A Tale of Two Civilizations

Athens and Sparta were two diverse civilizations in Ancient Greece which both left an imprint in the history of western civilization. Athens and Sparta had major differences yet created long lasting, powerful civilizations. Both located in the Mediterranean sea, they existed during similar time periods. The Athenian civilization contained people who believed in a democratic form of government, a free market system of economy, and an optimistic approach on life. The Spartan civilization consisted of people from Sparta, tradesmen and farmers, as well as their Helot subjects from their captured lands. The Spartan government was an autocratic government following a more totalitarian approach towards their cultural, political, and economic management. While Sparta was very successful, Athens was a more robust civilization because most of its citizens had a enhanced quality of life. Even though these were neighbouring city-states they were very different, and the Athenian civilization proved to be a wealthier government because of the custom in which it was ruled under. …