It is important to define what a peasant is in the sense of the peasant farmers of Classical Greece. Peasant is often used as an unflattering term, in which the person is somehow weaker, and less efficient. However, most of Classical Greece was among the peasantry. Peasantry denoted the rights they had, which set them above slaves, and far beneath the upper echelons of society (Croix, 1981: 110). In the terms of Greek society, the peasantry consisted of agricultural labourers (Croix, 1981: 110). They mainly worked as family units, and the sons inherited the plots of land upon their father’s death. With the exception of Sparta, women were not allowed to own land, and their primary purpose in life was to work on her family’s farm, and then enter a good marriage that would benefit the family. Greek peasants held little additional wealth besides their land and produce, so it was often gifts of land they gave as a dowry to the husband (Croix, 1981: 120).
Advancement as a peasant was a possibility. If a crop was doing well, the farmer could choose to acquire knew land and plant a different crop (Zenker, 2009). If they had a profitable year, they could also acquire more wealth do this or even advance to higher society. Geographical conditions made it possible to have a good or bad year. If a peasant’s competing neighbors suffered from bad weather, the supply of staple foods was almost entirely local, giving a fortunate farmer an immediate advantage in terms of urban demand (Croix, 1981: 125). Even if demand based on sustenance was low, the crops were valuable commodities for overseas trade.
The work of a farmer differed depending on the landscape. As well situated land was claimed, other farmers may be forced to less desirable land. L...
... middle of paper ...
...in many different ways. The Greek goddess Demeter was the goddess of Agriculture (meter meaning mother, and de possibly meaning corn.) Though animal husbandry was scarcer than crops, both were used in religious ceremonies and festivals (Zenker, 2009).
Greek farmers owned plots of land, and landlords mainly selected the farms that answered to them by the farmers’ proximity. It was difficult to be spaced too far apart, which increased transportation costs. Farmers would sometimes take their wares to the city, but it was often the landlord who not only arrived at the city with crops, but set the prices and wages of the farmers. Landlords often made a point of storing the large quantities of agricultural produce, rather than selling it all at once. Because demand was highly seasonal, they could sell it for far greater profit at later times in the year (Zenker, 2009).
Farmers’ incomes were low, and in order to make a profit on what they produced, they begun to expand the regions in which they sold their products in. This was facilitated through the railroads, by which through a series of grants from the government as...
Even with these faults, this society appreciates the hard work of farming compared to the easy way of living today. One point of Berry’s argument is that he believes that the land is falling more and more into the hands of speculators and professional people from the cities, who, in spite of all the scientific agricultural miracles, still have more money than farmers. Big technology and large economies have caused more abandonment of land in the country than ever before. Many of the great farmers are clearly becoming different because they lack manpower and money to maintain properly. The number of part-time farmers and ex-farmers increases every year due to the problems with money and resources.
The first of Lycurgus's economic reforms was the division of land into thirty-nine thousand equal shares that where to be divided amongst the state and the people. The city received nine thousand shares of land and the remaining thirty thousand were divided equally between the people. The division of land Lycurgus implemented provided enough food and necessities for every family in Sparta, and Plutarch emphasizes this when he says:
The studied passage indicates a clear division of classes: the free men, those excluded from political rights, the serfs and the slaves. The question of ‘serfdom’ in ancient Greece remains a disputable concept among scholars, and there is no wide consensus that serfs and slaves were clear-cut categories in Gortyn – but it quite probable that the terms were used to distinguish the ‘home-grown’ servile population from the foreign chattel-slaves. Not surprisingly, the text confirms that slaves had fewer rights than free men, but also indicates that lower-status people were granted protection under the law against the most severe abuses – in sharp contrast with slavery practices in Athens for instance. These legal provisions might be explained by the fact that the servile population was rather ‘home-grown’ than from foreign origin – and it can be argued that the development of chattel-slavery involved a progressive diminution of the rights of those who became slaves. In any case, this is a strong indication that slavery practices differ from one city-state to another, meaning that conclusions derived from the Gortyn code should not be too quickly
Land preparation for farming and animal rearing was done using a method called girdling – tree killing. They will cut around each tree to stop nutrient from getting to the tree and the leaves will later felled down. They will now come back and cut the branches of the trees and burn the underbrush. Farmer starts plowing as the trees stumps decays and stones will be removed from the fields. Fields for farming are always small because of labor and there are boundaries between fields and the neighbors. The house or the farm was viewed as the workplace. And land given out to each family will be fenced to stop cattle from wandering off going into the farm areas. The land allocated to each family will show the family social status within the community. The towns developed individually and community involvement was given a great significant although the community was close knit.
