Which are characteristics of life in Sparta but not Athens
sparta was military, not allowed to travel, and in sparta women had to be athletic. Only 30 year old men or older could have a say in government
Thinking in terms of Gods, I'd say Sparta was more like Ares and Athens was more like Athena. Spartans trained at a very young age to be warriors and Athenians were more logical and critical.
Hope this helped you understand it a bit more! (: