improper women - metics

Question 1

what is a metic

Answer 1

a resident foreigner in Athens
they lived in Athens but were not Athenian - their parents weren’t both Athenian

Question 2

how were metics perceived

Answer 2

they were welcome in Athens but thought of as lesser with less of a right to live in Athens because they believed that the first generation of Athens was born from the earth of Athens (autochthonous) and that people with Athenian heritage were entitled to the land they were born from

this is because the Athenians believed that:
- the god Hephaestus once tried to rape Athena however she pushed him away and he ejaculated on her thigh
- Athena wiped the semen away and it fell onto the ground - Gaia (the greek goddess of the earth/mother of all life) - and it impregnated her
- she gave birth to Erichthonius who Athenians believed everyone was then born from him

Question 3

as they were not from Athens, what did they have to do in order to live in Athens (broad)

Answer 3

they were excluded from certain aspects of Athenian life
they had to abide by some unequal laws

Question 4

what did metics HAVE to do in order to live in Athens

Answer 4

• find an Athenian citizen to be their patron who would register you with the government – without a patron, a metic could not legally live in Athens
  –> if you were caught living in Athens without a patron you could be prosecuted, have your property confiscated, and be sold into slavery by public auction
• pay the metic tax – an additional tax of 12 drachmae for a man and 6 drachmae for a woman
• they had to pay another special fee called the xenikon telos to set up a stall in the market
• metic men were expected to fight for Athens in times of war

Question 5

what could metics NOT do in order to live in Athens

Answer 5

• be directly involved in politics – they could not attend The Assembly, voice their opinions, or vote on political issues
• marry an Athenian citizen or the daughter of an Athenian citizen
• if a metic woman had an Athenian man’s child, even if they lived together and were committed, the child would not be Athenian

Question 6

law/custom/attitude and how it impacted a metic’s life

Answer 6

could not be involved in politics

many laws did not protect metics/sex workers so if they get sexually assaulted or anything bad happened to them during their work, they couldn’t speak up about it to get protection in place

Question 7

law/custom/attitude and how it impacted a metic’s life

Answer 7

marry an Athenian citizen/daughter of

if a metic had fallen in love with an Athenian citizen then this law would greatly affect them as they wouldn’t be allowed to be with them and wouldn’t be able to fully experience love with any Athenians

Question 8

law/custom/attitude and how it impacted a metic’s life

Answer 8

pay the metic tax

metics weren’t considered citizens, rather guests so it would be difficult to get a job and have that money straight away to pay the tax
if they wanted to set up stalls to sell goods they would have to pay the xenikon telos with money they don’t have in the first place
if their line of work isn’t taking off, the extra tax could definitely be a strain