Politics of Ancient Greece
Main Leaders
Only free, land owning, native-born men could be citizens entitled to the full protection of the law in a city-state. In most city-states, social prominence did not allow special rights. Sometimes families controlled public religious functions, but this ordinarily did not give any extra power in the government. In Athens, the population was divided into four social classes based on wealth. People could change classes if they made more money. In Sparta, all male citizens were given the equality they finished their education.
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How Ancient the Greece Government Works
There was no central government in ancient Greece. Greece, back then, was not even one country. People lived in city-states. Each city-state was an independent unit. Each city-state made their own laws and had their own way of doing things. But, they all spoke Greek, they all believed in the same gods, and they all shared a common history.City-states went to war with each other. They teamed up to fight another Greek city-state or to fight a common enemy from outside the Greek peninsula. They traded with each other. They negotiated with each other.
There were three main forms of government used in ancient Greece by various city-states.
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Women during Ancient Greece
The Greeks worshiped goddesses as well as gods. Women participated in religious festivals. However they played no part in politics or warfare. In a wealthy family women were women were kept apart from men. They were usually confined to the back or upper part of the house.In a rich family the wife was expected to run the home and, sometimes, to manage the finances. However rich women would normally stay indoors and send slaves to do the shopping. Poor women, of course, had no choice. They might also have to help their husbands with farm work. Women, even rich ones, were expected to spin and weave cloth and make clothes.Girls married when they were about 15. Marriages were arranged for them.
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