Athens and Sparta
The country of Greece, in 400-500 BCE was led to greatness by two city-states. These city-states, diverse in ideas and actions, were Sparta and Athens. Sparta and Athens were as different as night and day. Sparta glorified military tactics while Athens took relish in art and learning. These city-states served not only as rivals but also allies. Sparta and Athens, two city-states with nothing in common but the desire to make Greece a powerful, omnipotent nation, accomplished their goal through their unity, diverseness, and controversy. To better understand the interaction between Sparta and Athens and their desire for Greece to be a strong nation, it is imperative to know the situation of these two city-states in the early 400's BCE. At this point in time, another city-state of Greece, Ionia was under the control of Persia. The Ionian Greeks were dissatisfied by Persian rule. A Persian tyranny dominated Ionia at this time and Ionians begged Sparta and Athens to relieve them from the burden of Persia. Sparta declined to help but Athens decided their assistance would prevent the Persian tyranny from spreading in the direction of Athens, their home. Athens easily defeated Persia and freed the Ionians in the battle of Marat
this war was between Greek and Greek, and it rapidly spread over almost the whole Greek world. Military training had roots deep in Spartan society, hence the half century they had spent fighting the Persians. Finally, the controversy between Sparta and Athens determined which city-state would have supreme control of Greece, settling the dispute for the last time. Athens forcefully stopped the cities that wanted to leave the League and that preferred an oligarchic form of government like that of Sparta. An article out of Encarta 97 Encyclopedia stated: "Spartans were taught to endure cold and hunger, were not allowed to wear fine clothes or eat good food, were trained in all military arts and were taught to endure weariness and pain without complaint. Asimov wrote that the Spartans' logic behind this was to ensure that their population was free of defects and more capable of fighting when the need arose (Asimov 52). This victory signified the strength that Sparta and Greece had developed and that they were accomplishing their goal of becoming a powerful nation.
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