Conflicts in Ancient Athens Essay Example

Conflicts in Ancient Athens

Throughout the history of ancient Athens, many conflicts existed amongst its citizens.

Most tension occurred between those in the two different social classes while they also

emerged between those of the same social class. The first section of this paper will deal

with the conflicts between the peasants and the aristocrats while explaining the

conflicts between aristocrats over political power. The third section of this paper

will cover the political changes that occurred under the rule of Solon. Finally, the fourth

and last section of this paper will be an assessment of all these major conflicts as a

whole. The primary source for these investigations is The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine

Greek Lives by Plutarch while solely using the life of Solon.

I.

In ancient Athens, land was the primary source of wealth. This was due to the fact

that the land in Athens was not extremely arable and therefore, much was required in

order to produce an acceptable amount of vegetation. Those who had land were

considered aristocrats while those who had no land were considered to be peasants.

Peasants made their living from subsistence farming. The man of the peasant family

would only work to feed himself, his wife, and his children. Therefore, peasants lived in

a world of "limited good" (Trumbach).

Peasants farmed on the land of the aristocrats by paying a form of rent. They had to

give one-third of their produce to the aristocrats in exchange for use of their land. They

could also borrow "currency" from the aristocrats by promising collateral if not repaid. If

the peasants failed to pay aristocrats back, they or their children would possibly become

slaves. There was no social mobility in ancient Athens. No peasant could become an

aristocrat even if they gained wealth. "If a