Lecture by Mary Beard

I attended Mary Beard's lecture about her newest book, SPQR, and Rome's deepest darkest secrets. I was lucky enough to have an autographed copy and take a picture with her.

Athens and Sparta

Athens and Sparta differed from each other in many ways, including their military, education 

system, and politics.

Military:

Athens was a sea-power.  It was known to have the best navy in all of Greece.  

Meanwhile, the Spartans were a land-power.  The city-state’s dedication to land warfare led to its

reputation as a powerful, brutal fighting force.

Athens used Triremes, large wooden ships that had a bronze tip that would puncture a 

hole in the enemy ship, that would cause that ship to sink.  This devastating ship was used at the 

Battle at Salamis (408 BCE) where the victorious Greek navy was led by the Athenian fleet 

against the large Persian fleet.  With their navy as their main fighting force, the use of the 

phalanx was not regularly used in Athens.  However in Sparta, the main battle strategy was the 

hoplite, a Greek foot soldier.  These hoplites would form a phalanx, which at the time was one of

the most devastating land battle strategies.  The phalanx was used by the Spartans at the Battle of

Thermopylae (408 BCE), according to Herodotus, to hold back the Persian army from attacking 

Athens.  Also, with Sparta land-locked, the use of triremes was not regularly used, and if needed,

they had to be imported from other city-states, such as Corinth.

Education:

Athens believed that the exercise of the body and mind was crucial in their society.  This 

was important because they believed that philosophy, physical fitness was necessary parts of 

their culture.  Sparta, on the other hand, believed only in physical fitness.  This was important 

because the city-state’s main goal was to produce high-quality soldiers to defend the city and 

keep helots from revolting.

In Athens, women were not given a formal education.  This was important because the 

men didn’t was the women to rationalize their way to gaining equality.  They would only be able 

to do this if they received a proper education.  In Sparta, women were given a certain amount of 

education.  They were taught about weaponry and self-defense.  This was important because 

when the men were off fighting, it was up to the women to stay and defend the city or keep the 

helots in line.

Politics:

Athens was a democracy, which means “rule by the people”.  The Athenians 

demonstrated their lust for democracy by creating the Assembly, where 300 citizens are chosen 

at random to have a say on a certain issue in Athens.  The Athenians also practiced ostracism, 

where citizens would cast ballots to exile a certain politician who the majority of the voters 

thought would rise up to become a tyrant.  These were important aspects of Athenian culture 

because it provided a way for the citizens to have a say in government.  Democracy was at its 

prime during the Athenian Golden Age (477 – 431 BCE).  However, Sparta was a military state, 

where a small group of high-ranking generals ruled Sparta.  This was important because it 

emphasized the point that the best soldiers would rule the city.  They also provided a model for 

young soldiers about how a Spartan should be.

For Athenian women, they were not given the right to vote.  This was because they were 

not considered citizens, and thus could not have a say in democracy by voting.  This was 

important because men believed that they were more superior to women, and women were too 

weak to contribute to politics.  However, in Sparta, women were allowed to vote.  Even though 

they were not citizens, women still had some political rights.  This was important because in 

recompense for producing children who became warriors, women were given respect and 

political rights.