If we use the term "citizens" we are usually referring to a group of people who live in the same city, with a common origin, language, customs and laws. According to Plato, the ideal city should not have more than 5000 people, so that they know all. But in the 5th Century Athens, things were a bit 'different, with about 40,000 citizens, 20,000 metoici (migrants) and about 100,000 slaves. For this we must also women and children who have neverthe number of inhabitants.
The male inhabitants of Athens were divided into three groups: citizens, metoici and slaves. Athenians were single men 18 years and older, whose ancestors were in Athens for three generations. These happy people enjoying their full rights of free men and may be elected to all offices of the state. The villagers who came to take the dawn of Acharnes day of the draw for participation in a service that wasThis possibility of being the son of the old aristocratic elected. This ability is obviously of interest in public affairs persupposed the existence of free time. Athenians prefer not to work, but tried to be independent of people, among others worry about the care of their land and the management of their assets. Supplies, including artistic creativity was perceived by many to be humiliating. However, Socrates made a speech urging l 'poor people to work, even though he himself was not exactly the opposite. The demand for labor has often been the subject of Teti, who for the poorest citizens, and earned a living as workers or as rural workers. In this way, many Athenians were absolutely free to deal with public affairs, mainly with politics. But poor people have been forced to undertake some minimal participation in the Assembly today, and for this reason, the state has had the foresight,Money for those who have represented their tribes during the meetings and examinations, at least on a good loss of income.
All residents pay the same taxes. It is also committed to many sponsorship acquired both the moral satisfaction of their contribution and social prestige. Served in the army, in line with their income: their own horse and rider with adequate follow, or in the Navy as a master of TRIR they themselves took care of people. TheTeti poor but proud often prefer the hard life of the Boating Party, solely on their identity freely as equal citizens, even if the result was insufficient to prove. Rich, poor or indigent, Athenian citizens were all very proud of their origins, so proud that they have never considered their city "Athens", but the city "of Athens." Participation in the management of the polis was considered for the citizens voted, assessed, and was not granted, like all people with a lot of free time, he tookCare about what is happening in the city will be informed. The commitment of public life in Athens has made the laws and concerns about a possible breach of law so that they would be relegated by the loss of rights for its citizens.
One could say that the biographer of the citizens of Athens, Aristophanes, Plato, Xenophon and Plutarch, were each from a different perspective. Much of what we know about the working class took grim evidenceComedies of Aristophanes, which hides nothing of the sharp tongue. Maybe he was making fun of the village lout who smelled of garlic, the Agora has heard of a philosopher, without realizing it, but he also gave us information on the possibilities of each individual acquisition of knowledge. Strepsiades friendly village in the clouds, you can hear the complaints of his wife, a woman from the capital, making it easier to clean and to his own, but the clothes, and we recognize that aMarriage has always been an inadequate disaster. Xenophon was a practical man of the city, the battle was far from his home, with people in other countries, learn and develop a sense of a city open to all types of positive influences, including foreign. This breadth of mind may have committed the natural destiny of a dynamic man, who was leading his comrades from a distant state Mesopotamia through the highlands of Armenia, on the shores of the Black Sea andfinally back home. Plutarch, who was born in Chaeronea in the first century AD, gives us valuable information on public life and in particular on some of the most famous of Athens, which he left in his Lives.
Plato, one of the most important figures in the history of philosophy, was a father who came from the family Codro, and born of a mother of Solon. He said that usually in the form of a dialogue in which it does not seem the same, even though he put his views into the mouth ofSocrates, his master. Plato relive his social environment in which men went refined in workshops and exchanged opinions about philosophy or music. In the house of the rich Callias, for example, intellectuals speculated whether virtue can be taught, they would spend their evenings with the music of a lyre, accompanying their conversation, or perhaps with the occasional song. Although each had a musical education, no one would agree to play the flute, because it had to do to find thedisfigure the face of an already bulging cheeks to produce a sound. ) The most famous dinners in history, selected participants Eros (the love theme of the evening. This was the symposium represented in the well-to-do citizens of Athenian aristocrats, scholars, joined poets, philosophers and politicians together in a lively discussion. Along with Socrates, the guests, they also welcomed a poor man, barefoot had the good fortune of disciples of Socrates' and followers.Each spoke on the theme chosen and expressed his views in a fun and enjoyable. At one point it appears the handsome Alcibiades, drunk, on the basis of a courtesan of Athens, and crowned with pansies. Although a lot of wine was consumed, continued the discussion without exceeding the bounds of decency, while other groups of celebrants repeatedly came and went.
