Ancient Greek Government

The first and the topmost class in Ancient Greece Hierarchy was the Upper Class which was also symbolized as the Leisure Class. They possessed the maximum power and topmost position in the society. One has to be born in Athens to be a part of the Upper Class. The Upper Class handled the government work, literature as well as the philosophy department and also the war. Athens or the Upper Class used to get slaves to perform their materialistic tasks so as to save their precious time which they can utilize for administrative purposes. Being the Superior Class they had to be totally free and away from inferior tasks such as economical trading. Being Superior from others they were not allowed to do minor tasks. Being the Upper Class was a symbol of good artistic taste, being civilized and socialized.

The city-states of Ancient Greek provide examples of different types of government structures that, even

Ancient Greece was famous for its art and ideas. Greek people were very creative in great epics, history, dramas, philosophy, science, mathematics, and medicines. The ancient Greece was covered with mountains, rocky hills, and narrow valleys. Greek later became educated about trading with the Mediterranean. Modern Democracy is more concerned about peace, division of power and providing equal rights of every citizen of a country however, in the ancient Greece was involved with war among the state, misuse of political power, discriminate slaves and poor farmers.

The term aristocracy comes from the Greek word aristos, meaning the best. Aristocracy therefore is roughly translated into meaning ‘rule by the best’ (Hooker R 1997). This encompasses the ideas of an aristocratic society. Within Plato’s book, The Republic, he outlines the basis of an aristocratic society being split into three groups. Socrates describes them as being the gold, silver and bronze or iron (Plato 380 BC). Though the gold class rules over the others it is not considered and more valuable than the others classes. Whether someone was a warrior or a blacksmith they all had a key job to uphold within society and none were considered above an others for things like status and wealth, unlike that of an oligarchic society. In an aristocracy people are placed into careers and hierarchies almost from birth, normally, but

What was the military and government like in Ancient Greece? The Greek government was harsh, it could be cruel or just unfair. Until later, that’s just what it was and nobody could change it. The military was similar, and it was strict. Nobody could say no to enlistment in the military if they were of age. The soldiers held the highest of honors within just their armor. The Ancient Greek military and government was severe because of the unjust laws, the strict rules, and the harsh conditions of living.

A form of government very similar to monarchy, Tyrannies usually grew out of oligarchies. The word tyranny comes from the Greek word tyrannos (usurper with supreme power). Many states, particularly in the 6th century BC, were ruled by a tyrant. It first appeared in Argos or Corinth, then Sicyon, Megara, Mytilene and Miletus. However, A tyrant usually doesn't pass power to his son, and despite common stereotypes, not all tyrants were bad leaders. Oligarchy An oligarchy is a form of government in which the ruling power is in the hands of a few leaders. The word oligarchy comes from the Greek terms oligos (few) and arkhein (rule). These "few" are rich, powerful or both, and are usually nobles, aristocrats, military groups or any distinguished group that rules tyrannically with their own interests at heart. Thus it did not benefit the mass population. It is highly championed by the Spartan government. In Sparta the Spartan who rose through the ranks and eventually serve as Ephor and Gerousia or is a direct descendant of the royal family Agiads and the Eurypontids get together to

Second, the definition of an aristocracy is “a government or state ruled by an aristocracy, elite, or privileged upper class (Dictionary.com, 2017).” Ancient Greek city-states that had an aristocracy included Athens, as well as Sparta. Both city-states had a period of their history ruled by an elite class (Brand, n.d.). The form of governance most like aristocracy are oligarchies, since the definition of the two is almost identical. The form of governance most unlike aristocracy are probably the democracies, because there are more people involved in democracies, and they don’t include as much of a concentration of power or a concentration of wealth.

Greco-Roman mythology is rich in names, characters, and events. Dozens of gods, goddesses, and mortal women and men participate in a variety of activities that reflect or exemplify behaviors and power relations in Greek and Roman societies. A wealth of literature was written about the relationships between mortals and immortals in Greco-Roman mythology. Much was written and said about the place humans occupy in the complex mythical hierarchies. However, the role and place of women remain the topic of the hot literary debate. In Greco-Roman mythology, the image of woman is always

The Modern World was shaped by the many civilizations that came before the ones that exist today. These societies influenced the way we run our societies today. Two of the civilizations that contributed the most to us and the rest of the world are the Ancient Greeks, and the Ancient Romans. These two peoples brought to the world their own customs and skills. The Greeks brought us a revolutionary form of government never thought of before them, but is now taken for granted today.

Both Greek Democracy and the Roman Republic contributed greatly to the development of the modern world, bringing into it the notions of democracy and republic. The evolution of these concepts took them to a level much higher than one present in Ancient Greece and Rome respectively. However, modern society continues to draw on somewhat idealized accounts of the ancient world for inspiration in improving today’s governing procedures.

Many Greeks preferred oligarchy because it provided more political stability than did democracy. (mckay 119)Althougholigarchy was the government of the prosperous, it left the door open to political and social advancement. If members of the polis could meet property or money qualifications, they could enter the governing circle. Moreover, oligarchs generally listened to the concerns of the people, a major factor in the long success of this form of government(Mckay 119). Under this system all Spartan citizens were given equal political rights. Two kings, who were primarily military leaders, and a council of nobles shared executive power with five ephors overseers elected by the citizens.(mckay 122) They were, "elected annually, they had command over all. The ephors controlled education and both public and private moral conduct. They enforced laws through a secret police force"(Davis 90).The ephors had all the real power and the citizens had to follow blindly and obey their commands. Their

Introduction In this assignment I will explain the character of the four ancient Greek governments in order to compare and contrast the four government forms in the Ancient Greek city-states. They are monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy. Monarchy According to Blackwell, C. (2003), monarchy comes from the Greek terms monos and archaic.

Within each regime, there are the farmer, the working element and craftsmen, the marketing element and traders, the laboring element, the warrior element, the priests (Aristotle skips this sixth element but suggests this possibility), the rich, and the magisterial (1290b:40; 1291a:5-35). Within regimes are two distinctive classes and forms of government which are the

Politically speaking, the ancient Greeks were very different from the other cultures of their time. While most cultures looked to kings or deities as their ultimate authority on how to live, the Greeks had a different approach. Additionally, the various city-states in Greece had different approaches from each other. By looking at the pros and cons of democracy and oligarchy, their strengths could have become their weaknesses. However, Plato described a different form of politics, one that he and Socrates thought of as ideal; the closest resemblance was called “timocracy”.

one essential conviction, expressed in the word democracy itself: that power should be in the hands of the people. Although democracy today has been slightly inefficient in this idea, with the wealthy, elite class challenging this right, “it nevertheless claims for itself a fundamental validity that no other kind of society shares….” To completely understand the structure of democracy, one must return to the roots of the practice itself, and examine the origins in ancient Greece, the expansion in the Roman Empire, and how these practices combined make what we recognize as today’s democratic government.