what are some bad things about athens?

Question

I'm having a debate about how which city-state(Athens or Sparta) is better and i'm on team Sparta.I need negative things about ancient Athens

Answer 1

Sparta founded democracy much earlier,more than a century before Athens... but unlike Athenian one which had apsolute power (not very democratic), Spartan assembly didn't have the apsolute power. Every institution in Sparta controled the power of the other,including kings, but democratic assembly was proportionally the strongest in decision making, and could veto a king even.



Athenian assembly was very corrupt, and places were won in all kinds of treachery and bribe, misuse of blind, deaf and illiterate.



Athenians had brothels, prostitution, did not ban pederasty and homosexualism, Sparta DID ban all of those...



Athenian women almost had no rights, education was only for the rich, as well as the mlitary training..Spartans didn't have problems with decease due to the overcrowded city, with beggars and criminals..in such number as Athens did. Athenians were very numerous yet they have relatively few victors in Olympic games.



As for the answer of professor above...Shame who now has the diploma..Those tabloid marriage practice was written centuries after Sparta's fall, and proven to be false..as are many things of that author...And has no basis in all those KNOWN behaviors and customs of Spartans..See Helena Schrader's site for women and marriage. You have to update your knowledge sir.A lot!

Answer 2

Things About Athens

Answer 3

It's hard to make a case for what's wrong with Athens and isn't also the case with Sparta without sharing Spartan martial values. The last answer wasn't bad, but it oversimplifies a great deal. Much of the education of Athenian (citizen) boys was to make them into soldiers, and Spartan boys did also learn how to read and write. While it's true that women Had more freedom in Sparta than most of Greece, I wouldn't call it being treated fairly, by any means. Have a quick look at a Spartan marriage ritual to see what I mean...the bride had her hair cut off, and was dressed like a soldier. The groom beats her into submission and consummates the marriage with his friends cheering him on. From then on, the husband visited her in secret--he was supposed to be staying in the barracks. This is where the relative freedom for Spartan citizen women came in...they ran their households and small cottage industries mostly free from their husband's interference. At the same time, there were restrictions on personal adornment, such as jewelry, or colored clothes.



Democracy only applied to citizen males. But Sparta's two-king system also gave special rights to citizen males.



A male Spartan citizen looking at his Athenian equivalent would see it as a weakness that they were not taken from their family for military training from a young age (only the last two years of Military training in Athens required the boys to leave home and garrison a fort). He might also believe that the Athenians share in too many entertainments that are not designed to make them better soldiers. (The Spartans had entertainment, in fact, Sparta's theater was state of the art, but read Plato's Republic on how certain music or entertainment enhances the martial spirit, and some decrease it.) A Spartan might also take a grim view of Athens' overseas trade contacts. Greeks generally thought most foreign culture made one soft.

Answer 4

I'm doing a debate too—it's going to be tomorrow! I'm on the Spartan side.

First of all, the government. It was democracy, so it's all fair, right? NO. Powerful speakers could convince people to make bad choices.

Next, the education (my topic to debate!). Girls weren't educated at ALL. Boys learned "girly subjects" like music, math, reading, and writing. (be aware that spartan children learned to write and read!)

And of course, women. Women were just a tad bit treated better than slaves. No education, only housework. We could only leave our houses if our husbands said so. We were being controlled. Sparta is the ONLY place in ancient Greece where women were treated fairly.

Lastly, Athens itself overall. It was a weak place, where nobody was perfect. To be spartan means to be perfect. Strength defines Sparta.

Hope this helps :) sorry I couldn't give many details, I have my own debate to finish.

Answer 5

Um I need some negs on Athens art? Help Debates 2mrw

Answer 6

0.o are u guys like nerds