Week 8: Pentakontaetaea Flashcards
What did Pericles’ law of 451 BC say?
- A person had to have 2 citizen parents in order to be considered an Athenian citizen
How was Pericles’ law of 451 BC his way of sidelining his political opposition?
Because his big political rivals, Themistokles and Cimon both were only half-blooded Athenians!
(Themistokles’ mother was either Thracian or Carian and Cimon’s mother was a Thracian princess!)
What was the only city in Boeotia that were pro-Athenian?
Plataea
In what year is Plataea destroyed by Sparta?
427 BC
Which Athenian statesman gave full Athenian citizenship to all Plateans after Sparta destroyed the city in 427 BC?
Hippokrates
True or False
One needed a witness to bear testament to their entry into a Tribe or Phratre.
TRUE
How did most wealthy Greeks show off through public programs?
Liturgies
What is the Liturgy system?
The richest members of the state voluntarily financed the state with their personal wealth (in exchange for status)
(Ex. to be a patron of a theatre )
What was a Trierarch?
The title for a “master of a trireme” that many aristocrats bought through the liturgy.
True or False
During the Pentakontatia, Athens is the richest state in the world.
TRUE
Who was Pericles’ main opponent in his Acropolis building program?
Thucydides son of Melesias (not the historian)
Which Athenian statesman initiated social programs and payments to the public?
Pericles
What were Pericles’ significant social programs? (3)
- Juries are paid
- The Handicapped are given a pension
- Purchases theatre tickets for the poorer public
Where did people keep coins as a safe place while walking around?
Under their tongue
What portion of Athenian society were slaves?
1/3rd
Roughly how many people inhabited Athens?
315 500
What percentage of people actually ruled the state of Athens?
14%
What are 4 inequalities and exigencies of Metics?
- NO political rights
- Could NOT own land
- HAD to pay taxes
- HAD to serve in army
If metics couldn’t own land, how did they make money?
They worked largely in banking and handy work
- Bankers
- Artisans
- Vendors
True or False:
You could not tell the physical difference between a citizen, metic, or slave.
TRUE
They all dressed according to their wealth, which was more often quite similar. Or, a slave could have a rich owner who gives him very fancy clothes, thus, looking like a rich man.
Why did oligarchs complain that you couldn’t tell the physical difference between a slave or a citizen?
- Because oligarchs want to stand out
- Also, they could converse with a slave without even knowing it (a fate worse than death for many oligarchs)
Who did the 30 Tyrants notably pick on?
Metics
What type of loans did many Metics specialize in?
Maritime loans
What were maritime loans?
- A merchant would go to a metic banker for a loan to equip a ship to set out to sea in order to trade
- When you got back, you paid the loan and it’s interest rate back to the banker
What was the name for loans given with NO interest fees out of the goodness of the loaner’s heart?
Eranos
Who was the richest banker in Piraeus?
Pasion (a metic)
How many Drachmae was the average loan?
2250 drachma
What were the 5 main Banking services?
- Introduction to possible creditors
- Safe storage for money
- Loans
- Currency exchange
- Testing of coinage (for authenticity)
Which court dealt with disputes pertaining to Maritime Commerce?
Dikai Emporikai
What was the interest rate for maritime loans?
13-30%
Why was maritime loan interest so high?
- Because of the danger of maritime commerce
- If the ship sunk, the loan was lifted and not needed to be paid back. So, interest fees were the metics ways of ensuring they still get money even if the ship sinks.
How much was the average maritime loan?
3000 drachms