Sparta and Athens

From weddings, funerals, and religious events to theatre, folk music, and the ballad-like recitation of poetry and literature, Ancient Athenian music was nearly universally present in ancient Greek life. As a result, it played a significant part in the lives of ancient Greeks. 

There are some fragments of actual Greek musical notation, numerous literary references, depictions on ceramics, and relevant archaeological remains, allowing some knowledge of what the music sounded like, the general role of music in society, the economics of music, and the importance of a professional caste of musicians to be gained.

In Sparta, instrumental music was used to support religious events, ceremonies, and festivals in ancient Sparta, and it was both religious and entertaining. When music accompanied parties, it was also utilized for enjoyment. 

The skolion was a popular genre of piece to be performed at gatherings. Religious music were made to gods, usually the Olympic gods, heroes, and Zeus, before and after the Greek festivals. In Spartan sacrificial ceremonies, music played an essential role. The songs were present during sacrifices as early as 1300 BC, according to the mausoleum of Hagia Triada.

Spartan culture was built on state loyalty and military service. 

The Spartan youths were put through a rigorous curriculum, military training, and socialization program. The Agoge system, as it was known, emphasized duty, discipline, and endurance. Sparta was a military state in ancient Greece that prioritized battlefield victories over philosophical victories. 

The Spartans' predecessors are thought to have been the Dorians, who invaded the Peloponnese from central Greece in 950 B.C. and defeated the original people of Laconia.

Athenians were intelligent individuals who valued studying science, philosophy, history, and other subjects in depth. The arts, architecture, and literature were highly valued by the Athenians. Thousands of temples and statues were created by the Athenians to represent their standard of beauty. Many important principles were developed in Athens. 

The inhabitants of Ionia were considered their descendants by the Greeks. However, the Hellenes' identification as "Ionian" and "Dorian" at the time was a point of disagreement.

There were two periods of warfare between Athens and Sparta, separated by a six-year truce. In the decades leading up to the conflict, Athens and Sparta had fought. Corinth, one of Sparta's allies, had confronted the Athenian army head-on. 

When Athens challenged Corinth's interests in the region, Corinth launched battles against Athens. Sparta was finally drawn into the conflict as a result of this. The Spartan army began their campaign by invading Athenian allies. From their harbor to the city of Athens, the Athenians had constructed fortifications. 

The fortifications helped to shelter Athens from direct attack, and its chief advised Athens not to fight the Spartans on land. Instead, the Athenians dispatched troops inside Spartan territory to launch raids on settlements using their ships. Sparta proposed peace after years of open battle, which Athens accepted. The treaty, however, did not last the intended 50 years.

With an invasion planned by the Athenians on Sicily, hostilities between Athens and Sparta reignited. Sparta made the decision to respond. They created a fleet of vessels after learning from their previous experiences with the Athenian navy. 

The Spartan general Lysander would have to await a decade before defeating the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami. Athenian surrendered as a result of this loss. The Peloponnesian War came to an end as a result. The end of this fight came with the end of ancient Greece's golden age.