Safarik

Early Greeks 

Trojan Horse: @http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/troyilium/g/TrojanHorse.htm

The Trojan Horse was a very crafty and ingenious plan devised by the Romans, which when put into affect ended the war between them and the Mycenaean’s. Odysseus came up with the actual idea and plan to send the horse into the city as a supposed gift, but Epeus was the one who actually built the horse itself. The plan was that the Greeks would pretend to sail away on their ships but instead would remain just outside of the harbor, and also some of the army was to stay inside the horse until they rolled it into the city. The plan from here was to wait until the Greeks had all gone to sleep, even though most of them had stayed up late partying due to their supposed in over the Mycenaean’s. Then once everyone was asleep the soldiers left the horse and opened the gates to the city, and then the rest of the army joined them and together they destroyed the city of Troy.  Athens and Sparta

Athens and Sparta were two very different City states mainly due to the cultural identities which they possessed. In the future these identities grew to a despising of each other solely due to the differences which they faced. Athens had an overall artistic view on life, were people were more concerned with art and philosophy in their lives. While in Sparta their culture was driven by war and fighting, and it also was a very strict society with very harsh punishments should a rule be broken. Overall both of these cities were very different but still became very famous and well-known, not only back then, but also still within today’s society.

Lastly, an example that also pertains as to show the cultural differences within these two Greek city-states, are the amenities which they were able to enjoy, under the category of the food which they ate. In Athenian society it was very customary for subjects to dine on many luxurious foods such as grapes wine, breads, meats, and also various crops. While Sparta on the other hand only had barbaric foods such as pork, blood, salt and vinegar, and were never granted the foods which Athenians enjoyed. Athens was a very social society, and therefore gained much of their food through trading with other cities within Greece, which allowed for a wide variety of foods. Sparta on the other hand was a rather anti-social society, and had to produce their barbaric food every day. A last difference between the foods in which these societies enjoyed was the manner and the place where they would eat it. It was customary in Athens for people to eat their meals in a nice courtyard in their homes, while Spartans however enjoyed most of their meals in the military barracks, because that was the place where they spent most of their time anyway.

An example of how different these two societies were is the very different life styles which they took part in from day to day, and also the values which they held with the utmost importance in their society. Athenians believed in a very free lifestyle where one could do what they chose to in their society. Sparta however believed that in their society order and respect were to be the most commanding factors in the way you lived your life. By way of social values Athenians believed in very democratic views which meant that every elder male had a very important role, and also civic responsibility, to play in the way which the government was run. Sparta on the other hand had very different social views that revolved around the military, and how that was not only the most important job a Spartan male could have, but also the most important aspect of society as a whole. Another aspect of social views which these two city-states differed in were those of how they believed that their society as a whole could achieve superioirity. Athens believed they could achieve this through culture, and through trade with other empires, While Sparta had a very different belief, in that the way they would achieve superiority was through military conquest, which is the exact opposite of the Athenians.

Another example of how different these two cultures were during their time period, are the achievements which they made back then, and also those which we still recognize and commend within our own culture today. For example Athens was able to establish a very influential and powerful society, through trade and other social relations in their society. Sparta however established their very powerful empire, so to speak, by way of pure military might and brute strength. Another aspect or achievement which Athens left behind was that of a complicated life style, while harder, turns out to be more beneficial in the long run which they showed through their countless amount of art and architecture. Sparta on the other hand believed that a simple life was the only way to be prosperous, which they often demonstrate through the barbaric way of life in which these Spartans take place. One Last example showing the great differences in the achievements these societies made is that of the actual records of their society they left behind. Athens had many sculptures and buildings which they left behind as a testament to their society, while Sparta had very few records that survive today of their society. The reason for the great differences in the records of these two cities ties back to their social values, and that Athens greatly valued art which is able to survive and produce records. While Sparta alternatively valued warfare, that while it may leave stories, it rarely leaves concrete evidence.

Spartan Military Training 

Almost all of Spartan society revolved around the Military, and the conquest to further your city and empire as a whole. When a child was born it was evaluated by officials if that child were fit [|for Spartan Society], and if it was decided that they were not, than they would be killed. Some deciding factors on if you were to let live were making sure that you did not have any disfigurations, or any other factor that may inhibit you, if you were to become a soldier, during battle. At a very young age of about 7 years old Spartan boys would be taken from their Mother and Father and plunged into the world of war. From then they were taught many different skills to use later on in training, such as swimming, boxing, and wrestling. They also were taught how to fight, how to wield a sword and shield, and also all of the different tactics of Spartan Warfare. Once they progressed to [|the age of 20], Spartan soldiers had to undergo tests of both physical ability and of leadership ability. If they passed these tests they would be accepted into the Spartan army, were forced to remain in the barrack, and their first and foremost priority must be with the military. Finally at [|the age of 30] the man would become a true citizen of Sparta and would be allowed to take a wife, live in a house. However he must still be fully devoted to the army. At the age of 60 Spartan citizens were allowed to retire, whether they were in the army or had become a diplomat in the Spartan council.