what was important to athenian society

Athenian society consisted of education, women’s rights, and military. Athenian education was primarily focused on educating boys in academics, women’s rights were limited to being property, and contained short term military service. Spartan

society is superior due to the rights that women had and time dedicated to military service.

Full Answer

What was life like for citizens in Athens?

Although citizens in Athens had more say over their city than most people of the ancient world, about 1/3 of Athenian society was considered free but did not enjoy citizenship rights. This group consisted of women and metics. Women in Athenian society had almost no rights.

Why are the contributions of Athens so important?

Because, then, the contributions of Athens to our own life are so important, because they touch (as a Greek would say) upon almost every side of "the true, the beautiful, and the good," it is obvious that the outward conditions under which this Athenian genius developed deserve our respectful attention.

What was the role of citizens in Athenian society?

They had to maintain a respectable image and thus were unable to attend or perform certain activities. As in other Greek city-states, Athenian society was made up of roughly three classes: citizens, farmers and merchants, and slaves. Citizens had the most privileges and were seen as representatives of the city-state.

What was the role of the military in Athenian society?

As you have learned, Athenian society was very complex and changed over time. New economic opportunities made more people wealthy leading to the creation of bigger armies that included hoplite soldiers. The army played a big role in society, as generals called strategoi provided military and political leadership.

What did the Athenian society value?

The Athenians valued education and the arts and believed that educated people made the best citizens.

What was Athens most important contribution?

Democracy The ancient Greeks created the world's first democracy. Athens started out with a monarchy and then advanced to an oligarchy until it finally reached a democracy. The democratic government consisted of 6,000 assembly members, all of whom were adult male citizens.

What was the Athenian society like?

Athenian society was composed of four main social classes - slaves, metics (non-citizen freepersons), women, and citizens, but within each of these broad classes were several sub-classes (such as the difference between common citizens and aristocratic citizens).

What are three facts about Athens?

15 Incredible Facts About AthensAthens is Europe's oldest capital. ... Athens has experienced almost every form of government. ... If it weren't for an olive tree, Poseidon might have been the city's patron. ... The ancient Olympic games were never held in Athens. ... Athens is home to the first known democracy.More items...

What was most important Athenian democracy?

Ecclesia. The central events of the Athenian democracy were the meetings of the assembly (ἐκκλησία, ekklesía). Unlike a parliament, the assembly's members were not elected, but attended by right when they chose.

What were the significant traditions that Athenians practice?

Traditional festivitiesName day celebration. Most Greeks are named after a religious saint. ... Engagement. It is a custom in Greece to get engaged before getting married. ... Carnival. In Greece, the Carnival is called "Apokries". ... Clean Monday. ... Easter. ... Greek Independence Day. ... The Ohi Day. ... The Evil Eye (Mati)More items...

What made Athens so powerful?

Athens developed democratic institutions and a culture of philosophy, science, and culture; it emerged as a powerful state and allied with other city-states, forming the Delian League. Resistance to Athens' power among the other Greek city-states, particularly Sparta, prompted the Peloponnesian War.

What are the achievements of Athens?

What were the major cultural achievements of Athens?The temples on the acropolis in Athens were examples of the Greek talent for architecture. ... Athenians enjoyed dramas staged in large open-air theaters. ... The Greeks competed in athletic events at the Panathenaic Games and the Olympics.

What were the major contributions of the Greek civilization?

The Greeks made important contributions to philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. Literature and theatre was an important aspect of Greek culture and influenced modern drama. The Greeks were known for their sophisticated sculpture and architecture.

What are three contributions from ancient Greece?

7 Things the Ancient Greeks Gave UsWestern Philosophy. Socrates. ... Olympics. The Olympic games first began on the island of “Pelops” in the western Peloponnese in 776 BCE. ... Marathon. ... Alarm Clock. ... Umbrellas. ... Cartography (Maps) ... Western Theater (Drama)

What did Athens want to achieve?

Athens Values Their main goal was building a democracy. Athenians believed that the only way to build a strong democracy was to create well informed citizens.

Why is Athens important?

The Importance of Athens in Greek History. To three ancient nations the men of the twentieth century owe an incalculable debt. To the Jews we owe most of our notions of religion; to the Romans we owe traditions and examples in law, administration, and the general management of human affairs which still keep their influence and value;

Did the Greeks form a nation?

These Greeks, however, our histories promptly teach us, did not form a single unified nation. They lived in many "city-states" of more or less importance, and some of the largest of these contributed very little directly to our civilization.

