Sparta is a located in Laconia, in the south central Peloponnesian plateau, its size and population is small in comparison to Athens with a citizen population of only 40,000. Spartan government was not typical of a Greek polis; its government resembled that of a territorial state, a primitive form of communism. Decisions in the Spartan government were made by the Gerousia which was a council of 28 elders who were at least 60 years old. There were 5 magistrates called Ephors who acted as citizen governors, and an assembly of primitive decision makers who were citizens of at least 30 years old called the Apella. Sparta’s population including not only the citizens was 200,000. This population number includes three types of people, the Spartans known as the equals, the Helots who were slave-serfs numbered 80,000, and the Perkioikoi who

Cleisthenes makes many changes in the years following 507 B.C. Cleisthenes reforms to weaken the aristocracy furthers the development of democracy. To please the masses Cleisthenes creates 10 new tribes based on living districts. In creating the council of 500, the addition of the new tribes’ floods out power in the aristocracies’ family and clan structure, this acted like our senate. Next, Cleisthenes gave all citizens voting rights, and by 460 B.C. under Pericles, all offices are opened to all citizens.

The Spartans did not change; they place little focus on arts because this would bring focus on individuals rather than the state. Sparta was an enclosed ruthless and hard soldier state with great character that was virtually militarily invincible due to its superior hoplite war capabilities. Due to its closed citizenship and as a result shrinking gene pool, Spartan society eventually closed itself out.

Athens was in Attica, Athens did not have a controlled population like Sparta, and this is the groundwork for a vast difference in societies. Athens was run by aristocrats, and there was a scarcity of land due to land being given to all sons rather than exclusively to firstborn, this and a war between the classes brought Athens to the brink of ci

Some topics in this essay:
Attica Athens, Perkioikoi Helots, Sparta Athens, Spartan Athenian, BC Cleisthenes, Helots Spartans, Apella Sparta’s, Agoge Sparta, Decisions Spartan, Helots Laconia, spartan government, spartan society, typical greek polis, war classes, military training, restricted citizenship, spartan boys, greek polis, typical greek, lives necessity,