The relationship between foreigners and local citizens seems to have been a strained one, particularly in times of wars and economic hardship. In Greek society, slaves were seen as a necessary and perfectly normal part of city-life. By taking a look at their way of life, it is possible to see some similarities to today’s world as well as some of the traditions that were pushed aside in exchange for others. These dependents were not the property of a particular citizen - they could not be sold as a slave could - and they often lived with their families. Cartwright, Mark. Ancient Greek Social Structure In Greece, to be an upper class you are not supposed to have a job, and be a normal citizen. Married at the typical age of thirteen or fourteen, love had little to do with the matching of husband and wife. The book essentially seeks to examine the relationship between various economic/material factors and social structures (exp. In Athens alone, nearly 1/3 of the population were slaves! While slaves may have done most of the upkeep of the home, Greek women were focused on managing their homes. You had the slaves, shopkeepers, and slaveowners. Aside from slaves, most Greek poleis would have had a number of free foreigners (xenoi) who had chosen to re-locate from other areas of Greece, the Mediterranean, and the Near East, bringing with them skills such as pottery and metalworking. Did the Ancient Greeks Engage in Human Sacrifice? The men of ancient times, were often trained to be intelligent, warriors, and especially athletic. In return for the benefits of ‘guest’ citizenship they had to provide a local sponsor, pay local taxes, sometimes pay additional taxes, contribute to the costs of minor festivals, and even participate in military campaigns when necessary. The upper class are the Athens, the middle class are the Metrics, the Lower class are the Freeman. However, some states, notably Sparta, at times actively discouraged immigration or periodically expelled xenoi. The ultimate goal of a girl’s education was to prepare her for her role in rearing a family. 13 Jan 2021. For many, ancient Greece is considered to be the cradle of Western civilization. In Sparta, society was set up a little differently, as the focus was on soldiers and war. Ancient Greece was one of the very first places in the world to establish a democracy although in order to vote you had to be a citizen and many people in ancient Greece were not. Submitted by Mark Cartwright, published on 15 May 2018 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Accordingly, estimates of the slave population in the Greek world range from between 15 and 40% of the total population. Girls received an education from their mothers and were taught things like weaving and skills necessary to manage a household. The Parthenon is a great example of this style of architecture, and when comparing this structure to something like the White House, the similarities are striking. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman’s place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children. The polis of Athens included about 2,500 sq kilometres of territory, but other Polis with smaller areas of 250 sq kilometres. While the training was strict, the experience paled in comparison to that of the students of Sparta. The first and most common was repudiation by the husband (apopempsis or ekpempsis). In fact, many were once slaves that had gained their freedom. Cite This Work Women citizens had to marry as a virgin and marriage was usually organised by the father, who chose the husband and accepted from him a dowry. They had even fewer rights than the middle class. Greek Society was mainly broken up between Free people and Slaves, who were owned by the free people. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 15 May 2018. https://study.com/academy/lesson/ancient-greece-social-class-system.html In Ancient Greece, shop centers were referred to as agoras, which m… "Ancient Greek Society." An exercise in cultural sociology, Moral Codes and Social Structure in Ancient Greece seeks to explicate the dynamic currents of classical Hellenic ethics and social philosophy by situating those idea-complexes in their socio-historical and intellectual contexts. 650 Maryville University Drive St. Louis, MO 63141. https://www.hierarchystructure.com/ancient-greece-hierarchy When Did Ancient Greece Become a Slave Society? Think about how many places pillars can be seen in architecture: This is a contribution from the Greeks. His special interests include pottery, architecture, world mythology and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share in common. Bibliography Also, slaves in the army were sometimes given their freedom by the state following their victorious exploits. The lives that they led, their belief system, and even the way they created buildings have left lasting impressions that can still be seen today. The group for which we have most information is that of sex-workers. Slaves were not only owned by private individuals but also by the state, which used them in municipal projects such as mining or, as in the case of Athens, the police force. It was also here that the first principles of democracy were created. In Athens, young adult citizens (aged 18-20) had to perform civil and military service and their education continued with lessons in politics, rhetoric, and culture. Mark is a history writer based in Italy. The topmost class in the Ancient Greek Government Hierarchy was the Upper Class. The Greek Dark Age is the interval between the collapse of the... