When we were in grade school or high school, we remember spending a lot of time talking about the differences between Athens and Sparta in ancient Greece. The Athenians were always represented as peaceful, knowledge-loving democrats, while the Spartans were warlike conquerors with no time for higher pursuits.

In any case, why do you think our history teachers spent so much time on this topic? What's so important about Athens and Sparta? Does the mere information offered in the comparison have another historical purpose or use? Can you think of contemporary conflicts that have been similarly comprehended as a "clash of civilizations'? What does this tell us about how traditional history is written? What histories, ironically enough, does history leave out?