Ancient Athens
In this paper, I will be discussing the two forms of conflict that rose within Ancient Athens. The paper will be divided into three parts. The first part will show the dispute between aristocrats and peasants between land ownership and slavery. It will begin by explaining the different types of land and the categorization of citizens in Athens. The second part will exhibit the conflict between aristocratic families over political power to keep tradition of loyalty within family. I will elaborate on the conflict and show how Solon tried to change that. The third part of the paper will analyze the political constitution that was created to make a balance of power. For my sources I will use the life of Solon in The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives by Plutarch, and a class document analyzing the Athenian political constitution.
I
Athens’s had 3 main landowners, which were consist of the Hill Peasants, the Plains, and the Shore. The shore was not used much for farming. However, the others were. The Hill peasants had land filled with many small poor farms that didn’t produce much crops and had poor quality. The reason they were considered poor quality was because the hills were dry, which was not good for farming. Another reason was the slope of the hill allowed for rundown of water to bypass the top of the hill and immediately go down to the plains where the other farms were. The plains received the rundown from the hills and all proper nutrients. Therefore, this portion contained high quality land. The farms were large and provided a surplus of crops each harvest. Athens population consists of 98% peasants and 2% Aristocrat. Aristocrats are those who are educated, big landowners, politicians, priests, and warriors. They receive their wealth through inheritance, which I will get into detail further on. There were two types of peasants in ancient Athens. There were peasants with land and those without land. Those who did not own their land had to make a living by renting land from aristocrats. These peasants were known as Sharecroppers, because they rent land from aristocrats to grow crops for themselves and their family. These peasants paid 1/6 of their crop grown on the aristocrat land as rent for using their land. Those who did have land (Hill peasants) borrow