Ancient Greece was a conglomerate of different city-states, with two of the bigger factions being Sparta and Athens. Both are very proud of their nation, holding strong to the foundations of their society and their individual strengths. Both cultures allegedly practised pederasty, although there are writings countering this as commonplace in Sparta, it was well encouraged in Athens. Overall, the two were very contrasting in what they believed would forge a strong and everlasting society.
The Spartans were a military powerhouse, beginning the training of their militia at a young age. All male Spartan citizens were required to be a member of the military, being unable to live with their family until age 30 and are active reserve until age 60. With the men fighting battles, women were given more respect, status, and power than any other culture of the time. They were educated, allowed freedom to go in public and compete in sports. Although it is said Spartans were only focused on war, they were also required to study more liberal arts such as reading, writing, music, and dance.
Athens was a very different society. They focused on freethinking and the arts. Athenians believed that every male citizen should be active in political affairs, bringing every issue to be debated and voted upon by the public. Many famous philosophers emerged from this city and time, with many different approaches to pondering the world around them. Architecture, poetry, sculpting and dramatic arts from this period are still in use in the modern world. Although they were a more enlightened society, they were also a very misogynistic. Their women were mostly kept indoors and often were not educated.
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