Athenians thought of themselves as the shining star of the Greek city-states. They were famed for their literature, poetry, drama, theatre, schools, buildings, and government.  Before the Greek dark ages, Athens was a small village, home to a tribe of Ionian people. After the Greek dark ages, Athens grew rapidly until Athens was one of the two most powerful city-states in the ancient Greek world. (The other was Sparta.) The Athenian were very different from the ancient Spartans. The Spartans were famed for their military strength. Athenians were famed for their commitment to the arts and sciences.   The Greeks believed that each city-state in ancient Greece had a god or a goddess in charge of it, their special patron. For Athens, the patron was Athena, goddess of wisdom. Perhaps because Athena was their patron, Athenians put a great deal of emphasis on education.   Girls learned at home from their mothers. They learned how to run a home, and how to be good wives and mothers.  Boys were educated quite differently. Until age 6 or 7, boys were taught at home by their mothers. From 7-14, boys attended a day school outside the home. There, they memorized Homeric poetry and learned to play the lyre. They learned drama, public speaking, reading, writing, math, and perhaps even how to play the flute. After middle school, they went to a four year high school and learned more about math, science, and government. At 18, they attended two years of military school. There was just cause for Athens to be proud of its system of education for its citizens.  The men of Athens met each week to discuss problems. They worked on solutions. Most Greek city-states were ruled by kings. The men of Athens experimented with government. For about 100 years, Athens was a direct democracy!    The Founding of Athens City of Athens for Kids   Athens (British Museum)  Citizens of Athens & Citizens of Sparta   Athens Thinks Twice  The Court of Athens (Justice System)  Socrates Greek Democracy in Athens  Athens  Citizens and Slaves  See Also: Daily Life Free Ancient Greek Presentations in PowerPoint format Return to Greek City-States    To learn more about Ancient Greece, click on Apollo