The earliest signs of civilization emerge when its citizens begin caring for others; therefore, Athens is the far superior society. 1 Moreover, no matter how advanced a civilization is, if no history of it was recorded, its influence can not persist.
While Sparta was brutal, Athens was nurturing. Every child in Sparta was inspected at birth and any sign of defect or disability meant the child would be killed or abandoned to die. Boys began preparing for war at seven years old, and many would die in harsh training before they could even reach battle. 2 Food was scarce, deliberately, to promote high physical fitness, and elders encouraged frequent hazing and violence between young men to show dominance. 3 On the contrary, in Athens “vulnerability was considered a virtue.” 4 Wounded soldiers were cared for and government assistance and resources were given to disabled citizens, a practice way ahead of its time.5 Caring for the elderly, poor, and disabled made Athens an advanced civilization, since they protected the overall well-being of their citizens. Kindness and care were key factors in separating hunter-gatherer societies from the first civilizations, showing that Athens had truly progressed farther than Sparta had.
The impressive records and artifacts that Athens was able to keep, unlike Sparta, meant it could leave its powerful legacy that new civilizations could learn from. Elie Wiesel states that “without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” Education and leisure were not of importance to Sparta, but the emphasis on education, writing, and intellectual advancements in Athens made it so impressive. 6 Athens created the first democracy and recorded it, which allowed the United States, when founded, to learn from this advanced way of government. The Athenians were millennia ahead of their time by writing down stories, thoughts, government systems, history, speeches, etc; they were brilliant. There is very little history written down from the Spartans themselves, most of what is known comes from Athens. 7 Athens had a proud and notable army, but, to quote Pericles’ Funeral Oration, “we can be as brave as those who never allow themselves to rest; thus our city is equally admirable in peace and in war.” 8 The Athenians bravely defended themselves from the Spartans during the Peloponnesian War, but 8 during their times of peace they created technological advancements that Sparta would be unequivocally incapable of.
Not only did Athens create the direct democracy that the United States is based on today but their advancements in philosophy and architecture are studied by almost every high school student today. Modern values like caring for children and emphasizing education are closely linked to those of Athens. Finally, the Father of Modern Medicine, Hippocrates, was Athenian meaning that the same emphasis on caring for people, that we still so value today, was heavily influenced by Athenians, the citizens of the far superior ancient society.
1“The Roots of Civilization: Caregiving.” 2021. Capital Homecare Cooperative.
2Smith, Alex. n.d. “Ancient Greece – The Spartan Agoge- Historical Facts.” Museum Replicas.
3Andrews, Evan. 2013. 8 Reasons It Wasn’t Easy Being Spartan.
4Sexton, Courtney. 2020. “Did the Ancient Greeks Design Temples With Accessibility in Mind?” Smithsonian Magazine.
5Sexton, Courtney
6“Greece: The Rise of the City-State: Sparta.” n.d. HISTORY’S HISTORIES
7“Ancient Greek civilization – Sparta, Syssitia, Helots, and the Peloponnesian League.” n.d. Encyclopedia Britannica.
8“Funeral Oration Quotes.” 2019. Course Hero.
References
“Ancient Greek civilization – Sparta, Syssitia, Helots, and the Peloponnesian League.” n.d. Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed May 15, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Greece/Sparta-and-Athens.
Andrews, Evan. 2013. 8 Reasons It Wasn’t Easy Being Spartan. https://www.history.com/news/8-reasons-it-wasnt-easy-being-spartan.
“Funeral Oration Quotes.” 2019. Course Hero. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Funeral-Oration/quotes/.
“Greece: The Rise of the City-State: Sparta.” n.d. HISTORY’S HISTORIES You are history. We are the future. Accessed May 15, 2023. http://www.historyshistories.com/greece-the-rise-of-the-city-state-sparta.html.
“The Roots of Civilization: Caregiving.” 2021. Capital Homecare Cooperative. https://capitalhomecare.https://capitalhomecare.coop/2021/07/01/civilization-and-caregiving/.
Sexton, Courtney. 2020. “Did the Ancient Greeks Design Temples With Accessibility in Mind?” Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-ancient-greeks-design-temples-accessibility-mind-180975392/.
Sexton, Courtney. 2020. “Did the Ancient Greeks Design Temples With Accessibility in Mind?” Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-ancient-greeks-design-temples-accessibility-mind-180975392/.
Smith, Alex. n.d. “Ancient Greece – The Spartan Agoge- Historical Facts.” Museum Replicas. Accessed May 15, 2023. https://www.museumreplicas.com/ancientgreece_spartanagoge.