Besides being a foremost example of ancient city-states, Athens
advanced the areas of agriculture and urbanization
. Their development of central banks, coinage, and public places like the agora, provided urban life with form and function.
Why was Athens important to Greece?
Athens was the largest and most influential of the Greek city-states. It had many fine buildings and was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. The Athenians
invented democracy
, a new type of government where every citizen could vote on important issues, such as whether or not to declare war.
Why was Athens the most important city in Greece What did it develop?
Athens
developed democratic institutions and a culture of philosophy, science, and culture
; it emerged as a powerful state and allied with other city-states, forming the Delian League. Resistance to Athens’ power among the other Greek city-states, particularly Sparta, prompted the Peloponnesian War.
Why was Athenian important?
Athenian society was a patriarchy;
men held all rights and advantages
, such as access to education and power. Athenian women were dedicated to the care and upkeep of the family home.
Why was Athens considered one of the greatest cities in the world?
“Birthplace of Western civilization, Athens is the most influential city ever in the fields of philosophy, architecture, politics, science, and free thinking, as well as
the original home of what is considered the most ideal system of government: democracy
,” the website reads while it continues, referring: “Athens also …
Why is Sparta important?
City of Sparta. Sparta was one of the most powerful city-states in Ancient Greece. It is
famous for its powerful army as well as its battles with the city-state of Athens during the Peloponnesian War
. Sparta was located in a valley on the banks of the Eurotas River in the south-eastern portion of Greece.
Why is Plato important?
Plato is considered by many to be the most important philosopher who ever lived. He is known as
the father of idealism in philosophy
. His ideas were elitist, with the philosopher king the ideal ruler. Plato is perhaps best known to college students for his parable of a cave, which appears in Plato’s Republic.
Why was Athens successful?
This rise occurred largely due to its
prominent location and control of key trading routes and leadership in the wars against Persia
. While other Greek cities held more powerful armies, such as Sparta, Athens’ leadership proved attractive and helped pave the way for its influence.
Why is Sparta the best city state?
Sparta is far superior to Athens because their army was fierce and protective, girls received some education and women had more freedom than in other poleis. … The Spartans believed this made them strong and better mothers. Lastly, Sparta is the best polis of ancient Greece
because women had freedom
.
What are three facts about Athens?
- Athens is Europe’s oldest capital. …
- Athens has experienced almost every form of government. …
- If it weren’t for an olive tree, Poseidon might have been the city’s patron. …
- The ancient Olympic games were never held in Athens. …
- Athens is home to the first known democracy.
What did the Athenians value most?
Athens Values
While Spartans valued military strength, Athenians placed a higher value
on education and culture
. Their main goal was building a democracy. Athenians believed that the only way to build a strong democracy was to create well informed citizens.
What advantages did Athens have over Sparta?
Athens did not have such a strong army as Sparta, but
its navy was better developed
. Athens did have another advantage, which was that many of their allies gave them financial support. The main disadvantage for the Athenians was that around 430 BCE, a plague struck Athens.
What was Athens main focus?
Athens focused
more on culture
, while Sparta focused more on war. The oligarchy structure in Sparta enabled it to keep war as a top priority. The Athenian democratic government gave the citizens in Greece more freedom.
What made Athens one of the most well known city-states?
Ask any ancient Athenian and they would tell you that Athens had the best literature,
the best poetry, the best drama, the best schools
– and truly, they were a leading city-state. Many other city-states compared themselves to Athens.
What is Athens city-state known for?
The Athenian city-state reached its peak in the Bronze Age. It is known as being
the birthplace of democracy
. Athens was also an economic powerhouse. Literature, philosophy, and art also thrived during this time period.
Why did Athens and other Greek city-states form the Delian League?
The League was formed in 478 BCE
to liberate eastern Greek cities from Persian rule and as a defence to possible revenge attacks from Persia following the Greek victories
at Marathon, Salamis, and Plataea in the early 5th century BCE.
Is the story of 300 Spartans true?
In short, not as much as suggested.
It is true there were only 300 Spartan soldiers
at the battle of Thermopylae but they were not alone, as the Spartans had formed an alliance with other Greek states. It is thought that the number of ancient Greeks was closer to 7,000. The size of the Persian army is disputed.
What is Plato’s real name?
It was claimed that Plato’s real name was
Aristocles
, and that ‘Plato’ was a nickname (roughly ‘the broad’) derived either from the width of his shoulders, the results of training for wrestling, or from the breadth of his style, or from the size of his forehead.
Do Spartans still exist?
Spartans are still there
. Sparta was just the capital of Lacedaemonia, hence the L on their shields, not an S but an L… … So yes, the Spartans or else the Lacedeamoneans are still there and they were into isolation for the most part of their history and opened up to the world just the last 50 years.
Did Sparta have a pit of death?
It is where the Spartans, mainly during the period of the Messenian wars, were said to have abandoned their weak and deformed infants as well as the criminals, traitors and war prisoners, until
406 BC
, when it stopped being used.
