Download Synopsis: Classical Greece: Legacy of Athenian Leaders Ganesh

Synopsis: Classical Greece: Legacy of Athenian Leaders
Ganesh Sathananthan
Thesis: During the Age of Classical Greece, Athenian leaders achieved greater lasting
success than Spartan leaders as they invested significantly in art and culture, more
effectively built on Athens’ greater democratic traditions, and productively exploited its
larger and stronger naval-based economy and military.
Argument 1: Different social structures of Athens and Sparta along with the polytheistic
religion that they shared.
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The Athenian social structure and social hierarchy was more flexible and
adaptable than the Spartan system.
The Athenians were able to focus their energy on expanding their wealth through
trade, and on investments in the arts. 1
The Spartans chose to develop a military culture for its citizens in order to keep
the Helots subjugated. All Spartan males were intensely trained in the military
arts from childhood and they fought as soldiers their entire lives. 2
The respective structures of Athenian and Spartan society were reflected in the
forms of government that they chose to implement.
The Athenians had a more open democracy with the opportunity for greater social
mobility, especially for the lower classes. The Athenian leaders Solon and
Pericles were significant in the opening of Athenian democracy. 3
Sparta, however, had an oligarchic system of government and a more rigid class
structure with no possibility for social mobility for anybody who was not a
Spartan citizen. The legendary Spartan leader Lycurgus was responsible for
creating the Spartan constitution which focused on military training in order to
keep the Helots enslaved. 4
Counter Argument 1: Overall, Athenian citizens did not necessarily enjoy greater
social, political, or economic privileges than Spartan citizens. There was actual class
distinction between Athenian citizens (non-slaves) than between Spartans who actually
had no class distinction to speak of. As long as a person was not a Helot in Sparta, he or
she had land, income, and voting rights. Athenian citizens could still be poor and without
an income or means to feed themselves. Spartan citizens were all equal in this regard.
1
Markville History. Markville Secondary School, 1 Sep. 2009. Web. 13 Sep. 2009
<http://www.markville.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/history/index.html>.
2
Powell, Anton. Athens and Sparta. New York, USA: Routledge Inc, 2001. Print.
3
Markville History. Markville Secondary School, 1 Sep. 2009. Web. 13 Sep. 2009
<http://www.markville.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/history/index.html>.
4
Hooker, Richard Ancient Greece: Sparta. 5 June 2009. 15 Oct. 2009 <
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GREECE/SPARTA.HTM>.
Argument 2: Importance of Athenian naval strength on its economy and military while
Sparta was dedicated to a strong land-based military and conducted less international
trade.
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The Spartans could not send too much of their military abroad because they were
needed closer to home in case the Helots were to rebel. 5
This fact of Spartan society made them more insular and they were not able to
expand their economy and navy to compete effectively with the Athenians.
The Athenian navy enabled extensive trade around the Mediterranean which
brought more money into their economy and extended their political influence to
all the areas that they did business. 6
It was the navy of Athens which allowed it to dominate the alliances of Greek
city-states.
During the Peloponnesian War, Athens took advantage of its naval power and
invaded the coast of the Peloponnese; Athens had a “bigger world” than Sparta
due to their strong and far-reaching navy. 7
Pericles advised the generals of the Athenian military to avoid open land battle
with the highly-trained Spartan soldiers. He suggested to fight offensively at sea
and to fight defensively on land. This strategy would insure that the large
Athenian navy would have a great advantage.8
Counter Argument 2: Athens and Sparta had two completely different goals for their
respective economies and militaries. As Athens used gold and had a coinage system, they
were able to accumulate wealth but this does not mean that Spartans were “poor” or that
they suffered from a lack of money. All Spartan citizens had land that was farmed and all
of their material needs were provided for. The Spartan military was used primarily for
security, against the Helots, and defence, against foreign invaders. In this regard, it was
successful and unequalled in its time. Thus, Athenian “success” in terms of their legacy
cannot take away from Spartan achievement using their own economic and military
system.
Argument 3: The artistic and cultural achievements of Athens and Sparta.
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Sparta is not as famous as Athens for their legacy in these areas. The Spartans
believed that their bodies were their great monuments, and they excelled at
poetry, music, and dance. 9
The Athenians, on the other hand, significantly invested in their arts and
architecture of which there is still evidence today.10
5
Powell, Anton. Athens and Sparta. New York, USA: Routledge Inc, 2001. Print.
Schrader, Helena P. Spartan Art. 6 Oct. 2002. 18 Dec. 2009 <http://elysiumgates.com/~helena/Art.html>.
7
Sebastian, Barry Peloponnesian War. 11 Mar. 2002. 23 Nov. 2009
<http://www.crystalinks.com/peloponnesianwar.html>.
8
Boardman, John Acropolis. 21 Sep. 2009. 15 Oct. 2009 <http://ancientgreece.org/archive/acropolis.html>.
9
Schrader, Helena P. Spartan Art. 6 Oct. 2002. 18 Dec. 2009 <http://elysiumgates.com/~helena/Art.html>.
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Most of the ancient Athenian architecture was designed and built during the Age
of Pericles.
Pericles started many ambitious projects and built structures on the Acropolis.
These structures included the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, the
Temple of Apollo, and the Parthenon.11
In addition, the Athenians invented three types of columns that were used in
Ancient Greek architecture which included the Doric, Ionic, and the Corinthian
orders. 12
Counter Argument 3: Although the Spartans did not leave any physical evidence of
their greatest “monuments” behind (ie. their bodies), they achieved as long-lasting fame
as the Athenians have for their physical (architectural) monuments that there is evidence
of today. Without actual physical proof, the legend that the Spartans created lives on. The
power of this legend (historical reality) to capture the human imagination leaves a legacy
at least as great as the Athenian legacy, with little or no physical proof in existence today.
10
Markville History. Markville Secondary School, 1 Sep. 2009. Web. 13 Sep. 2009
<http://www.markville.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/history/index.html>.
11
Boardman, John Acropolis. 21 Sep. 2009. 15 Oct. 2009 <http://ancientgreece.org/archive/acropolis.html>.
12
Markville History. Markville Secondary School, 1 Sep. 2009. Web. 13 Sep. 2009
<http://www.markville.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/history/index.html>.