Athens adn Sparta The Greek city states of Athens and Sparta were both considered to be very powerful, but the structures of both of these civilizations were very different. Both of these city states developed under different sets of rules and standards. Sparta grew as a military power while Athens grew due to it’s government and vast amounts of territory. Athens held a large amount of territory. However, this land was of very poor quality, but so vast that farmers could make a living off of it. The political system was a slow developing process that was constantly altered. The law of Athens was very strict and very