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. If a woman had no father, then her interests (marriage prospects and property management) were looked after by a guardian (kurios), perhaps an uncle or other male relative. In some cases, their work could eventually pay for their freedom. There was no aristocracy, which means a group of higher privileged people. The religion in ancient Greece was polytheistic, and their gods not only looked human but could take on human form and interact with others at will. In addition to reading and writing, they were also schooled in things like poetry, math, and physical education. Many of the slaves were brought in from other countries. There were even intellectual arguments from philosophers like Aristotle, which propounded the belief that slaves were demonstrably inferior, a product of their environment and inherited characteristics. The fact the people vote in a democracy, read using an alphabet, and enjoy the Olympics every couple of years can all be traced back to the ancient Greeks. Modern society owes a lot to the ancient Greeks. Today, some art from ancient Greece is still around, including pottery, which gives some indication of what life in Greece may have been like and offers insight into their religious beliefs, including mythology. There were three divisions of free men in ancient Greece: the nobles, thesecondary landowning class, and the middle business class.C. This book examines the development of ancient Greek civilization through a path-breaking application of social scientific theories. Temples were built to honor a specific god, and each god or goddess would have his or her own domain. Engaged in manufacturing, trade, and commerce, these were the nouveau riche. Slaves worked in all spheres and over 200 hundred occupations have been identified. During the 7th century BC, demographic expansion and the distribution of successions created tensions between these landowners and the peasants. Others from different locations could never aspire to fit in with this social group. Cost was about 50-1,000 dollars. The Greek cities were originally monarchies, although many of them were very small and the term king (basileus) for their rulers is misleadingly grand. When you think of ancient Athens you probably think about togas, the Greek gods and goddesses, marble buildings, and maybe even democracy. No reason was necessary, only the return of the dowry was expected. Source material is always from the viewpoint of the slave owner but there are references in literature, particularly in Greek comedy, of friendship and loyalty in at least some owner-slave relationships. Boys attended schools and had a much more varied educational experience. Farms were generally small affairs with even the richest citizens tending to own several small farms rather than one large estate, therefore, slaves were not concentrated into large groups as in later ancient societies. Their wealth came from having property and even more importantly, the best land, i.e. Outside of architecture, Greek theater is something else that continues to influence the modern world, as the two major genres of theater, comedy and tragedy, were created by the Greeks, forming the basis of modern plays, movies, and TV shows. Many would sew clothing for their families or to sell. And finally, slaves were at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Greeks persuaded themselves that it was they who had the best environment and characteristics and the purest bloodline and were, therefore, born to rule. Works like The Iliad and The Odyssey provide more information about the gods and goddesses that the people believed in and what their different characteristics were.  For slaves there was, at least for some, a glimmer of hope to one day achieve their freedom. To be a citizen you had to be a male and you would have needed to complete your … Red-figure Tondo Depicting a Youthby Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA). A poorer, second class of citizens existed too. Female citizens had few rights in comparison to male citizens. At Sparta, boys as young as seven were grouped together under the stewardship of an older youth to be toughened up with hard physical training. Were bought from slave traders or captured in war. The land might be so far away that the owners had to live on it rather than travel back and forth from the city. The Ancient Greeks were polytheistic, meaning they believed in many gods. The Greeks tried to control the gods through sacrifice, prayer, and living a good life. There were four main social classes of people within Athens. Sparta had a slightly different social arrangement, with only three classes: citizens, slaves, and craftsmen or traders. In Athens, this was changed by Solon 's reforms, … These were semi-free workers, wholly dependent on their employer. Women, children, immigrants (both Greek and foreign), labourers, and slaves all had defined roles, but there was interaction (often illicit) between the classes and there was also some movement between social groups, particularly for second-generation offspring and during times of stress such as wars. It was here that all institutions of government, religion, and learning were housed. