What Was The Economy Based On In Athens?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

The Athenian economy was based on

trade

. The land around Athens did not provide enough food for all the city’s people. But Athens was near the sea, and it had a good harbor. So Athenians traded with other city-states and some foreign lands to get the goods and natural resources they needed.

What was Athens government based on?

Greek democracy created at Athens was direct, rather than representative: any adult male citizen over the age of 20 could take part, and it was a duty to do so. The officials of the democracy were in part elected by the Assembly and in large part chosen by lottery in a process called sortition.

What economy did the Sparta have?

Sparta had

a slave-based economy

. The laborers included people who had been defeated in battle by Sparta’s army, as well as local native Greeks called Helots. These slaves cultivated enough produce to support Sparta’s military society.

How did Athens become rich?

Athens became so powerful from its alliance with city states on the island Dellos. All members protected one another and paid money for weapons and such but then Athan started to run the alliance as if it was it’s own empire not letting anyone leave.

Athens made everyone pay money to them

so they soon became rich.

How did someone become enrolled as a citizen in Athens?

To be classed as a citizen in fifth-century Athens you

had to be male, born from two Athenian parents, over eighteen years old, and complete your military service

. Women, slaves, metics and children under the age of 20 were not allowed to become citizens.

Why was slavery important in Athens?

Slaves in Athens were very important (almost 1/3 of the Athenian population was slaves)

because it was the labor of the slaves that gave Athenian men the leisure time to go to the Agora, participate in government, and develop a love of the arts

. … Most Greek households could not have operated without slaves.

What did Sparta value most?

The Spartans valued

discipline, obedience, and courage

above all else. Spartan men learned these values at an early age, when they were trained to be soldiers. Spartan women were also expected to be strong, athletic, and disciplined.

Why is Athens economy better than Sparta?

While the Athenian economy depended on trade,

Sparta’s economy relied on farming and on conquering other people

. Sparta didn’t have enough land to feed all its people, so Spartans took the land they needed from their neighbors. … The Spartans also made use of noncitizens, called perioikoi.

How did Sparta get the goods they needed for everyday life?

How did Spartans get the goods they needed for every day life? Spartans got the goods they needed for everyday life by

farming

. Conquering other people and demand their food. Having slaves and non citizens produce them.

What was Athens rich in?

In the fifth century B.C., Athens was one of the richest and most powerful city-states in Greece. Boasting a large navy, it exacted tribute from other Greek cities in exchange for military protection. Ancient writers say the Athenians kept vast

coin reserves

on the Acropolis, but don’t say exactly where.

What caused Athens to fall?

Three major causes of the rise and fall of Athens were

its democracy, its leadership, and its arrogance

. The democracy produced many great leaders, but unfortunately, also many bad leaders. Their arrogance was a result of great leadership in the Persian Wars, and it led to the end of Athenian power in Greece.

Why was it difficult for Athens and Sparta to defeat each other?

It was difficult for Athens and Sparta to defeat each other

because their armies were so powerful

,but they also were strong in different ways.

How were slaves treated in Athens?

Q: How were slaves in Athens treated? Slaves in ancient Greece were

treated like pieces of property

. For Aristotle they were ‘a piece of property that breathes’. They enjoyed different degrees of freedom and were treated kindly or cruelly depending on the personality of the owner.

Who qualified to be a citizen in ancient Athens?

Not everyone in Athens was considered a citizen. Only free,

adult men

enjoyed the rights and responsibility of citizenship. Only about 20 percent of the population of Athens were citizens. Women were not citizens and therefore could not vote or have any say in the political process.

How does Pericles describe Athenian democracy?

Pericles describes Athenian democracy as

a system of government where men advance on merit rather than on class or wealth

. In a democracy, “class considerations [are not] allowed to interfere with merit” – any man capable enough to rule is allowed to do so.

What percentage of Athens were slaves?

Exactly how many slaves lived in Athens, which scholars estimate to have been anywhere from

fifteen to thirty-five percent of the

population, and how many Athenians owned slaves, is impossible to know due to the scarcity of evidence.

Maria LaPaige
Author
Maria LaPaige
Maria is a parenting expert and mother of three. She has written several books on parenting and child development, and has been featured in various parenting magazines. Maria's practical approach to family life has helped many parents navigate the ups and downs of raising children.