Ancient greek society
Ancient Greek society was made of four primary classes- Upper, Middle and Lower class, as well as the Slaves. Each class is unique from eachother in many ways.The Upper Class was very small and only numbered out to have about 300 families, while the Middle Class held a large number of non-citizens and the freemen of the Middle class (though not slaves) who were not born in Greece but had spent their lives in their town, could not be citizens. The Lower Class is partly made of freedmen, who at one point were slaves. Slaves were only used as servants and laborers who had no legal rights unlike all other classes.
Upper class
The upper class was very small and only numbered out to have about 300 families. To be considered a part of the upper class, they had to be a citizen, but they could not have a job. They had to have been free from economic tasks, for example- trading. The men had to have slaves or others to tend to their land and fortune; only with that can he have time for things such as government, war, literature, and philosophy. The upper class was quite full of themselves, which lead to them using all the classes lower than them as workers to do their “dirty work” for them.
Upper class women were expected to marry into their social status. They were expected to spend a lot of their time spinning and weaving. Producing the cloth that the family used for clothing and bedding was the most important task for Upper class females. Although the Upper class women more than likely had slaves, they were still expected to manage their
household.
Middle class
The middle class held a large number of non-citizens. The freemen (though not slaves) of foreign birth had spent their lives in their town, though they were not eligible for citizenship. They could not vote, own land, or marry into a family of a citizen. The middle class consisted of “professional men” who were merchants, contractors, manufacturers, managers, tradesmen, craftsmen, and artists. The entire ceramic industry was owned by the middle class. This working class made sure that the navy fleet was well-maintained, the empire was supported through heavy taxes, and the commercial supremacy of their town was well-kept. Women in the middle class had a lot of work to do, usually because they had fewer slaves to help them with their chores around the house.
Lower class
The lower class is partly made of freedmen, who at one point were slaves. Most of the time, the lower class people were not citizens of Greece, so the best these people could have ever done was be part of the Middle social class. Although the numbers of the Upper class were high, the Lower class population exceeded that of the Upper class. Despite this, the Upper class still ruled over the Lower class when it came to decision making. Lower class slaves were not allowed to vote and were told what to do by Upper class men. Lower class women had to work for a living, and they might have sold cloth that they had made, other items, or as retailers of food.
Slaves
Slaves were only used as servants and laborers who had no legal rights. Some were prisoners of war, or were brought over by foreign slave traders. City-states legally owned slaves, and these publicly owned slaves had a larger measure of independence than slaves who were owned by families. In Athens, Greece, public slaves were trained to look out for counterfeit coinage, which were false models of a real coin. Temple slaves were acted as servants of the temple’s god/goddess. And Scythian, or Scyths, was slaves who were employed in Athens as a police force who rounded up citizens for political functions. Slave women performed unpredictable tasks depending on the type of household they belonged to. They might have been primarily involved in domestic work, such as spinning and weaving, cooking, cleaning, fetching water, etc. Or they might have been a child’s nurse. Some even were employed as waitresses, or as dancers or entertainers, even as prostitutes.
There are different ways that a slave can gain his/her freedom. The slave can be freed by his or her ransom being paid off by a relative or friend. If a slave ever earns enough money he can buy his own freedom, which is difficult because slaves do not get paid for their services; he/she would have to work a second job. If a slave fights in a war, there is a chance that he will be released.
Two of the more common ways to acquire freedom, are for the master to die, or if the master feels the job the slave was bought for has been completed. If a slave was bought in order to tutor a child through school, upon the child's graduation, it's more than likely that the slave will be set free.
Upper class
The upper class was very small and only numbered out to have about 300 families. To be considered a part of the upper class, they had to be a citizen, but they could not have a job. They had to have been free from economic tasks, for example- trading. The men had to have slaves or others to tend to their land and fortune; only with that can he have time for things such as government, war, literature, and philosophy. The upper class was quite full of themselves, which lead to them using all the classes lower than them as workers to do their “dirty work” for them.
Upper class women were expected to marry into their social status. They were expected to spend a lot of their time spinning and weaving. Producing the cloth that the family used for clothing and bedding was the most important task for Upper class females. Although the Upper class women more than likely had slaves, they were still expected to manage their
household.
Middle class
The middle class held a large number of non-citizens. The freemen (though not slaves) of foreign birth had spent their lives in their town, though they were not eligible for citizenship. They could not vote, own land, or marry into a family of a citizen. The middle class consisted of “professional men” who were merchants, contractors, manufacturers, managers, tradesmen, craftsmen, and artists. The entire ceramic industry was owned by the middle class. This working class made sure that the navy fleet was well-maintained, the empire was supported through heavy taxes, and the commercial supremacy of their town was well-kept. Women in the middle class had a lot of work to do, usually because they had fewer slaves to help them with their chores around the house.
Lower class
The lower class is partly made of freedmen, who at one point were slaves. Most of the time, the lower class people were not citizens of Greece, so the best these people could have ever done was be part of the Middle social class. Although the numbers of the Upper class were high, the Lower class population exceeded that of the Upper class. Despite this, the Upper class still ruled over the Lower class when it came to decision making. Lower class slaves were not allowed to vote and were told what to do by Upper class men. Lower class women had to work for a living, and they might have sold cloth that they had made, other items, or as retailers of food.
Slaves
Slaves were only used as servants and laborers who had no legal rights. Some were prisoners of war, or were brought over by foreign slave traders. City-states legally owned slaves, and these publicly owned slaves had a larger measure of independence than slaves who were owned by families. In Athens, Greece, public slaves were trained to look out for counterfeit coinage, which were false models of a real coin. Temple slaves were acted as servants of the temple’s god/goddess. And Scythian, or Scyths, was slaves who were employed in Athens as a police force who rounded up citizens for political functions. Slave women performed unpredictable tasks depending on the type of household they belonged to. They might have been primarily involved in domestic work, such as spinning and weaving, cooking, cleaning, fetching water, etc. Or they might have been a child’s nurse. Some even were employed as waitresses, or as dancers or entertainers, even as prostitutes.
There are different ways that a slave can gain his/her freedom. The slave can be freed by his or her ransom being paid off by a relative or friend. If a slave ever earns enough money he can buy his own freedom, which is difficult because slaves do not get paid for their services; he/she would have to work a second job. If a slave fights in a war, there is a chance that he will be released.
Two of the more common ways to acquire freedom, are for the master to die, or if the master feels the job the slave was bought for has been completed. If a slave was bought in order to tutor a child through school, upon the child's graduation, it's more than likely that the slave will be set free.
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