The social stratifications for both societies had a few similarities, but overall were very different. The social stratification in both societies was mostly determined by birth, similar to the caste system, with almost no social mobility. The ancient greeks had 4 social classes; the Athens, which were the highest class, they had all political power and were the wealthiest, to be part of this social class you would need to be born in Athens, because the rights for the class could only be inherited hereditarily. There were the Metics, the middle class, which were people who weren’t from Athens, but came there to settle down, they weren’t slaves and had little rights compared to the upper class. There were the Freemen, which were a bit higher than the lowest class, but weren’t part of the middle class either. These people were slaves but were freed somehow by their owners, they weren’t from Athens, and they didn’t have the right to citizenship, no matter how much money they earned, and they could never be part of the middle class. Lastly, there were the slaves, the lowest class of all, or level, since the Greeks didn’t consider it a "class". They were people who were rescued from war, claimed as a slave as a child sold into slavery by their parents (usually women) or were kidnapped into slavery. Even lower class people had one or two slaves. They had practically no rights, but could gain his freedom through a number of different means, such as being paid for by a friend or relative, paying for his or her freedom, being released by his or her master, etc. On the other hand the Roman Republic social stratification was divided into two classes, which were then divided into other smaller classes. The upper class was the Patricians. The Patricians were born in Rome, had Roman blood and had wealth, they all came from old Roman Families. Inside the Patrician class there were two classes, the Senators and the equites. The Senators were the noble class, and all the political and royal families came under this category. The Equites were the economic class, they were below the Senatorial class and did task the senatorial class couldn’t, they were mostly knights. Under the Patricians there were the Plebians, the Plebians were the poor class, it was made up of artisans, shopkeepers and owners of small farms, the plebians couldn’t marry the patricians.
Abstract: Texts, such as Oeconomicus, reveal that while men in Archaic Greek society had authority over their wives, they were too confident of their control, and once they taught women how to act and behave they granted women authority over the household or private sphere. This segregation of the public and private spheres allowed women control not only over the private sphere, but also some control over her own life.
In the “Protagoras,” Socrates and Protagoras debate why participation in government is open to all citizens, but technical matters, such as health, works of art, and the construction of buildings require qualified individuals. The argument presupposes that integrity and acumen are the necessary virtues that citizens must lean and apply for a properly functioning democracy.
In the Greek society women were treated very differently than they are today. Women in ancient Greece were not allowed to own property, participate in politics, and they were under control of the man in their lives. The goddess Aphrodite did not adhere to these social norms and thus the reason the earthly women must comply with the societal structure that was set before them. Aphrodite did not have a father figure according to Hesiod, and therefore did not have a man in her life to tell her what to do. She was a serial adulteress and has many children with many men other than her husband. She was not the only goddess from the ancient Greek myths to cause doubt in the minds of men. Gaia and the Titan Rhea rise up against their husbands in order to protect their children. Pandora, another woman in the Greek myths, shows that all evil comes from woman. Aphrodite, Gaia, Rhea, and Pandora cause the ancient Greek men to be suspicious of women because of her mischievous and wild behavior.
What make a man virtuous? Throughout many texts of Greek society the picture of a perfect man is painted and apparent. This man, the “perfect man”, is the virtuous Greek citizen. Who is virtuous not only in the eyes of society, but also at home, in war, and in his relationship to the God(s). Also in Greek society, there was a man named Socrates who’s opinion differed with his culture’s thoughts, and he constructed his own thoughts and beliefs of what characteristics a virtuous man should hold. Not only did Greek society have thoughts of what their virtuous man should be; Roman society did as well. All cultures have a belief of what a virtuous human is and it is described in four ways: in the home, at war, political life, and one’s relationship to the God(s).
Dating back to ancient times, the role of women has never reached true equality with men. We can trace this inequality back to as early as the great Athenian society, where life as we know it today started taking form. On the other side of the inequality, throughout the ancient history of the world, the roles and positions that women have had have improved over time. We can see this tracing time from Athens, to Sparta, the Roman Republic, it's Empire and the rise of Christianity. Although some of theses societies lived parallel in time, each one shows a difference in the way they treat women. Each one did not treat women the same, but the end result compared to the beginning is positive for women.
