Ancient Greece was split into many different city states. The two most important city states were Athens and Sparta.
Athens was the largest, and a very rich city in Greece. People came to the city from all over Greece, and from other countries, to study and to trade. The city’s most famous building was the temple called the Parthenon. Inside the Parthenon stood a statue of the city’s protector-goddess, Athena. Athens was the leading power of the times, and has been called the cradle of democracy. Do you know why? It is because; the people of Athens were the first to experiment with a democratic form of government.
Sparta was a soldier state with two kings. One king might stay at home, while the other was away fighting battles. The Spartans spent so much time training for battle that they would have starved without their slaves. These slaves were called helots, and they worked on the Spartans’ farms. The Spartans led a highly disciplined and austere life, and became the leading military power of that time.