All agreed that the increased power of Eros, as it awakens in people's abilitiesdifferent and is also a deterrent factor unbecoming conduct, as she is afraid of losing face in the eyes of a loved one. Each different temporary physical attraction of the unspoilt beauty of Aphrodite Urania, which brings the soul closer, approaches perfection. They would say in jest, that Eros always seems young because he declined to set aside old, and perhaps even immortal, because he lives, it loses and is reborn. Concludedthat what is important in love is the quality, depending on what love is faced a genre, because Eros is the goal and not the object of desire. These were the surroundings of the gilded youth of Athens, listening to the debates would be so high to fall in love, and admire the physical beauty and spiritual power of the sages with equal fervor, and, if necessary, went into battle, where the premium for the value. Athenian citizens were people who could live in a democratic world, withsay, the finesse of an aristocrat, requires to Plato, has been commendable, as the man to distinguish between the three levels has been in the human personality, freedom of speech, of courage and desire to base. The ideal citizen can never be subjected to the first two for the last.
The large number of metoici was a purely Athenian as xenophobic Sparta said, not from their region at a distance. Athens, by contrast, was open to Greeks from other cities and evenForeigners who want to live and work in Attica. The metoici had all obligations of the Athenian citizen, but enjoyed only a handful of his rights. They were distributed in the community, paid taxes and the army only as hoplites (foot soldiers in the service). They were able to acquire goods and slaves, but is not allowed to own land. They could not gods, they have chosen to worship, but had no vote and could not be elected to any important post, only for the fund, as messengers orContractors of public works. Most of them were artisans, merchants, and a good number has acted as a bank.
Since they formed the productive class, many of them wealthy and distinguished by sponsorship, some of which have been legally accepted as fact in the class of citizens. Conversely, if a metoicos illegally trying to seize the rights of free citizens, then was demoted to a slave. In metoici studies have always had the support of the citizens of Athensas guarantor, and it is significant that, when a citizen metoicos killed, was sentenced to death, while if he was murdered metoicos another, the only punishment in exile. The children of marriages between citizens and metoici was not a citizen of Athens, when they won the overall wealth appreciation or by special laws. Many famous artists and philosophers of ancient Athens were metoici and it seems that their treatment as second class citizens accepted without opposition. In generalTreated with the courtesy of Athenian citizens metoici a computer to a welcome guest, to the point where their interests were affected, particularly the inherited tradition of the state.
Women in both houses of the citizens of Athens and metoici had taken absolutely no right to an opinion or participate in public life. Imagination Athenian justify depriving women of their rights, like the goddess Athena was the competition for the appointment of the city, was obtained from a female. Vote was then that the matriarchy was almost in favor of the protector of warriors, who never tolerated the actions of women, because women have been punished by the next major decision to exclude expected. This occurred at the time of Cecrops established marriage as a consolation, so that the primary goal in the lives of women in Athens. And, of course, marriage, children, in a limited way from birth to death, the woman remained inside the apartment in Athens.The girls are married very young, a man chosen by their fathers, that they had absolute obedience. They must be fully aware of cleanliness, respect for domestic slaves, and to be filled with the spirit of 'economy. If a slave trained chance to stay in the house then there was the possibility that some of the girls learn to read and write, but more often they were only taught music and dance.
If a child seems to be the sole heirpatriarchal happiness, would be in marriage, the next of kin can be found on the side of his father, a brother of the father himself, but never from the same mother, as the royal blood-line only when viewed from the side of the mother. In the case of an application for divorce, the woman in question, which is at Archon, had an almost one procedure. But even if some desperate women risked, and the possibilities could be heard a minimum. There is the exampleof Hipparete, wife of Alcibiades incorrigible, who could no longer be at a certain point, the inconsistencies of their marriage. The brave woman took their application to the Archon, but Alcibiades was said by his friends, and divorce, however, held her and keep her in the women's section of the house and no one objected.
We have a lot of information on women Athenian Xenophon, above a certain Isomachos, about 30 years, married, wrote aignorant 15 years old and has announced its obligations towards her, cook, weave, avoid supervision of the slaves, waste and, above all, be obedient to her husband. Plutarch also spoke of the dignity of women of Athens and the modesty of their clothing to the Spartan athletic young women, whom he called with contempt for wearing short tunics, which demonstrated, contrary to his thighs. But it was Aristophanes, castigated the dynamic woman who dared to protest, his Lysistrata shows the opinion of theancient Athenians about where is the power of women. In Ecclesiazouses, he notes the irony that has always been everything behind closed doors, without disturbing the calm of ignorance and habit.
Perhaps it was the brief statement of the status of women in Athenian society, one that the speaker, who said that women courtesans in three categories: fall to the delight of the spirit, concubines for pleasure and women for the purchase of legitimate children. Itit seems that things were so difficult for women who introduced a bill that calls for Solon Athenian men who owned their wives happened to visit their rooms at least three times a month to bear a male heir to the family name produzieren. In the Symposium Socrates asked that people at least have conversations with their wives and called the name of a specific Nikiratos, who tied his wife on a genuine mutual love, a very rare event. Plato also suggestedthat marriage is to love better, but that was for the utopian ideal "Republic" and not for the fact Asty.
