Athenians. It was controlled by an oligarchy in which the power was held by a group of five men called ephors. Working below the ephors was the Council of Elders and an Assembly. Male citizens over age sixty could serve on the Council while anyone, male or female, over the age of twenty could be a member of the Assembly. Though the citizens had little say in the decisions made by the government, the system worked effectively. Over the years, the Spartan's brutal reputation in war grew so great that other nations and city-states were too frightened to attack Sparta even though the Spartan army was no larger then eight thousand men. The Spartan Constitution called for all men to begin their military education at the age of seven, where they were trained to be tough and self-sufficient. Every man in the army fought with a great deal of passion for his country. Life in Sparta may have been rough, but the rest of the Greeks envied the Spartans for their simplicity, straight forwardness, and fanatical dedication. The beliefs of Sparta were oriented around the state. The individual lived and died for the state. The combination of this philosophy, the education of Spartan males, and the discipline of their army gave the Spartans the stability needed to survive in Ancient Greece.The Athenian economy depended on foreign trade and travel. Because of Athens location on the Aegean Sea, sailing increased trade and placed Athenian ships everywhere from the Black Sea to Spain. While trade was a necessity in Athens, there was a law in Sparta that banned all foreign trade and foreign traveling. This kept out foreign ideas and allowed an element of surprise when it came to attacks. However, this law did not affect their economy, which was already self-sufficient. Social classes in Athens and Sparta were structured in basically the same way, with an upper class, a lower class consisting of slaves, and a buffer class in the middle. In Athens...
