This Kapow pupil video is part of the Kapow History scheme of work. It explores the differences between two important city-states in ancient Greece: Athens and Sparta. Because Greece had lots of mountains, valleys and islands, it was hard to travel from place to place. This meant that over a thousand local city-states developed, rather than one big country. Athens was close to the sea and traded with other places, while Sparta was surrounded by mountains and had more farmland. Athens had a democracy where adult male citizens could vote, but Sparta was ruled by two kings and a small group of powerful men. Even though Sparta had an assembly, very few people could take part.

In Athens, boys went to school to learn reading, maths and music. They also trained to fight and joined the army at 18. Girls stayed at home and learned how to look after the house. In Sparta, boys trained to be soldiers from the age of seven. They lived in special schools called the Agoge and became strong warriors. Spartan girls were treated better than in other city-states. They went to school, learnt to read, and did sport to stay strong and healthy. This was because Sparta wanted strong mothers who would raise future soldiers. Although both Athens and Sparta were in the same country, they were very different places to live.

The video is designed to be shown to pupils as part of History, Upper key stage 2, Year 5, What is the legacy of the ancient Greek civilisation? Lesson 3: How was Ancient Greece governed?