Who Were the Ancient Athenians?

1. Who Were the Ancient Athenians?

2. City-State • Is made up of a city and surrounding countryside. It is independent of the other cities. • Had their own, laws, and built up their own army.

3. Tyrants • Are rulers who seize power and govern in a harsh, cruel way. • Demanded obedience from the people • Rich and powerful

4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a tyrant rule? • ADVANTAGES • If you were a Tyrant yourself you would be, • Rich • in charge of the citizens and could punish those who didn’t 0bey them BUT unless you were the Tyrant yourself there would be many disadvantages • DISADVANTAGES • Not fair to people • didn’t solve any problems • allowed people to riot WHAT ELSE? THOUGHTS?

5. Would you want to be part of a city state that was part of a tyrant rule? • Yes? • No? • Why?

6. Why might the Athenians have changed their system of government? • Tyrant Rule Democracy • To make things fair • the citizens can have an opinion • to prevent riots and war • to most importantly create a DEMOCRACY, which is freedom of the people.

7. Social Structure in Ancient Athens • People who lived in Ancient Athens were often divided into different Social Structures • Citizen • Metic • Slave

8. Citizens • Were children of parents who were born in Athens. Only male citizens could participate in voting and governing the city. A young man became a citizen after he finished his military service at the age of 20. Women could not participate in Athenian democracy.

9. Citizens • Females, no matter how high born, could not become citizens. Slaves and Foreigners could not become citizens. • Also, man slaves could not be citizens either. • Citizens were expected to attend regular meetings, as well as serve in the army or navy. How would it feel if YOU were part of this social structure?

10. Metics • Were residents of Athens who had been born outside the city-state. They were not allowed to own land and could not become citizens.

11. Metics • were very important to the Athenian economy.  • had to serve in the military and pay a poll-tax.  • could not participate in the political life of Athens.  If indeed the three figures to the right are Metics, then Athens at least honored them by allowing them to participate in festivals. How would it feel if YOU were part of this social structure?

12. Slaves • Were owned either by private Athenians or by the city-state. Many slaves were people who had been taken prisoner when their city-state was attacked by the Athenians. Slaves could not become citizens.

13. Slaves • Slaves could be found everywhere. They worked not only as servants, but as factory workers, shopkeepers, mineworkers, farm workers and as ship's crewmembers. • There may have been as many, if not more, slaves than free people in ancient Greece. It is difficult for historians to determine exactly how many slaves there were during these times, because many did not appear any different from the poorer Greek citizens. • There were many different ways in which a person could have become a slave in ancient Greece. They might have been born into slavery as the child of a slave.

14. Slavery How would it feel if YOU were part of this social structure?