What was the role of government in the lives of citizens in ancient Athens and Sparta?
In Athens, all adult male citizens were entitlted to participate in government, take part in passing laws, vote etc. Although it seems only a small number of those who were entitled to actually did (about 5,000 out of a possible 30-40,000 male citizens). In Sparta, they had a mixture of democracy and oligarchy. Sparta was ruled by two kings, each hereditary, but five ephors, elected by the citizen assembly, oversaw and had veto power over the kings.