The instruments of pleasure, are the courtesan (courtesans), two types: the general who is a tramp and specifications, lived on the support of their wealthy patrons. Choosing from childhood for their physical beauty, have been specially trained to please. They were the only women who can move freely, and therefore many of the courtesans wereour ability to get an education by listening to various philosophers. Symposium in every scene, we see young courtesan. Orchistrides danced and played the flute and avlitrides chatted with the carefree revelers who speak, their houses have been with the zeal of Cerberus from the worthy hostess, who has always controlled the key ring belt. The homes of the famous courtesan were open to philosophers and artists who meet in a largeintellectual atmosphere, many of these women used their charm to the diplomatic situation and the purposes of espionage, as old as society. A famous courtesan was the beautiful, learned Aspasia of Miletus, who has influenced, Pericles, and so provoked the jealousy of the Athenians.
Ceramic representations show us scenes from a highly controversial phenomenon, pederasty, an outlet for their instincts in a society where women had limited their homes and have no interest orEducation. Another reason is that the constant wars of the male population still far from home. The increase of pederasty was the cult of the naked male body, which we admire in kouroi young. But even in a society where the father, if he does not deal with public affairs in the war, it was natural for a boy of a guide of some older friends of the same sex, to seek a relationship between an expert and someone who gives to his knowledge. It is interesting to note that theLovers have always been very masculine, and seemed never to be women or transvestites. Plutarch says that if the young man began to grow a beard, that the end of the report, which was socially acceptable.
It 'been said that Plato in his Symposium unique analysis of the concept of Eros, the beginning and the end, the unanimity spiritual. E 'can be created in this dinner very famous, Alcibiades in a bar scene of jealousy,Socrates, but he himself, Plato died as a picture "of Eros" in the arms of a famous courtesan Timandra, the mother of the equally famous Corinthian Lais. Ten people present at the symposium, only two were aware of homosexuals: the host Agathon and Pausanias, his companion. What Socrates, who was here presented as the epitome of abstinence, even if he drank too much, and while brazenly provocative, because he had in any case, what was importantSpirit, and not units. It seems that homosexuality is rarely made in homosexuality. This male camaraderie has been limited mostly teen-age. Furthermore, the phenomenon after the 4th century has been limited, if the various presentations on ceramics shows the vast majority of heterosexual couples are. But the private life of the Athenians and talk of another social presence of the polis, the slaves.
To expand their businesses, have increasingly bought metoiciSlaves. Thus, a third group of inhabitants of Athens, was created by: People who have little hope of improving their own game, and for their children or their children's children. In Attica, slavery had begun in the mythical time of the Pelasgians. The workers brought from other walls of Athens, the first upset the wives and children of indigenous peoples in the well from which to draw all the water, and that is why the evil that conquered Athens, and begantheir use as slaves. According to Plato, true slaves were to be foreigners, especially the prisoners of war, has advised its citizens to avoid buying the Greeks enslaved other regions. The slave trade flourished in ancient Greece, and we wonder how you can get a wise man, like Aristotle, as these unfortunates are like wild animals.
The largest slave market in Sounion in Attica was, apparently for the needs of the mines in Lavrion. The slaves who have purchased andmetallevomenoi (miners) were the most unfortunate, because some of them lived very long, thanks to the hard work and terrible conditions. Until now, the Greek word ekmetallefsi exploitation. Slave family had a much better fate, although they were seen as a kind of property.
If someone has bought a slave and took him home, "said the lady of the house instead of the home and other family members sprinkled with walnuts to give it a name. From thisMoment on, the slave was an integral member of the family and was to attend the sacred rites. If he had children, who belonged to the family and when he died, was buried in the family tomb. He applies any right, beyond the possibility of relying on the altar in the Agora, and applied for asylum if his life was unbearable. But he must prove his case.
No citizen of Athens or metoicos as worthy of respect to be without a few slaves. It is believed thatEach house had an average of about 10 slaves who participated in the housework and even their bosses, who have seen their public appearances. In time of war, slaves on foot, carrying their weapons, or holding Skid master. In the event that was raised a slave, who had to pass as a teacher of young people in the family, his knowledge to them and accompany them to the middle schools and high schools. Information has reached us, few slaves weretheir freedom, the promotion group of free but ties with the family is still very strong.
Looking at the various inhabitants of Athens, we are often surprised by their way of life and their values, which are often incomprehensible to those living today. But we have a huge commitment to make all left for their contribution to the heritage: the rich for the mind to workers in the arts, women keep the familyslaves to the endless hours and creative freedom enjoyed by their masters. Pragmatic and poets, philosophers and traders, warriors and peacemakers, the ancient Athenians cultivated clear thought in his mind that he did with the inspiration and courage of free speech, you are the epitome of his age and the founder of Western civilization.