Where is Plato buried?
Plato died in Athens, and was probably buried on
the Academy grounds
.
When was Aristotle alive?
The Greek philosopher Aristotle (
384-322 B.C.
) made significant and lasting contributions to nearly every aspect of human knowledge, from logic to biology to ethics and aesthetics.
What made Sparta successful?
Sparta’s
entire culture centered on war
. A lifelong dedication to military discipline, service, and precision gave this kingdom a strong advantage over other Greek civilizations, allowing Sparta to dominate Greece in the fifth century B.C.
What made Greece successful?
The Greeks made important contributions to
philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine
. Literature and theatre was an important aspect of Greek culture and influenced modern drama. The Greeks were known for their sophisticated sculpture and architecture.
What was Athens culture?
Ancient Athenians were a thoughtful people who enjoyed the systematic study of subjects such as science, philosophy, and history, to name a few. Athenians placed a
heavy emphasis on the arts, architecture, and literature
. The Athenians built thousands of temples and statues that embodied their understanding of beauty.
Who won the Persian War?
Though the outcome of battles seemed to tip in Persia’s favor (such as the famed battle at Thermopylae where a limited number of Spartans managed to wage an impressive stand against the Persians),
the Greeks
won the war. There are two factors that helped the Greeks defeat the Persian Empire.
How would you describe Athens?
Athens was the largest and most powerful Greek state
. It was a city with lots of beautiful public buildings, shops and public baths. The people of Athens lived below the Acropolis (rocky hill). … Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war and was the patron of Athens.
What is Athens Greece known for today?
It’s home to one of Greece’s
18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
. The Acropolis of Athens, built in 448 B.C. for the Greek goddess Athena, is one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites. It unsurprisingly earned a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list along with 17 other incredible sights in Greece.
Is Athens a clean city?
Although Athens is winning over travelers as a popular city break destination and garnering high marks by guests on the GBR satisfaction index,
the city also scored low (5.6/10) in cleanliness
.
Did Spartans really discard babies?
The ancient historian Plutarch claimed these “ill-born” Spartan babies were tossed into a chasm at the foot of Mount Taygetus, but
most historians now dismiss this as a myth
. If a Spartan baby was judged to be unfit for its future duty as a soldier, it was most likely abandoned on a nearby hillside.
Why did Sparta fight Athens?
The primary causes were that
Sparta feared the growing power and influence of the Athenian Empire
. The Peloponnesian war began after the Persian Wars ended in 449 BCE. … This disagreement led to friction and eventually outright war. Additionally, Athens and its ambitions caused increasing instability in Greece.
Why did Greek city states fight each other?
The city-states fought each other
to steal the wheat harvest
. They took slaves too. If there was a poor wheat crop, there was no good reason to go to war. The Greek “warring season” occurred during a very specific window: about a two week period just before the wheat was ripe for the harvest.
What were Athens achievements?
- The temples on the acropolis in Athens were examples of the Greek talent for architecture. …
- Athenians enjoyed dramas staged in large open-air theaters. …
- The Greeks competed in athletic events at the Panathenaic Games and the Olympics.
What do boys and girls learn in Athens?
They had physical education where they learned
sports and gymnastics
. They also learned basic math, how to play musical instruments, how to sing, and how to write well. They memorized the Odyssey and the Iliad by Homer because these were the most important works in their world.
What was the Athens lifestyle?
Ancient Athenians had
to eat
, of course as well. It was only natural that the majority of them made their living and put food on the table from farming. Citizens often owned land outside the city which provided their income. The Greek landscape and climate, however, made farming a difficult endeavor.
What advantage did Athens hold over Sparta and their superior land army?
Thus, the Athenians had
the stronger navy
and the Spartans the stronger army. Further, the Athenians were better prepared financially than their enemies, owing to the large war chest they had amassed from the regular tribute they received from their empire.
Why is Athens economy better than Sparta?
Key Question: How did Athenians get the goods they needed for everyday life? While the Athenian economy depended on trade,
Sparta’s economy relied on farming and on conquering other people
. Sparta didn’t have enough land to feed all its people, so Spartans took the land they needed from their neighbors.
What are the strengths of the Athens?
Athens’ strengths included
its large size, large trireme navy, wealth, and democratic government
. Athens’ weaknesses included its unwritten laws, lack of unity at the beginning, insatiable hunger for new territories, and constant power struggles with other poleis.
What was Sparta’s focus as a city-state?
Sparta’s focus as a city-state was
military
. They trained young men to become soldiers. They were like the Hikkos and the Assyrians and Unlike the Phoenicians or the Mionaons.
Why is a city-state important?
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which
serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory
.
Why was ancient Athens a good place to live?
The military protected the Athenian way of life. Another reason why Athens would be a better place to live than Sparta is
because of their government
. Athens’ government is democratic with all free citizens capable of voting or holding a government position.
