Sometimes the quota required may have been high or low, and there may also have been some extra benefits to the serfs such as protection and safety in numbers. 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. The Ancient History Encyclopedia logo is a registered EU trademark. 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. 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. In Athens, this was changed by Solon 's reforms, … 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. After these basics were mastered, studies turned to literature (for example, Homer), poetry, and music (especially the lyre). 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. Instructomania products can be found on Teachers Pay Teachers here:https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Instructomania-With-Mr-And-Mrs-P Ancient Greece: SOCIAL STRUCTURE Greece in the Archaic Period was made up from independent states, called Polis, or city-state. However, a defence speech made in a court case in Athens by Lysias, and hints from others such as Demosthenes, strongly suggest that if every citizen did not have slaves then they certainly desired them and to be a slave owner was considered a measure of social status. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Incoming Freshman and Graduate Student Admission, Fragments of Childhood: Growing Up in Ancient Greece. While slaves may have done most of the upkeep of the home, Greek women were focused on managing their homes. This last option was only possible, however, if the wife had not had children. The concept of philotimi holds a unique place in Greek social culture. Greek Peplos Dressby Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA). The gods in Greek religion were invisible, powerful spirits that could control what happened to people and the world. https://ancientgreeceproject7f.weebly.com/social-structure.html The book essentially seeks to examine the relationship between various economic/material factors and social structures (exp. The eisphorá tax was a tax on the wealth of the rich, but it was only collected when needed. License. The lower class of people were just one step above the slaves. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/article/483/. 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. If there was any type of work that needed to be done, slaves were required. 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… Cartwright, M. (2018, May 15). Married at the typical age of thirteen or fourteen, love had little to do with the matching of husband and wife. It was also this class of women that entertained men (in every sense) at the celebrated symposium. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. 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. 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. Also, slaves in the army were sometimes given their freedom by the state following their victorious exploits. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2021) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. Social Structure As city populations grew and inheritances became ever more divided amongst siblings, this secondary class grew significantly. By focusing on just one category, students are encouraged to include more information and should complete 3-6 cells. The city-state was the central part of ancient Greek life. The Greek Dark Age is the interval between the collapse of the... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Mark is a history writer based in Italy. Possessing more money than everyone else, this class could provide themselves with armour, weapons, and a horse when on military campaign. The education of boys and girls varied greatly in ancient Greece. 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 first and perhaps most common was the brothel prostitute (pornē). David B. 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. In Sparta, society was set up a little differently, as the focus was on soldiers and war. The aristocrats were often split into powerful family factions or clans who controlled all of the important political positions in the polis. Ancient Greece, a phenomenal civilisation and a important part of the Greek history. Although the male citizen had by far the best position in Greek society, there were different classes within this group. Use the videos, media, reference materials, and other resources in this collection to teach about ancient Greece, its role in modern-day democracy, and civic engagement. Girls too were educated in a similar manner to boys but with a greater emphasis on dancing, gymnastics, and musical accomplishment which could be shown off in musical competitions and at religious festivals and ceremonies. 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. In matters of Social Groups, or a "status quo" Greece had one. https://www.ancient.eu/article/483/. Despite the suspicions and prejudices against foreign ‘barbarians’ which often crop up in literary sources, there were cases when metoikoi did manage to become full citizens after a suitable display of loyalty and contribution to the good of the host state. Among the most famous Greek sculptures still in existence is the Venus de Milo. 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. His special interests include pottery, architecture, world mythology and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share in common. : 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. Boys attended schools and had a much more varied educational experience. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. 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. 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. 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. Did the Ancient Greeks Engage in Human Sacrifice? 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. Women in the ancient Greek world had few rights in comparison to male citizens. Children of citizens attended schools where the curriculum covered reading, writing, and mathematics. These latter women were educated in music and culture and often formed lasting relationships with married men. citizenship, laws, religious institutions etc...) and also the belief system that the society used to justify these structures. 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. Rich people will have 50 slaves. https://www.hierarchystructure.com/ancient-greece-hierarchy Copyright © 2021 Maryville University. But Ancient Athens wasn't always this way. The relationship between slaves and owners seems to have been much as in any other period of history with a mix of contempt, distrust, and abuse from the owners and contempt, theft, and sabotage from the enslaved. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 15 May 2018. Whilst the flogging of slaves is commonly referred to in Greek plays, there were also treatises written extolling the benefits of kindness and incentives in slave management. These were semi-free workers, wholly dependent on their employer. Top of the social tree were the ‘best people’, the aristoi. Ill-health, losing out on an inheritance, political upheavals, or war could also result in the ‘best’ getting their feet a little dusty. The second termination cause was the wife leaving the family home (apoleipsis) and in this case the woman’s new guardian was required to act as her legal representative. The aristocrats were often split into powerful family factions or clans who controlled all of the important political positions in the polis. David B. You had the slaves, shopkeepers, and slaveowners. This book examines the development of ancient Greek civilization through a path-breaking application of social scientific theories. The polis of Athens included about 2,500 sq kilometres of territory, but other Polis with smaller areas of 250 sq kilometres. In addition to reading and writing, they were also schooled in things like poetry, math, and physical education. http://www.hierarchystructure.com/ancient-greek-social-hierarchy/. : the most fertile and the closest to the protection offered by the city walls. There was a working class though. Submitted by Mark Cartwright, published on 15 May 2018 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. 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. This was, however, a rare occurrence and the woman’s reputation in society was damaged as a result. Indirect taxation was very well developed though not in all cities. 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