What was the Athenians' main goal?

While Spartans valued military strength, Athenians placed a higher value on education and culture. Their main goal was building a democracy. Athenians believed that the only way to build a strong democracy was to create well informed citizens.

What was the Athenian government?

Athenian government began as an oligarchy. A rebellion against the nobles by unhappy farmers resulted in a democracy. The farmers, some that had become in debt or even slaves to nobles from borrowing money, wanted their freedom. They also wanted the land owned by the nobles to be shared with the poor. They wanted a say in government.

Who was the leader of Athens in 508 BC?

Cleisthenes 508 BC: He came to power and is credited with turning Athens government into a democracy.

Who was trusted by both farmers and nobles to solve the problems between the two groups?

Solon 594 BC: He was trusted by both farmers and nobles to solve the problems between the two groups.

How did Athenian society change?

As you have learned, Athenian society was very complex and changed over time. New economic opportunities made more people wealthy leading to the creation of bigger armies that included hoplite soldiers. The army played a big role in society, as generals called strategoi provided military and political leadership. As people found new opportunities in the army they began fighting for a voice in society as well. To prevent armed conflict, the Athenian leader Solon introduced four levels of society: pentakosiomedimnoi, hippeis, zeugitai, and thetes. These changes gave every citizen a say, while giving the wealthiest three groups the biggest influence. Although citizens gained more influence during this time, not everybody was a citizen. Women, metics, and slaves were all excluded from citizenship. Women had little to no rights and their main function was to raise the family. Metics on the other hand had many legal rights and could participate in trade. Slaves provided labor that helped support the Athenian economy.

What did ancient Athens think of?

When you think of ancient Athens you probably think about togas, the Greek gods and goddesses, marble buildings, and maybe even democracy. But Ancient Athens wasn't always this way. From about 1000 B.C.E. until about 800 B.C.E., Athens was in a state of chaos that some historians refer to as the Greek Dark Ages.

How did Solon change Athens?

Solon's changes reduced the divisions between social classes , but many Athenians still felt divided by old family or tribal differences. To change this reality, another influential Athenian leader made further changes. This leader's name was Cleistenes, and his changes helped move Athens even closer to becoming a democracy where all citizens have a say in what happens. Cleistenes tried to end old disputes between families by instead organizing the city into ten geographic regions. Each region chose a leader known as strategoi, or general. These men lead both military matters and governmental matters. By doing this, Cleistenes ended disputes while also respecting traditions, just as Solon had done with his reforms.

Why did Solon change society?

To prevent civil war from erupting, the men who chose Solon gave him tremendous power to reform society. Solon knew that much of the trouble in Athens came from economic and political inequalities in society, but he also knew that he had to balance his changes so that he could keep the support of both the wealthy aristocrats and the lower members of society. One of his first major changes was to end the practice of debt slavery, a practice that allowed a wealthy person to own somebody who was indebted to them.

What is the third level of society?

The third level of society was the zeugitai meaning ''yoked men,'' a term referring to the fact that they owned oxen and produced at least 200 measures. Any citizen producing less than 200 measures was known as a theta or ''laborer.''. This Graphic organizer demonstrates the four layers of Greek Society.

What did all Athenian citizens gain from the changes?

All Athenian citizens had something to gain from these changes: every citizen had at least some voice in the government, all citizens were guaranteed freedom from slavery, and all citizens were guaranteed protections against legal oppression.

What did the Athenians do in the Dark Ages?

As the Dark Ages came to an end, some adventurous Athenians began to trade and colonize around the Black and Aegean Seas, looking for available resources. This trade was made easier by the invention of coins by a neighboring society known as Lydia.

Abstract

Traditional accounts of Athenian society tend to take their sources at face value, as direct reflections of Athenian reality. They present a model of free citizens working as independent producers, while the elite derived its surplus income from the exploitation of slaves.

Discursive Norms and Fields of Vision

Challenging the assumption that sources relating to Athenian society are direct reflections of social reality does not mean dispensing with them altogether, but rather taking them seriously as objects of historical study.

Outside the Social Imaginary: Athenian Labor Strategies

Athenian discursive norms and their fields of vision created a stereotypical image of the structure of Athenian society and economy, based on the autonomy of the Athenian household.

Relativizing the Athenian Social Model

We have already seen that the Athenian social imaginary cannot be taken as a direct reflection of social reality; we have also explored how outside this model there existed a more complex reality which remains unconceptualized in Athenian discourses.

What was the Athenians army?

