Blog Entry #5

1. If you were a young teenage girl of the citizen class, in which city-state would you rather live? Why?

If I was a young teenage girl of the citizen class, I would rather live in Sparta. In Athens, women had no rights and were barely ever even seen outside the house. Wives in Athens were considered property of their husbands and the only women who could leave the house were prostitutes and courtesans. In Sparta, women had rights, and were more independent in Sparta than anywhere else in Greece. They were treated as equals to men and received a lot of freedom. Spartan women could own and control their own property and they had the important job of guarding their husband's property against invaders during times of war. I wouldn't want to live in a place where I didn't have a say in anything political and where I could only do work in the home. In Sparta, girls held the important job of bearing brave sons to be in the military. Also, girls received education in Sparta at age 7 in reading, writing, gymnastics, athletics and survival skills whereas in Athens girls received little or no education.



2. If you were a slave, in which would you rather live? Why?

If I was a slave, I would rather live in Athens. Although in both Sparta and Athens, servants (or serfs) were the lowest class, the slaves in Athens had more of a chance to become something important. In Athens, slaves were treated less harshly than in most other Greek cities. Although an owner could kill their slave, some of them had significant roles in Athenian society, such as policemen. The serfs in Sparta often rebelled and had to give half of their produce to the owners of the land. I would rather have at least a chance of having a role in society as a servant than nothing at all, so Athens would be better for me.



3. If you were a boy of the citizen class, in which would you rather live? Why?



If was a boy of the citizen class I would rather live in Athens. The boys in Athens had more rights than in Sparta; even the lowest class (before servants) had roles in the society. The aristocrats had large estates and made up the cavalry. Middle ranks were small farmers and lowest class were the thetes, or the craftsmen. Then there were the metics: the people that came from outside the city...they couldn't own land but they could still run industries and businesses. In Sparta, the Spartiates were the military professionals--they could be in the army and vote. The neighbors/outsiders were artisans, craftsmen, and merchants--they couldn't vote or serve in the army. Another reason why I would rather be a boy living in Athens is because they receive better education and values. They were taught reading, writing, math, music, poetry, sports and gymnastics. Boys in Athens entered military training camp for two years which was really important. In Sparta, boys were separated from their parents at age seven and trained in warfare. In order to learn survival skills, they weren't given food or clothes, which forced them to steal. I don't think that it is right to teach children to steal; it's not a good moral. The boys could marry but they still had to live in barracks with other soldiers.

4. If you were a young soldier, in which would you rather live? Why?

If I was a young soldier, I would rather live in Sparta. The Spartans had a vrey strong army, and they were the best/ most feared fighters on land. All education in Sparta focused on military strategies and war. I would want to live in a place where we were known for being the best fighters.

5. If you were a very wealthy person of the citizen class, in which would you rather live? Why?

If I was a very wealthy person of the citizen class I would rather live in Athens. The wealthier people got four more years of education, and sometimes students of the wealthier class could be sent to academies where they would also study philosophy, ethics, and rhetoric. Education is a really important principle, so to receive more of it is beneficial. Another advantage of being wealthier in Athens was that the wealthiest people were aristocrats. Aristocrats had large estates and made up the cavalry or captained triremes.

6. Would you rather live in Athens or Sparta? Why?

Although both Athens and Sparta have good things about them, I would rather live in Sparta. In Athens, I liked their values better than those of Sparta. Athens was a democratic city where participation in government was believed to be a civic responsibility. The education in Athens was also extremely good. However, in Sparta, there was belief in equality for all; including girls/women. In Sparta, women actually had rights which is opposite from women's roles in society in Athens. As a girl, it is important for me to be able to have a say in things, and not just sit in the house. Sparta also had better militaristic skills which is an extremely important quality for a city to have so that the population doesn't get affected. The main thing that would make me want to live in Sparta more, though, is women's rights.