Sparta and Athens letter

In this lesson, you learned about the city-states of Athens and Sparta. Suppose that you are an Athenian visiting Sparta, or a Spartan who has received permission to visit Athens. You must write a letter to a friend at home telling him or her about your visit. Although Athens and Sparta were both Greek and shared some common elements of Greek culture, they were also very different.

How were Sparta and Athens alike? How were they different? Be sure to include details about how the city you are visiting and how it compares to your city.

Step 1: Choose Your Point of View

First, you must choose one of the following types of persons and write your letter from their point of view:

• young teenage girl of the citizen class
• slave
• boy of the citizen class
• young soldier
• very wealthy person of the citizen class

Step 2: Choose Your Destination

Second, you must choose one of the following destinations:

• an Athenian visiting Sparta
• a Spartan visiting Athens

Step 3: Write Your Letter To Home

Your letter must:

• be written from the perspective of a slave, young teenage boy or girl citizen, solider or wealthy citizen
• be at least two paragraphs
• compare how the city you are visiting is the same or different as your home city for each of the following categories: geography, social structure, and government