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Athens and SpartaAthens and Sparta were two of the most powerful

city-states in ancient Greece. Each city-state was more like a country than a city. Both city-states ruled the land all around them.

Athens and Sparta had many similarities. Both had agoras, or open-air market places. Both had gymnasiums, where boys received physical and military training.

But Athens and Sparta were different in many ways, too. In Athens, young men trained to be soldiers, while also learning to give public speeches

and play musical instruments. In Sparta, however, the greatest honor for a young man was to die defending his city-state.

Women in Athens and in Sparta had very different lives. In Athens, most young women did not go to school. They did not engage in business or participate in sports. In Sparta, on the other hand, girls could participate in athletic activities and get an education. Many Spartan women were active in business.

Sea of Crete

AegeanSea

Sea of Marmara

Ionian Sea

Athens

Sparta

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Athens, Greece

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© 2010 Benchmark education company, LLc • CAP139

GR5_Compare_pstr.indd 4 2/25/10 3:44:39 PM