Athens and Sparta

by Christina

Greece's cities dotted the valleys, with power that flowed through them all. Two cities, however, by the names of Athens and Sparta, treasured extreme power. Athens popularity kept power in itself, while Sparta's power came through it's fierceness. Though both kept very powerful boundaries, nothing brought them even close to becoming common. They fought nearly all the time.

Sometimes, fighting subsided and the Athenian men took a break. During this time, they made clay pots . The women made clothes and fancy rugs, which they spent their time making all day.

Athenians got their name from the goddess Athena, one of the Greek gods. They built precious marble temples for her, and admired her, believing her as the goddess of wisdom and meaningful war.

The Athenians also farmed excellently. They tended to huge field of grapes and grew giant olive trees they also raised chickens, donkeys, horses and goats. The Athenians traded many things like gold, pots, clothes, rugs, spices, and food and many other goods. People from all over the world came to Athens for their beautiful pottery.

Sparta tried to destroy this civilization, yet the strong Athenians blocked every blow. They seemed to the Athenians as unintelligent, and Athens looked down at them. For instance, Sparta hated making pots and pans. They fought as much they could, and when they did not, they practiced fighting.

Sparta cared for the gods much less than Athens. They made small, crude temples compared to the temples in Athens. Sparta also thought of the gods as cruel and bloodthirsty, much like themselves.

Spartans looked down at farming, too. Instead, they would steal from other countries and take their livestock or kill wild animals to eat. Also, Spartans hated the thought of trading. Instead, they raided weaker cities and stole their valuables.

Sparta's cruelness and Athens power struck many times. Yet in the end, they destroyed each other and found themselves even less powerful than they thought.

References:

Millard, A. & Vanags, P. (2008) The Usborne Book of World History. London, England. Usborne Publishing Ltd.

Bingham, J., Chandler, F., & Taplin, S. (2009) The Usborne Book of World History. London, England Usborne Publishing Ltd.

www. Usborne.com /quicklinks