The ancient Greek civilization contained many different city-states; two of these city-states were Sparta and Athens. Sparta and Athens were different in their values, politics and societies. Sparta focused on its army, discipline, and the need for a strong state. Athens was a democratic, peaceful state where women were open to culture and democracy. How do these two city-states differ? Sparta and Athens were formed in two different ways. Sparta was originally composed of four small villages in the southwest Peloponnese which were unified into a single polis. They conquered two neighboring regions known as Laconia and Hessenia. These people were then forced to work in Sparta. Athens had established a unified polis on the Attica peninsula. The Lonians settled in Attica and unification took place gradually and peacefully. Sparta's main objective was their army. They became a military state to ensure control of their conquered helots. From the first day a Spartan child was born, he was examined to make sure he was healthy. It was important that the boys be healthy so that they could grow into strong, healthy soldiers, and that all would be healthy citizens. When the Spartan boys reached the age of seven, they were taken away and taught to read, write, and be disciplined. They only left the army at the age of 60. In Document A, the statue represents the Spartan soldier and how essential the military was to the Spartans. Athens did not focus on its army as much as Sparta, but it did have a hoplite army. They paid for their military service and the army was open to all social classes. They only fought when necessary and died for the city, as it was the duty of all citizens...... middle of paper...... men were given all the power in the house . Women had no part in government. They learned to spin, weave, sew, cook and do household chores. Throughout their lives, they were controlled by their fathers and by their husbands once they were married. In conclusion, Athens and Sparta were both very different Greek city-states, so different in fact that they could not get along. Trade, democracy, foreigners, individualism, thought and the arts were all part of Athens. In contrast, Sparta focused on the state, gaining power and independence, and its military. They were never able to unite, due to their sociological and cultural differences. Geographically, they were so close that they could not ignore each other but fought for first place among the Greek city-states. Because in the end, it was their differences that separated them.