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. Spartan boys were removed from their families at the age of seven and started their work toward becoming soldiers. Greek Peplos Dressby Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA). Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. Ancient Greek Society. Of course, love may have developed between the couple but the best that might be hoped for was philia - a general friendship/love sentiment; eros, the love of desire, was to be found elsewhere, at least for the male. Greek art has had a tremendous influence on the world around us. The education of boys and girls varied greatly in ancient Greece. Cartwright, Mark. Social Organization in Ancient Greece Athens (Upper class) - These citizens had to be born in Athens. David B. For example, Poseidon was considered to be the god of the sea, while Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. Social Life in Ancient Greece. But Ancient Athens wasn't always this way. Ill-health, losing out on an inheritance, political upheavals, or war could also result in the ‘best’ getting their feet a little dusty. The people of this class possessed the uppermost power and position in the society. It indicates a notion of public honor and social responsibility by which Greeks are measured in … : making shields, food, clothes and perfumes), mines, transport, retail, banking, entertainment, in the armed forces as attendants to their owner or as baggage carriers, as rowers in naval vessels or even as fighters. Small charts the rise of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations and the unique characteristics of the later classical Greeks through the lens of ancient social structure and complexity theory, opening up new ideas and perspectives on these societies. Because the girls would one day be the mothers of more soldiers, they were taught things like athletics and even dancing to ensure that they remained in good physical shape. Social and Economical Structure of Athens. Books https://ssancientgreece.weebly.com/the-social-structure.html David B. In a country always short of farmland, power rested with a small class of landowners, who formed a warrior aristocracy fighting frequent petty inter-city wars over land and rapidly ousting the monarchy. There was not much direct taxation in Ancient Greece. About this time, the rise of a mercantile class (shown by the introduction of coinage in about 680 B.C.E.) Incoming Freshman and Graduate Student Admission, Fragments of Childhood: Growing Up in Ancient Greece. Contact with non-family males was discouraged and women occupied their time with indoor activities such as wool-work and weaving. The way of life of the Athenians was more common in the Greek world than Sparta’s special system. The second, was the higher-class prostitute (hetaira). Child's Commodeby Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA). They then received equal tax status and the right to own property and land. Although ancient Greek Society was dominated by the male citizen, with his full legal status, right to vote, hold public office, and own property, the social groups which made up the population of a typical Greek city-state or polis were remarkably diverse. The distinguishing features of ancient Greek society were the division between free and slave, the differing roles of men and women, the relative lack of status distinctions based on birth, and the importance of religion . The first and perhaps most common was the brothel prostitute (pornē). Social Life. Possessing more money than everyone else, this class could provide themselves with armour, weapons, and a horse when on military campaign. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. All rights reserved. The middle class was made up of people that may not have been born in Athens but were working hard at their trade. The class that is bottom of them are the slaves. Spartan women were treated somewhat differently than in other states, for example, they had to do physical training (nude) like men, were permitted to own land, and could drink wine. Ancient Greece: SOCIAL STRUCTURE Greece in the Archaic Period was made up from independent states, called Polis, or city-state. Cartwright, M. (2018, May 15). The upper class symbolized a good civil character, good artistic taste, and highly socialized individuals.The people from this class handled … Children of citizens attended schools where the curriculum covered reading, writing, and mathematics. If a woman was left a widow, she was required to marry a close male relative in order to ensure property stayed within the family. Some could rise through accumulating wealth and influence, others could go down a class by becoming bankrupt (which could lead to a loss of citizenship or even being enslaved). For many, ancient Greece is considered to be the cradle of Western civilization. Houses, slaves, flocks, and herds were all subject to taxation. The lower class of people were just one step above the slaves. Men had a more important part in society than women. Ancient History Encyclopedia. