Answer:
The main difference between them was that Athens focused on the sea while Sparta focused on the land. Spartan boys went into training when they were only 7 years old. Every man had only one occupation and that was the soldier. They were a fierce and unmatched fighting force in Greece at the time but only on land. On sea Athens dominated with its superior navy with a ship design called the Trireme. It was a lot more powerful in battel than previous ships at the time.