AthensSparta
AboutThe capital and largest city of Greece. Leader of the Delian League. Home of many ancient philosophers, historians, and authors.Known in Greek as Sparti. The city lies at the southern end of the central Laconian plain, on the right bank of the Eurotas River.
CountryGreeceGreece
GeographyClose the sea with a harbor. Hilly area.Landlocked. Also in a hilly area that provides natural defense.
Population (Ancient)At time of Peloponnesian War 360,000-610,000At time of Peloponnesian War 40,000-50,000
RegionAtticaLaconia
ClimateMediterranean climate, but more dry with about 15 inches of rain per yearAlso a Mediterranean climate, but with more rain.
Economy (Ancient)Dependent on trade and agricultureDependent on agriculture
Culture (Ancient)Forward looking and progressiveControlling, traditional, and conservative
Militarynot as military based, and required military service was only two years for citizens. Navy was best in the Greek world.mandatory military service from age 7 to 60. Land based army with no navy until the end of the Peloponnesian war.
Outlook (Ancient)DemocraticOligarchic
AncestryIonian DescentDescendants of the Dorian invaders
girls educationnoyes
Population (Modern)3,761,81135,529
Economy (Modern)Dependent on agriculture and tourism.Mostly based on tourism
Latitude37 58'37 04' N
LongitudeN 23 43' EN 22 25' E
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/3)EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
About
Both Athens and Sparta hold historic value for Greece and the world. Athens is the capital and the largest city of Greece. It is a center for economic, political, financial and culture life in Greece. Athens is the symbol of freedom, art, and democracy in the conscience of the civilized world. Athens took its name from the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge.
Sparta, a town near the river Evrotas, is located in the center of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. Sparta was the Dorian Greek military state, considered as the protector of Greece as it was providing large army to Greece for many years. At present, Sparta is the administrative capital of the prefecture of Laconia.
History
Athens has been continuously inhabited for at least 3,000 years, becoming the leading city of ancient Greece in the first millennium BCE; its cultural achievements during the 5th century BCE laid the foundations of western civilization. During the Middle Ages, the city experienced decline and then recovery under the Byzantine Empire, and was relatively prosperous during the Crusades, as they benefitted from Italian trade. After a long period of decline under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Athens reemerged in the 19th century as the capital of the independent Greek state.
Tradition relates that Sparta was founded by its first king, Lacedaemon, son of Zeus and Taygete, who named the city after his wife, the daughter of Eurotas, around 1000 BCE. Some eighty years after the Trojan War, according to the traditional chronology, Dorian migration from the north took place and eventually led to the rise of classical Sparta — famous as a martial power, foe of the Persian Empire, and eventual conqueror of Athens. After conquering many kingdoms and warring with many communities, Sparta spread to a major empire around 400 BCE. This was also the time of Athens' fall, which proclaimed Sparta superior in the constant war of the two empires. In medieval times, the city of Sparta was destroyed by many invasions. Modern day Sparta, which is known as Sparti in Greece, was rebuilt around 1834.
