Athens
Society
Citizens
Citizens formed the top group in Athenian society. Citizens might be rich aristocrats or poor farmers. Only Athenian-born men, however, had full political rights. Female citizens could not vote or hold office.
Metics
The next group in Athenian society was the metics. These people were non citizens because they were born outside of Athens. Metics usually worked as merchants or artisans. They were free and paid the same taxes as citizens. Metics, however, could not take part in government or land.
Slaves
Slaves were at the bottom of Athenian society. Athenians believed that slavery was necessary. Slaves were people captured in war. They owned by their masters and were treated as property. Some masters freed their slaves, who later became metics. Over time slaves and metics made up more than half of Athens's society.
Athenian Democracy
Cleisthenes
Cleisthenes seized power in Athens and turned it into a democracy. First, he divided Athens's citizens into 10 tribes. Then he had each tribe choose 50 men. these men formed the Council of Five Hundred.
Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy
The form of democracy Athens had under Cleisthenes is called direct democracy. That is, all citizens participated directly in making decisions. Present day democracies such as the U.S. use representative democracy. That means that citizens elect representatives to govern for them.
Education/Military Services
Sophists
Men called Sophists opened schools for older boys. The Sophists took their name from the Greek word sophos, which means wise. At these schools boys studied government, mathematics, ethics, and rhetoric.
*The picture to the left is a famous sophist by the name of Libanius.*
*The picture to the left is a famous sophist by the name of Libanius.*
Military Training
At age 18 Athenian males recieved a year of military training. Young men who could afford armor and weapons then became hoplites and served in the army for a year. Hoplites formed the center of the infantry. Poorer men, who could not afford good equipment, served on the army's flanks. Citizens also rowed the warships in the Athenian fleet.