During the Archaic Age of Ancient Greece, circa 776-500 B.C.E., the population growth in Ancient Greece called a need for more food supplies, and this demand was met by trade, establishing colonies, and by warfare to seize more land (Making Europe 71). According to Kidner, the Archaic Age “brought a revival of culture, the economy, and political significance to Greece” (71). As Greece began to overpopulate, methods for dealing with the overpopulation had to be found, once of these methods was to import food, which caused an expansion of Greek commerce and production of trade goods (Making Europe 71). Another solution to the overpopulation of Greece was to find new land somewhere else, and during the colonization that lasted from 750-550 B.C.E., Greeks colonized coastal cities because they wanted access to trade routes across the sea (Making Europe 71). The revival of Greek trade also brought Near Eastern culture into Greece, including new styles or art. According to Kidner, “Greek sculpture assumed a very Egyptian look, and Greek pottery depicted many eastern designs…and Greek potters and sculptors soon used designs from their own myths and legents”
Ancient Greek culture first emerged around 1600 B.C. in Mycenae. This developed a powerful military and participated in a wide trading network. Over the next thousand years, Greek society organized itself into city-states. The most famous ones were Athens and Sparta. They served as centers of political, religious, and cultural life.
The second class was the town slaves. They were not just domestic slaves of the common citizen, but also skilled laborers. They worked as mechanics, laborers, washwomen, etc. They, likewise, were somewhat educated. They were considered every freedman’s right hand man.
...urope as far as France in the East. The Greek Empire was most powerful between 2000 BC and 146 BC.
The three main social classes in Ancient Rome were the Patricians, Plebeians and the slaves. The Patricians were the wealthy Romans and for wealthy Romans, life was good. They lived in beautiful houses often on the hills outside Rome, away from the noise and the smell. They enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle with luxurious furnishings, surrounded by servants and slaves to cater to their every desire. Many would hold exclusive dinner parties and serve their guests the exotic dishes of the day. Many Patricians were powerful leaders in government or the military.
Abounding similarities exist between the Mesopotamian and Greek societies. As history progresses many cultural advances occur, but societies also adopt some of the same characteristics as preceding societies, you will notice this between the Mesopotamian and Greek civilizations. After learning about the Greek civilizations I immediately began generating connections to Mesopotamian societies. I noticed similarities in all aspects of society, whether it was religion, military, architecture or any other cultural idiosyncrasies.
War in Ancient Greece was a major factor of the daily life of kings, royalty and even citizens, especially in Sparta. Sparta, being a city-state of warfare even down to the way children were raised, were a major factor in deciding the everyday life in many people beyond their own citizens. All other city states in Greece at the time were prepared for war if they weren’t in one already. Due to this, war proved to be nearly a constant in the life of Ancient Greek citizens.
Ancient Athens and Ancient Sparta were two of the biggest city-states in Greece. Despite their geographical closeness these two city-states differed largely in many aspects, particularly the kind of roles women played in society and the amount of power women had. Whereas women in Ancient Sparta were believed to be very independent the women in Ancient Athens were not. Even the way these women dressed contrasted from one another. In this essay, I will shine light on the differences between women in Sparta, who had played a larger role in Spartan society, and the women in Athens, whose role was not considered as important as men in Athenian society and how this effected their status. I will provide examples from two of the secondary sources that were read in class as well as a primary source written by Aristophanes.
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. Large families were not desired by Athenians since the inheritance was to be divided up equally among sons and daughters requiring dowries. So, unwanted children were not uncommon. Killing the babies was illegal, but a new-born could be exposed to die. These unwanted babies were left outside in a clay pot either to be claimed by a childless woman or rescued and brought up as a slave (Connolly, 32). Slaves were common in ancient times, if a family was reasonably well off they usually had two or three slaves. Slaves would take on the tasks of motherhood, some would even breast feed the babies. The slaves also worked the fields and helped the mother with other household duties, such as making clothes (The Study of Women, online).
Ancient Greek Civilization has been one of the most influential and significant civilizations throughout history. Ancient Greeks made very important contributions to the civilization of the ancient world and the future civilizations. Politically, intellectually, and artistically, the Greeks influenced the world of the past and the future societies. Greece may look like a small country, but it was the birth of the greatest influences in ancient and modern life.