The city-states of Athens and Sparta were the titans of their age. They represented two very different viewpoints and presented to the world very different strengths and weaknesses. In fact, the perfect state might very well be a perfect blend of Athens and Sparta. But despite their differences, Athens and Sparta ended up sharing something in common: their “Greekness.”
Spartan Democracy, Athenian Tyrants
Sparta has been admired until very recently for their perfect form of discipline. Their government was held up as the perfect system by the Greeks of the Hellenic period. They blended oligarchy, monarchy and democracy together in a successful fusion that helped the Spartans to a dominant place in Greek society. Sparta had a government made up of two kings, a Council of Elders (the elites), and an Assembly that the rest of the eligible citizens were part of, creating a rare series of checks and balances was put in place. Each branch had methods to keep the others in line. The American system of government draws much from the Spartans. Never in Spartan history was there a horrible tyrant. Outside of their own city-state, Sparta also spearheaded the Peloponnesian League, a loose alliance of city-states.
Athens was the polar opposite. Plagued by tyrants, Athenians actually relied on the Spartans to save them from time to time. Born out of political turmoil, the Athenian government in the late 6th Century B.C. was built into a form of democracy. This democracy was limited, yet liberal for the time. The Athenians promoted their system by diffusing their culture throughout Greece through the use of colonies. They spearheaded the creation of the Delian League to provide for the defense against the hostile Persians in the 480s. Athens began to dominate the politics of the Delian League, funneling money meant for the League towards Athens herself in order to establish a glorious city-state, generating much ill-will among the lesser members of the alliance.
Athenian Philosophy vs. Spartan Militarism
Government was not the only way Sparta and Athens differed. In Sparta, every man had to have military experience, and they were drilled to accept authority and discipline. They were the best warriors in all of Greece. Athens on the other hand focused mostly on maintaining a superior navy and was significantly less militaristic. In fact, the reason Athens survived much longer than Sparta is partly due to the fact that they focused more on the diffusion of their culture.
Athens was obsessed with philosophy and the investigation of the human condition while Sparta virtually ignored philosophy. Athens was home to such philosophical giants as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. The Athenians challenged the norms of political and social thought, and some even dared to challenge the belief in the gods.
Despite these fundamental differences, both Athens and Sparta were united in their “Greekness.” They spoke a common language, worshiped (more or less) the same gods, created the same style of artwork, probably listened to the same music. In the 700s Homer had been credited with The Iliad and The Odyssey, giving the Greeks a common history. Tragically, the similarities were not enough to stop Athens and Sparta from battering each other in the Great Peloponnesian War of the 400s.
