Sparta and Athens represent two diametrically opposed concepts of the Greek polis

Ancient Civilizations

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Athens: On the Road to Democracy

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  Early Athenians tried to solve their governmental problems in various ways
  
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  One solution was to appoint a magistrate called an archon
  
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  The archon’s job was to solve ongoing disputes between aristocrats and common citizens
  
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  The most famous archon was Solon who brought in a number of economic and social changes which included
  
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    Changes to the law code that helped relieve the debt and land problems of the poor
    
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    Abolishment of the practice of selling debtors into slavery
    
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    Abolishment of aristocratic privilege
    
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    Council of 400
    
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  Unfortunately, the road to democracy was not a smooth one
  
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  Tyrants came to power throughout the Archaic period
  
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  Peisistratus is a famous Greek who became a tyrant in charge of Athens
  
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  He defeated his opponents (on the third attempt) and took the city
  
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  Peisistratus ruled until his death when his son, Hippias, took over
  
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  Hippias ruled until the army of Sparta farced an end to the tyranny in 510 BCE
  
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  Hippias was forced into exile and Athens again had to find new political solutions.
  
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  Cleisthenes finally proposed a solution
  
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  He created a Council of 500 with 50 members from each of the new 10 tribes of Athens that allowed a greater say in political matters
  
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  Furthermore, the practice of Ostracism was introduced
  
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  Ostracism allowed the city to send any citizen and his family into exile for 10 years if that citizen was in danger of becoming a tyrant
  
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  Every January the Athenian Assembly voted on whether ostracism was needed and who it would be (sort of like ancient Survivor)
  
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  A minimum of 6000 votes needed to be cast on ostraka (broken pieces of pottery) for an ostracism to happen
  
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  The person who’s name appeared most often was sent into exile
  
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  The first ostracism occurred in 487 BCE.
  
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  The idea that Athens was always democratic, therefore, is not an accurate portrayal of the political challenges Athens faced
  

Spartan Government

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  Sparta & Athens represent 2 opposing concepts of the Greek polis
  
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  Also represent opposing concepts of the individual's relationship to the state.
  
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  The single, overwhelming fact of Spartan history was the Messenean War.
  
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  725 BCE, the Spartans annexed all territory of their neighbour, Messenia.
  
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  Controlling the territory of a subject population that outnumbered their population ten to one, Spartans worried of revolt and so invented a new political system as dramatically revolutionary as Athenian democracy in the north:
  
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    They turned their state into what amounts to a military state.
    
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  The Messenians were turned into agricultural slaves called helots.
  
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  The military and the citystate became the centre of Spartan existence.
  
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  The state determined whether children, both male and female, were strong when they were born; weakling infants were left in the hills to die
  
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  At 7, every male Spartan was sent to military and athletic school. These schools taught toughness, discipline, endurance of pain (often severe pain), and survival skills.
  
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  At 20, after thirteen years of training, the Spartan became a soldier. The Spartan soldier spent his life with his fellow soldiers; he lived in barracks and ate all his meals with his fellow soldiers.
  
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  At 30, the Spartan become an "equal," and was allowed to live in his own house with his own family—although he continued to serve in the military.
  
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  The ideology of Sparta was oriented around the State. The individual lived (and died) for the state.
  
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  The combination of this ideology, the education of Spartan males, and the disciplined maintenance of a standing army gave the Spartans the stability that had been threatened during the Messenean revolt.
  
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  Spartan society was divided into three main classes.
  
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  At the top was the Spartiate, or native Spartan
  
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  The Spartiate served in the army and was the only person who enjoyed the full political and legal rights of the state.
  
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  Below the Spartiates were the perioeci, foreigners who served as a kind of buffer population between the Spartans and the helots.
  
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  At the bottom were the helots.
  

Government Structure

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  At the top of government was a dual monarchy.
  
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  Below the monarchy was a council, which was composed of the two kings plus twentyeight nobles, all of whom were over sixty, that is, retired from the military.
  
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  The council debated and set legislative and foreign policy, and was the supreme criminal court.
  
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  Below the council was an assembly of all the Spartiate males that selected the council and approved or vetoed council proposals.
  
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  Above them all, however, was a small group of five men known as the Ephorate
  
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  For all practical purposes, Spartan government was the ephorate, for these five men led the council, ran the military, ran the educational system, ran the infant selection system, and had veto power over everything coming out of the council or the assembly.
  
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  They even had power to depose the king; however, they needed powerful divine proof (in the form of omens or oracles) to exercise this power.