WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1

HIST I421

GREEK & ROMAN CIVILIZATION

How did people in Athens and Sparta obtain the right to participate in public life and make
decisions affecting the community? Who held public office? What rules governed the selection
of public office holders? How were the two city-states similar in their governmental structures?
How did they differ?

ANSWER

How did people in Athens and Sparta obtain the right to participate in public life and make
decisions affecting the community?

In Sparta, they had two kings who came from different royal families but did not have the final
say in the government as all recognized free male citizens of Sparta were members of the popular
assembly. “The assembly met monthly and usually choose the annual Ephors (magistrates) and
new members of the Gerousia (an elite elder council which only Spartan aristocrats were eligible
to be chosen to serve in once they attain the age of 60) when spots became available among the
30” (Brand, n.d.). They would remain members until their death but could never exceed 30
members at a time. Two members of the Gerousia were automatically the two kings and
happened to be the only members of the Gerousia who were eligible under the age of 60.

In Athens, All freeborn citizens even poor citizens had the time to engage in daily politics in the
assembly or in the courts as democracy was mainly for the native freeborn Athenians (Brand,
n.d.). Unlike in Sparta where the Ephors and Gerousia alone could vote laws and policies, the
male citizens represented themselves in the assembly and could vote on laws and other policies.
They could also serve on juries. Athenian citizens also participated in their government by
serving as public officers or as jurors in court cases but to serve as public officers, a citizen had
to have the required level of wealth for the office and be at least 30 years old unlike their Spartan
counterpart who had to be 60. The top executive posts in the Athenian system was the generals,
who were annually elected from the wealthy few, who were often aristocrats while men of the
lower financial class could serve as minor officials.

Who held public office?

In Sparta, two kings from different royal families ruled the city alongside a 28-member
council of elders aged 60 and above called the Gerousia who were recruited from the highest
social class, the aristocratic Spartiates. “A citizen assembly usually elected five leaders, called
ephors each year. The ephors had absolute power during their time in office. They could even
effect the arrest the kings or elders” (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 2016).
Athenians men were their own rulers, they debated and voted on laws in the Assembly. The ten
annually elected generals who were wealthy aristocrats and above 30 years held public office as
well as freeborn Athenians above 20 who were randomly selected in their hundreds by lottery to
be jurors in courts and also serve as public officers.

What rules governed the selection of public office holders?

The basic rule that governed the selection of public office holders was age and being freeborn of
the poleis.

How were the two city-states similar in their governmental structures?

Neither Athens nor Sparta allowed women, slaves or foreigners (free or not) get involved in the
states decision making or into any public office selection.

How did they differ?

In their democracy, Athenians had duties. They had to obey the laws, serve in the military, help
run the city, pay taxes, and serve on juries (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 2016), they also
loved architecture and artistry. The Spartans on the other hand did not have a jury and were
dictators without direct democracy who did not care about architecture at all.

References

Brand, P. (n.d.). Athens & Sparta: Democracy vs. Dictatorship [E-book].

Constitutional Rights Foundation. (2016). Two Very Different City-States: Sparta and Athens
[E-book].

mes to decision making or public office selection. And none of the slaves, women, and
foreigners had any say in the government