Blog #5 Athens Vs. Sparta

1) If I was a young teenage girl of the citizen class, I would rather live in Sparta, because we could be involved in politics, sports and be educated in reading and writing. We would be free to move around, not just be housewives, and own property, take care of our husband's property when they're away at war.(We would be more equal to men.)
2) If I was a slave, I would rather live in Sparta because, even though we would have to give half of our produce to owners of the land, we wouldn't be killed by them.
3) If I was a young boy in the citizen class, I would rather live in Athens, because we would be educated well in reading, writing, poetry, gymnastics, and would only go to the army for 2 years. We could also study for a longer time (5-20 years old) with enough money.
4) If I was a young soldier, I would rather live in Athens because we would only go to the army for 2 years, until 20 years old. unlike the Spartans who would have to go from age 7 -30. Life would be less harsh and infants would not be killed if they were not good for the army.
5) If I was a wealthy citizen, I would rather live in Athens, because we would not have to be military professionals, living in barracks most of our lives, but aristocrats,with large estates, or be in the cavalry. We would be free men, able to vote.

In my opinion, it would be better to live in Athens, a much more enjoyable city to live in with artistic and philosophical background. In Sparta, the focus and daily life is basically military. In Athens, while having a strong army, people can focus on educations and sport, and have more democratic values. Also, slaves were not treated as bad as in other Greek states; some are even given important jobs, like policemen. While women have less involvement in politics, they were plenty busy and home and with their children, who were not taken away at age 7. In Sparta, they would go to the army and live in very harsh environments until age 30, and still be in the army until 60. They would rarely see their wives and children. Overall, Athens is the better place to live, having a better environment, education, and more aristocratic ideals.