What is the difference between the upbringing of a spartan and athenian boys?

Answer 1

ATHENIANS

Boys: Schools taught reading, writing and mathematics, music, poetry, sport and gymnastics. Based upon their birth and the wealth of their parents, the length of education was from the age of 5 to 14, for the wealthier 5 - 18 and sometimes into a student's mid-twenties in an academy where they would also study philosophy, ethics, and rhetoric (the skill of persuasive public speaking). Finally, the citizen boys entered a military training camp for two years, until the age of twenty. Foreign metics and slaves were not expected to attain anything but a basic education in Greece, but were not excluded from it either.

SPARTANS

Boys: Boys were taken from parents at age seven and trained in the art of warfare. They were only give a cloak - no shoes or other clothes, and not enough food so they had to steal (to learn survival skills). At age 20 they were placed into higher ranks of the military. To age 30 they were dedicated to the state; then they could marry but still lived in barracks with other soldiers.

They were educated in choral dance, reading and writing, but athletics and military training were emphasized.

Answer 2

Spartan boys were raised to be warriors, focusing on physical training and discipline from a young age. They were taught to endure hardship and prioritize the needs of the state over individual desires. Athenian boys, on the other hand, received a more well-rounded education that included academics, arts, and physical activities. They were encouraged to develop their intellect and participate in democratic governance.