Throughout the fifth century, the Athenians maintained what was essentially a citizen army. It was only in the fourth century that the use of professional soldiers became widespread.

Who were the Greeks in Plato's Republic?

The most famous example of these is probably the wealthy Syracusan Lysias, whose father Cephalus and brother Polemarchus appear as characters in Plato’s Republic.

Where did slaves work in the silver mines?

At the other end of the scale, however, were the slaves who worked in the silver mines at Laureion.

Was the Greeks an ancient Near Eastern civilization?

It has been effectively argued that the Ancient Greeks were an ‘Ancient Near Eastern’ civilisation, just like the Lydians, the Persians and the Babylonians. If we take this point of view, then it is hardly surprising that they should also have ‘Ancient Near Eastern’ attitudes towards their womenfolk.

Who were invited as guests to these symposia?

Only men were invited as guests to these symposia.

Was the position of women in Athens inferior?

There is a great deal of additional evidence, however, to substantiate the view that the position of women in Athens was essentially one of inferior status. For example, the inheritance laws in Athens were blatantly sexist.

Who were the Scythian archers?

At one end of the scale were the Scythian archers who policed the city. These were basically slaves who belonged to the state. We hear about them in some of the plays of Aristophanes.

Why was it so hard for Athenian women to thrive in the economic sector?

It was difficult for Athenian women to thrive in the economic sector because it was, first and foremost, often outside the boundaries of the household of which they were allowed. Some evidence even suggests a law that restricted how much income a woman could make from a contract. On the other hand, some historical examples show that Athenian women made larger incomes despite what was prescribed by the law. This leads historians to question whether or not this law was applicable for all women, or if there were exceptions to the criteria.

What were the three classes of Athenian society?

As in other Greek city-states, Athenian society was made up of roughly three classes: citizens, farmers and merchants, and slaves. Citizens had the most privileges and were seen as representatives of the city-state. This article will look at the life of the free Athenian women of Ancient Greece and offer a comprehensive picture of their lives. Did they have a better life than other Greek women, according to our current standards? Was Athens indeed the most civilized city-state? These questions will be answered by describing and comparing what information is currently known about Athenian women.

How Can We Know Anything About Athenian Women in Ancient Greece?

The majority of sources that scholars and researchers use today to investigate the lives of women in Athens are either archaeological findings or written accounts. The latter can vary widely in genre because they may be literary works, political, or legal. In addition, women in Athens were a common topic in satires or tragedies, and this can give the impression of a rich account concerning them. However, all the existing surviving accounts are written from a man’s perspective. Therefore, scholars ask if we can truly know anything about the women of Athens in Ancient Greece.

What was the role of women in the Athens cult?

A central religious cult was that of Athena Polias, the protector of Athens. Women played a key role in this cult, in part due to the fact that the deity was a woman herself. Because of the cult’s prestige, the priestess of Athena was an incredibly important position in Ancient Athens. Besides symbolic importance, this position brought about political influence and was one of the few ways in which Athenian women could participate in the political life of the city.

What was the law in Athenian women?

Legally, Athenian women could only be represented by men, either by their husbands or by another male relative. Thus, in most cases, women were required to be under the guardianship of such a man. The guardianship implied that whenever a legal problem concerning in any way the said woman arises, the male guardian would represent her interest and take care of the process. While in theory this may sound useful, in practice, this put the women in a vulnerable position where they would be legally dependent on their male family members. Moreover, there wasn’t any legal procedure in place that would protect women in any way from the legal abuse of the guardian. This meant that the law had no way to ensure her guardian accurately represented the woman’s wishes.

Why did the Athenian women marry?

Ensuring that the family continues on was the parents’ main concern, especially fathers, as they would not want the family fortune to disappear. To secure their legacy , fourteen-year-old girls would be married to older men usually chosen by their fathers or another male relative. Thus, girls would not choose their husbands nor have any influence over the matter.

Why did wealthy women stay indoors?

Of course, wealthy women could adhere to this standard and stay indoors to keep their good image and appear as respectable citizens, but this wasn’t possible for poor women as they had to go about town to fulfill necessary activities. Separating and creating gender-specific activities was such a crucial point of social life that even Aristotle inquired about the possibility of ensuring that poor women don’t have to go outside.

Key Terms to Know

Athens Values

• While Spartans valued military strength, Athenians placed a higher value on education and culture. Their main goal was building a democracy. Athenians believed that the only way to build a strong democracy was to create well informed citizens. Boys were educated. 1. They learned reading, writing, and math 2. They learned to sing and play instrument...

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Athenian Government

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