Compare and Contrast Essay The Effects of the Political Systems of Athens and Sparta on Common Citizens Ancient Greece was made up of fiercely independent city-states, or poleis. Two of the most significant city-states were Athens and Sparta. Athens, home of some of the most important philosophers, is famous for being the cradle of democracy. On the other hand, Sparta, the polis with some of the best warriors in Ancient Greece, was an oligarchy with two kings. Naturally, these two different political
athletes are represented by women and we do have a lot of examples of incredible female Olympic victors in various sports. But what was the attitude towards women in sports on the origin of the modern Games – in Ancient Greece? The main aim of this essay is to explore the extent of women’s presence at the site of Olympia in the period of Games and to identify the possible reasons for the establishment of the detected patterns. To do so firstly some general views on Greek athletics
surmised by Hughes: “There is every reason to believe that a Mycenaean queen – a Bronze Age Helen – would also have been a high priestess, a religious as well as temporal potentate. Although Homer’s Helen is half-mortal, half-divine, it is as a woman, a Spartan queen, that she speaks confidently to the gods and goddesses in the epic; she addresses her alter ego Aphrodite as an equal.” Aphrodite has rescued Paris from death at the hand of Menelaus, and placed him safely in his bedchamber. She then