Unlike other Greek city states, women played an integral role in Spartan society as they were the backbone of the Spartan economic system of inheritance and marriage dowry and they were relied upon to fulfill their main responsibility of producing Spartan warrior sons. These principle economic systems affected wealth distribution among Spartan citizens especially among the Spartan elite class. Spartan women led a completely different life than women in most other ancient Greek city states, as they were depended upon to maintain Spartan social systems. In a society where the state is more involved in home life women had freedom of movement and they were permitted to communicate with men who were not their husbands. Women had domestic responsibilities including the maintenance of homes and farms when the men were on campaign, while the typical Greek female responsibilities such as weaving were delegated to slaves. Girls were raised much like Spartan boys as they were made to go through physical training insuring their success in fulfilling their most important role in society, child-bearing. The few primary sources on Sparta and Spartiate women, namely Aristotle, Plutarch, Herodotus and Xenophon were historians who lived after the prominence of ancient Sparta; therefore, the facts regarding the women’s influence in social, economic and political issues must be carefully interpreted and analysed with help from secondary sources.
...ion back to the seasons and agriculture. Greeks were also very concerned about property rights and inheritance, as Hesiod shows us with his worries about the uncertainty of children’s paternity when women are not kept submissively in the home. Through his advice to his brother, Hesiod’s Works and Days becomes a wealth of information about the particulars of life in ancient Greece during the 7th and 8th centuries B.C.E.
Demeter was the goddess of the Earth, agriculture, and fertility. Demeter’s parents were Cronus and Rhea. Demeter was responsible for the growing the crops yearly. Persephone was taken by Hades to become his wife. It was said that Demeter put a curse on the Earth the made all the plants and crops die. She told everyone that she would only lift the curse if Hades gave her back her daughter. Hades had every intention to give her daughter back to her.
Farming is the main supply for a country back then. The crops that farmers produce basically was the only food supply. That makes famers a very important part of society. Farmers back t...
...s. These lands were “usually in less desirable locations and discouraged any successful transition to agriculture”.24
When thinking of ancient Greece, images of revolutionary contrapposto sculpture, ornate lecture halls, and great philosophers in togas are sure to come to mind. As the birthplace of democracy and western philosophy, ancient Greece has had an inordinate influence on the progression of the modern world. However, the ancient Greeks’ treatment of women is seemingly at direct odds with their progressive and idealistic society.
Women in antiquity did not have an easy lot in life. They had few, if any, rights. Surviving early records of the civilizations of antiquity from ancient Greece, Egypt, China, and Rome suggest the diversity of women’s roles differed little from region to region. There were a few exceptions, mostly concerning women of nobility and the city-state of Sparta. Excluding the rare instances mentioned most antique women were generally limited on education, mobility, and almost all possibilities interfering with domestic or childbearing responsibilities. The limited social roles of women in antiquity suggest the perceived c...
The Daily Life of Ancient Greeks Life in Greece in ancient times will remind you of your own life in many ways. There were school, family, athletic competitions, and social gatherings. Knowing that participants in their sporting events competed nude or that you rarely knew your husband/wife until the wedding day does however, make you grateful for the society that you live in today. Babies Life for the Greeks in Athens began in their home. Babies were delivered by the women of the family, and only in cases of serious complications was a mid-wife called.
As a result of enclosure movement, many farmers moved into cities and became factory workers. During the agricultural revolution, wealthy landowners bought land that was formerly worked by village farmers and forced the farmers to give up farming and move into cities. These farmers faced many difficulties during their first year living in the city since jobs were hard to find. Factory owners hired them because they knew that they could pay low wages or reduce them if workers were late or their business was bad and fine or threaten to fire them if they were not paying attention to their work at all times (Doc A). This exam...
It is to be noted that farmers in England are among the most productive farmers in the world. The new methods of farming brought mass production in the early 18th century, leading to the Agricultural revolution. “In the early eighteenth century, Britain exported wheat, rising from 49,000 quarters in 1700 to a massive peak of 950,000 quarters in 1750”. The whole benefit of the Agricultural revolution was shared among aristocratic landholders. They were the only top authorities, as the English throne was already overthrown by the aristocratic class in 1688 during the Glorious Revolution.... ...