Athens’ strengths included its large size, large trireme navy, wealth, and democratic government. Athens’ weaknesses included its unwritten laws, lack of unity at the beginning, insatiable hunger for new territories, and constant power struggles with other poleis.
What were the disadvantages of Athens?
The main disadvantage for the Athenians was that around 430 BCE, a plague struck Athens. This horrible plague killed the Athenian leader Pericles along with many other Athenians, which took a huge toll on their morale. The plague also led to social unrest and lack of unity.
What were the advantages of the Athens?
The Athens lived by the Sea which was an advantage because they had an excellent trading system. Even though the mountains protected Sparta it also caused trading problems, the Spartans had no way to get around the massive mountains to trade with people.
What was Athens strong in?
Navy. During the Greco-Persian Wars, Athens developed a large, powerful navy in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that defeated the even larger Persian Navy at the Battle of Salamis. The Athenian Navy consisted of 80,000 crewing 400 ships.
What caused the Athens to weaken?
Impact of the Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War marked the end of the Golden Age of Greece, a change in styles of warfare and the fall of Athens, once the strongest city-state in Greece. The balance in power in Greece was shifted when Athens was absorbed into the Spartan Empire.
What are the pros and cons of ancient Athens?
Pros And Cons of Ancient Athenian Democracy and Pros and Cons of American Democracy
- Pros. There was a thriving city. Great economy. State of the art architecture.
- Cons. Slavery. Many people were disenfranchised.
- Pros. in democratic matters.
- Cons. Slavery No pay labor 6%of the population had a right in democratic matters.
What are the strengths of Sparta?
Sparta was a Greek city-state on the Peloponnese Peninsula, that last about 300 years next to the Mediterranean Sea. They valued war/military the most. The strengths of Sparta outweigh the weakness because they had an advanced military, they respected women, and they trained their soldiers at a young age.
Why was Athens better than Sparta?
Athens focused more on culture, while Sparta focused more on war. The oligarchy structure in Sparta enabled it to keep war as a top priority. The Athenian democratic government gave the citizens in Greece more freedom.
What was Athens military strength?
Athens’ army went from a late sixth-century bc count of 3,600 armored spearmen to 13,000 citizen regulars on the rolls by 431 bc. Likewise, the Athenian fleet grew from 60 to 300 ships over the same period. Sparta could answer with only about half as many Spartan hoplites of its own and had no navy at all.
What are three facts about Athens?
15 Incredible Facts About Athens
- Athens is Europe’s oldest capital.
- Athens has experienced almost every form of government.
- If it weren’t for an olive tree, Poseidon might have been the city’s patron.
- The ancient Olympic games were never held in Athens.
- Athens is home to the first known democracy.
Was Athens military strong?
Like Sparta, Athens had been a leader in the Persian Wars and had a powerful army.
Who defeated Athens?
It would be another decade of warfare before the Spartan general Lysander defeated the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami. This defeat led to Athenian surrender. As a result, the Peloponnesian War was concluded. Simultaneous to the end of this conflict came the end of the golden age of ancient Greece.
Who killed Athens civilization?
In 430 BC, a plague struck the city of Athens, which was then under siege by Sparta during the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC). In the next 3 years, most of the population was infected, and perhaps as many as 75,000 to 100,000 people, 25% of the city’s population, died.
Did Sparta or Athens win?
Athens was forced to surrender, and Sparta won the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC.
What are some pros and cons of Sparta?
Terms in this set (36)
- Strong land army, protection. Sparta advantage.
- Women could own property. Sparta advantage.
- Women had freedom. Sparta advantage.
- Strength/training. Sparta advantage.
- Possibly could make faster decisions. Sparta advantage.
- Democracy. Athens advantage.
- Powerful, able to conquer.
- Surrounded by hostile city-states.
What was Sparta weakness?
Sparta was very violent and all they thought about was having the strongest military. The weaknesses of Sparta outweigh the strengths because the Spartans lacked education, boys were taken away from their families at a young age, and they were very abusive.
What were three 3 strengths of a Spartan education?
The strengths of Spartan education did outweigh the weaknesses for three reasons: it provided physical training, training of mentality, and important life skills. The brutality of Spartan education forced young Spartan boys to become tougher, and didn’t leave room any slack.
Why did Athens lose the Peloponnesian war?
In 430 BC, an outbreak of a plague hit Athens. The plague ravaged the densely packed city, and in the long run, was a significant cause of its final defeat. The plague wiped out over 30,000 citizens, sailors and soldiers, including Pericles and his sons. Roughly one-third to two-thirds of the Athenian population died.
What is the biggest difference between Athens and Sparta?
The main difference between Athens and Sparta is that Athens was a form of democracy, whereas Sparta was a form of oligarchy. Athens and Sparta are two prominent Greek rival city-states.
Did Athens have slaves?
Slaves were the lowest class in Athenian society, but according to many contemporary accounts they were far less harshly treated than in most other Greek cities. Indeed, one of the criticisms of Athens was that its slaves and freemen were difficult to tell apart.
What did Athens focus on?
Athenians placed a heavy emphasis on the arts, architecture, and literature. The Athenians built thousands of temples and statues that embodied their understanding of beauty. Today the term “classical” is used to describe their enduring style of art and architecture.