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the Publishing Director at AHE. One example of their legacy is the Olympic Games. Although the male citizen had by far the best position in Greek society, there were different classes within this group. In Greek religion, each god represented a specific aspect of humans. As city populations grew and inheritances became ever more divided amongst siblings, this secondary class grew significantly. until about 800 B.C.E., Athens was in a state of chaos that some historians refer to as the Greek Dark Ages. A third group were the middle, business class. The centrality of the family has been little affected by the rise of … Students will then create a Social Pyramid to describe the Social Structure of Ancient Greece using the template in Storyboard That and creating titles, illustrations and descriptions to demonstrate what they’ve learned. Women in … Athletics was also an essential element in a young person’s education. License. We have also been recommended for educational use by the following publications: Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. Web. Instructomania products can be found on Teachers Pay Teachers here:https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Instructomania-With-Mr-And-Mrs-P Greek society is noted for its strong family structure and a low crime rate. The aristocrats were often split into powerful family factions or clans who controlled all of the important political positions in the polis. There are instances when slaves, particularly those involved in manufacturing and industry, living separately from their owners and given a certain financial independence, could pay for their freedom with money they had saved. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2021) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. These were men who had land but perhaps less productive plots and situated further from the city, their property was less well-protected than the prime land nearer the city proper. If there was any type of work that needed to be done, slaves were required. Acquired through war and conquest, kidnap and purchase, slaves were simply amongst life’s losers. In Athens, the people started out with a monarch but transitioned to a government made up of assemblymen who were able to vote. They had no authority and absolutely no rights. Owned by wealthy people. What defines each class is a little different however. The third ground for termination was when the bride’s father asked for his daughter back (aphairesis), probably to offer her to another man with a more attractive dowry. This was a relationship between an adult and an adolescent which included sexual relations but in addition to a physical relationship, the older partner acted as a mentor to the youth and educated them through the elder’s worldly and practical experience. Rich people will have 50 slaves. The concept of philotimi holds a unique place in Greek social culture. In certain periods such as war, helots were required to serve in the armed forces and, fighting well, they could even earn an escape from their lot and join the intermediary social groups which existed below the level of full-citizen and included such individuals as children with parents of mixed status (e.g. Ancient History Encyclopedia. It is unlikely, due to the costs, that every single citizen had their own slave but some citizens undoubtedly owned many slaves. There was a well-defined upper, middle, and lower class as well as a separate slave class. These citizens were called the periokoi (dwellers-round-about) or even worse ‘dusty-feet’ and they collected together for protection in small village communities, subordinate to the neighbouring city. Bring us your ambition and we’ll guide you along a personalized path to a quality education that’s designed to change your life. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman’s place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children. However, the serf-class or helots could never achieve any real security as they were given little or no legal status and harshly treated, even killed in regular purges (especially in Sparta), in order to instil a fear which would ensure continued subordination to the ruling class. : the most fertile and the closest to the protection offered by the city walls. By taking a look at their way of life, it is possible to see some similarities to todays world as well as some of the traditions that were pushed aside in exchange for o… Many were also taught to read and write. Answer: The increasing complexity of the social structure, the formation of social strata with different, conflicting interests created tension in Ancient Greece society, which, in a number of policies, grew into bloody clashes, leading to murders, expulsion, and confiscation of property. These foreigners usually had to register their residence and so became a recognised class (lower in status than the full-citizens) called the metics (metoikoi). An important part of a Greek youth’s upbringing involved pederasty - for both boys and girls. by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (CC BY-NC-SA). The city-state was the central part of ancient Greek life. There was a working class though. Last modified May 15, 2018. This upper class was responsible for everything from the government to education and philosophy. https://www.ancient.eu/article/483/. In both Athens and Sparta, men played an active role in public life, spending time participating in government, learning new things, or working. Possessing more money than everyone else, this class could provide themselves with armour, weapons, and a horse when on military campaign. 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