Assignment Task:
Athens vs. Sparta Prompt Imagine the following scenario. The year is 478 B.C.E., the year after the Greeks' victory over the Persians at the Battle of Plataea. You are a thirty-year-old male citizen of the Greek polis of Plataea who, during Xerxes' invasion of Greece, single-handedly saved the lives of fifty Athenian citizens and fifty Spartan citizens. In gratitude for your heroic deeds, both the Athenians and the Spartans send you a remarkable offer: full citizenship in their respective poleis. You are now faced with a dilemma: Which offer to accept? In considering this question, you should bear in mind that your decision will affect not only yourself, but also the family you hope to start now that the Persians have been defeated and normal life is returning to Greece. In other words, which of the two poleis, Athens or Sparta, would be the best home for both you and your future family, and why?