Skip to content

WA1. Compare and Contrast: Athenian and Spartan Government Structures

Statement

It can be noted from your readings that although part of the Greek civilization, Athens and Sparta had certain dissimilarities in their government structures. Reflect on your readings and answer the following questions.

  • How did people in Athens and Sparta obtain the right to participate in public life and make decisions affecting the community?
  • Who held public office?
  • What rules governed the selection of public office holders?
  • How were the two city-states similar in their governmental structures? How did they differ?

Answer

Ancient Greece was a collection of city-states, each the size of a city but the political structure of an independent country; these city-states had different sizes, rules, and political systems. Two of the most famous, strongest, and largest city-states were Athens and Sparta (Rothchild, 2007). Athene was known as the city of wisdom, the birthplace of democracy, located on the shores of the Aegean Sea in a fortified area. Sparta, on the other hand, was known for its military strength, located in a fertile plain in the Peloponnese region. The two cities were seen as chief rivals and a war between them was inevitable (Brand, 2010).

The right to participate in public life was limited to citizens in both Athens and Sparta; both city-states shared similarities in that they only allowed free men, over 18, who descended from citizens to participate in public life. Women, children, slaves, and foreigners (free males) were not considered citizens and thus they could not participate in public life (Brand, 2010). However, there were some differences in granting citizenship; In Sparta, citizenship was granted to those who were born to Spartan parents and underwent the required military training. In Athens, it was simpler, only descending from an Athenian father was enough, and citizenship was granted rarely to foreigners as a reward for exceptional service to the city (Rothchild, 2007).

The public office was held by different groups in Athens and Sparta. In Athens, it was usually the wealthy and citizens over 30 years old who held public office, but it was not limited to them as any citizen could hold some sort of public office either in the Council of 500, the pool of jurors, or the magistrates (Rothchild, 2007); and usually people were paid for their service. In Sparta, public office was held mostly by the elderly, as the council of 60 required members to be over 60 years old; the two kings and the magistrates were elected from this council (Brand, 2010). However, in both cities, there was a general Assembly that met regularly where all citizens were part of it, and the right to attend could not be denied to any citizen.

The selection of public office holders was different in Athens and Sparta. In Athens, officials were elected by the citizens, and the selection was based on the lottery system; the lottery system was used to select the Council of 500, the pool of jurors, and the magistrates (archons); the lottery system was used to ensure that all citizens had an equal chance of holding public office (Rothchild, 2007). In Sparta, the selection of public office holders was different; the Ephors (5 magistrates) were elected annually by the Assembly, and the Gerousia was elected by the Assembly when a spot became available among the council of 60. The two kings were elected from the two royal families (Brand, 2010).

The government structure in both cities was fairly different. Despite both cities having a General Assembly, the government structure and power distribution were different. In Athens, the government was a direct democracy where the council of 500 was the main legislative body, which prepared the laws to be voted upon in the General Assembly; the Assembly had the final say in all matters; the 10 archons (magistrates) were the head of the government and the military in Athens (Rothchild, 2007). In Sparta, the government was an oligarchic military where the council of 60 (the council of the elderly) was the main legislative body and it was divided between the two main tribes, 30 from each tribe; then two kings were the head of the government and the military in Sparta (Brand, 2010).

To conclude, both cities have common similarities, and despite being allies when all of Greece was under threat of Persian invasion, the differences between the two made them rivals; and put them in a war that lasted for 3 decades and destroyed Athene’s democracy and weakened the entire Greek civilization. The Athenians would later restore their city from the Spartans and rebuild their democracy, only to be conquered by the Macedonians under Alexander the Great which ended the Greek civilization as it was known (Brand, 2010).

Word Count: 696.

References