Living in Sparta Life in Sparta was harsher than in Athens. The Spartans dedicated themselves to war. They conquered the surrounding lands and made slaves of the inhabitants. When the slaves came to outnumber the Spartans, Spartans always had to be on guard. 1 of 4 The Glory of Ancient Greece Section 2: Athens and Sparta Growing Up in Sparta Spartan boys were trained for warfare from an early age. They lived in barracks together and led difficult and brutal lives. They became soldiers at the age of 20 and remained so until age 60. Spartan girls had to exercise and wrestle. Spartan women took on more responsibility than other Greek women because their men were often not home.

The Persians Invade Persian forces landed in Greece in 490 B.C., where they faced a much smaller Greek army. The fierceness of the Athenians surprised the Persians, however, and the Athenians defeated the Persians at Marathon. 2 of 4 The Glory of Ancient Greece Section 2: Athens and Sparta Conflict and the Athenian Empire After defeating the Persians, the Athenians formed the Delian League with other Greek city- states. Athens’s power and influence grew and its Golden Age began. MapMaster: Greece and the Persian Empire

3 of 4 The Glory of Ancient Greece Section 2: Athens and Sparta Sparta and Athens and War When Athenians built the Parthenon and other projects with money from the Delian League, some of the league’s city-states joined forces with Sparta and its allies in the Peloponnesian League. The two leagues struggled in the Peloponnesian War for 27 years, until Athens was defeated. Section Reading Support Transparency

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