Slaves were the lowest class in Athenian society , but according to many contemporary accounts they were far less harshly treated than in most other Greek cities. Indeed, one of the criticisms of Athens was that its slaves and freemen were difficult to tell apart.
What was life like for Athenian slaves?
In Athens, the lives of slaves were somewhat better. Slaves were privately owned in Athens, and each new slave was welcomed into the family with a ceremony. Slaves in Athens often worked with free citizens , although they were not paid. They could also live outside their master’s home.
What roles did slaves play in Athens?
Slaves in ancient Greece played various roles. They performed all the tasks that were degrading to the Greeks. They did all the domestic chores, acted as travel companions, and even delivered messages . Agricultural slaves worked on farms, and industrial slaves worked in mines and quarries.
What were slaves called in Sparta?
The helots were the slaves of the Spartans. Distributed in family groups across the landholdings of Spartan citizens in Laconia and Messenia, helots performed the labour that was the bedrock on which Spartiate leisure and wealth rested.
What percent of ancient Athens were slaves?
Historians aren’t sure exactly how many slaves the Greeks owned, but they usually estimate that between 30 and 40 percent of the population were slaves.
How did Athens become so 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.
Where did Athenian slaves come from?
Slaves were usually captured in war and came from all over the Mediterranean , including other Greek cities. Surviving auction records indicate that the prices of slaves varied tremendously, depending on their skills.
How were slaves treated in Greece?
Slaves in ancient Greece did not have any human or civil rights. They were tortured for different reasons ; their owner could beat them whenever he wanted; when their testimony was needed for a lawsuit, they were tortured into confessing to their own guilt or incriminate someone else.
Who did Sparta enslave?
Helot , a state-owned serf of the ancient Spartans. The ethnic origin of helots is uncertain, but they were probably the original inhabitants of Laconia (the area around the Spartan capital) who were reduced to servility after the conquest of their land by the numerically fewer Dorians.
Why did Spartans throw babies off cliffs?
Spartans had to prove their fitness even as infants.
Infanticide was a disturbingly common act in the ancient world, but in Sparta this practice was organized and managed by the state. ... If a Spartan baby was judged to be unfit for its future duty as a soldier , it was most likely abandoned on a nearby hillside.
Are Spartans the greatest warriors?
Spartan warriors known for their professionalism were the best and most feared soldiers of Greece in the fifth century B.C. Their formidable military strength and commitment to guard their land helped Sparta dominate Greece in the fifth century.
When did slavery in Greece end?
Some cities passed accords to forbid the practice: in the middle of the 3rd century BC , Miletus agreed not to reduce any free Knossian to slavery, and vice versa. Conversely, the emancipation by ransom of a city that had been entirely reduced to slavery carried great prestige: Cassander, in 316 BC, restored Thebes.
What is ancient Athens known for?
Athens was the largest and most influential of the Greek city-states. It had many fine buildings and was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. The Athenians invented democracy , a new type of government where every citizen could vote on important issues, such as whether or not to declare war.
Which class in Greece was made of slaves?
If there was any type of work that needed to be done, slaves were required. Most homes in ancient Greece had slaves to take on these menial tasks. The middle class was made up of people that may not have been born in Athens but were working hard at their trade.
Where did Athens get their money?
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 caused Athens to fall?
Some of the most influential factors that affected Athens’ rise and fall were their form of government, their leadership, and their arrogance . Athens’ democracy greatly affected their rise and collapse because it helped them rise to power, but it also caused them to make bad choices, leading to their fall.
