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Greek Social Structure

By Matthew Sabio

Works Cited

Grant, Michael, and Rachel Kitzinger. Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece and Rome. Scribner's, 1988.

Hackney, Ryan. "Athenian Democracy." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, 2018, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/586553. Accessed 8 Nov. 2018.

Salisbury, Joyce E. "Spartan Women." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2018, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/575696. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.

Yukevich, Emma. “Ancient Greece Social Structure.” Prezi.com, Prezi, 1 Nov. 2013, prezi.com/ibmx-fxrhc-a/ancient-greece-social-structure/.

Nardo, Don. The Ancient Greeks. Lucent Books, 2001.

Inspire Learning!. York Region District School Board,schools.yrdsb.ca/markville.ss/projects/classof2007/16chong/empey/slave.jpg, Accessed 14 November 2018.

Thoughtco.com. Thoughtco,www.thoughtco.com/thmb/nzR8ffDBEY33IHNdXh-H-NL2Rgg=/1500x1000/filters:no_upscale()/Ancient-Greece-58e267583df78c5162b0e50f.jpg. Accessed 20 November 2018

Pinterest. Pinterest, i.pinimg.com/originals/99/47/19/99471971ff5b450653edc6f20b0826db.jpg. Accessed 20 November 2018

World History. World History, worldhistory.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ancient-greece-part-4-athenian-democracy.jpg. Accessed 20 November 2018

Castes

Castes

The Greeks' society comprised 4 main castes: Slaves, Freedmen, Metics, and Athens, in rising stature. They all had various subcategories, such as the Areopagus, and all had various roles in Greek society.

Slaves

Slaves

  • Were only owned by the Athens
  • Sold for $50 - $1000
  • If at all, generally owned ~50
  • Captured in war (POWs) or by Slave Traders

Freedmen

Freedmen

  • The majority of Freedmen were slaves who had bought their freedom (Hence the name "Freedmen")
  • Slaves became Freedmen once they'd (somehow) earned enough money to buy their freedom
  • Not considered to be Citizens, however they could own property and come and go
  • Depending on where you looked, the levels of freedom varied

Metics

Metics

  • Metics consisted of the artisans, woodworkers, merchants, etc
  • Generally had a "decent" amount of money
  • Comprised the middle-class of Ancient Greek culture
  • Despite being in the relative upper-class, Metics still were not considered to be citizens

Athens

Athens

  • Athens (not Athenians) were the cream-of-the-crop of Greek society
  • Comprised less than 10% of the population, conservatively
  • Only about 300 families at any given time
  • The requirements were quite strict:
  • Need to be a Citizen
  • Need to be Unemployed
  • Need to be born into
  • Must have Slaves
  • Must have a significant amount of Money
  • Athens held the city-state's power

Areopagus

The Areopagus, or the Areopagus Council, were the Elite of the Athens. They were the "Guardians of the Law." They had the power to nullify or remove laws, and impeach and remove candidates from office. They were selected from among the most powerful of the Athens, and it wasn't until Ephialtes' reforms that their power was decentralized, and they became little more than an investigative body.

Communities

The Greeks had a few tiers of kinship, the smallest the Oikos, and the largest the Phyle. Each tier up had more power than the last, and each had a different purpose.

Communities

Oikoi

Oikoi

  • An Oikos, plural Oikoi, was the smallest of familial units
  • Comprised the immediate family, relatives, all property, and ancestors' tombs
  • The biggest obligation as a whole was simply to continue the line
  • Multiple sons of the head produced more Oikoi

Gene

Gene

  • A Genos, plural Gene, was the next largest unit
  • The heads of Gene were more powerful than those of the Oikoi
  • The head was respobsible for arranging marriages
  • Composed of many Oikoi
  • These are the "clans"
  • Could claim membership of a genos by claiming a comman ancestor

Phratries

Phratries

  • A Phantry, or plurally Phratries, was the next largest unit
  • Meant, "Blood Brotherhood"
  • Very extended kinship, generally consisted of about 30 clans
  • Members were generally related to each other
  • Focus of social and religious gatherings
  • People could be "adopted" by a phantry if they were without an Oikos or Gene

Phylai

Phylai

  • The Phyle, or Phylai for plural, was the largest familial unit
  • It was essentially a tribe
  • Consisted of 3 Phratries
  • Each polis had its own tribes
  • A Phylarch is a tribal president
  • Each Phyle gave a certain amount of soldiers to the militia
  • Most of the time the militia service was voluntary

Factors

There were several factors that could influence a Greek's social and political standing, here are some of the most major:

Factors

Rhetoric

Rhetoric

  • Rhetoric almost directly means persuasive writing; however, it is generally disingenuous
  • The Greeks were a heavily oral civilization
  • "The public and ceremonial life of the Greek community relied heavily on the exercise of traditional formal speech" (DeWald 1077).
  • If a person was to be a member of the Aristoi, or the Athens, they needed to be "a speaker of words and a doer of deeds" (DeWald 1077).
  • Some Greeks believed that Nestor and Odysseus were, "writing handbooks of rhetorical dos and don'ts under the walls of Troy" (DeWald 1077).

Birth

Birth

  • By far the easiest way to get into a class is simply to be born into it
  • This is most true for the Athens, since one of the requirements to be in that class is to be born into it
  • Especially with slaves, there is almost no chance of becoming a Freedman
  • Consider the World Hunger Day scenario

Marriage

Marriage

  • Although it was rare and frowned upon, inter-caste marriage did occur
  • Marrying upwards would ostensibly give a person a higher standing
  • The converse is true, and marrying down lowers standing
  • Slaves and Freedmen notwithstanding, many upper-class families likely partook in arranged marriages
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