During this period, called “Classical Athens”, Athens experienced drastic changes. In the beginning, the Greeks lived in poleis, which were small autonomous units (lecture). Aristocrats, consisting of a group of nobles, ruled everything; farmers went bankrupt because of the bad local soil and sold themselves into slavery; and women had little to no social power, just a guaranteed place in the home to perform wifely duties (assuming they were good wives). Around 600 B.C., the social order changed due to reforms. Males over the age of eighteen could vote and the privilege experienced by nobles was reduced (lecture). Extending the voting age was significant because it made the pool of voters larger (there were no representatives back then; people voted for themselves). Limiting noble privilege was significant because it made the common person feel closer to the center of things, and less isolated in their own poverty. Also, it was during the Classical Period that Greek Philosophy flourished, producing many authors, including Aristotle. Aristotle, in one of his many published works, once said that a virtuous wife “...should consider that her husband 's wishes are as laws appointed for her by divine will, along with the marriage state and the fortune she
During this period, called “Classical Athens”, Athens experienced drastic changes. In the beginning, the Greeks lived in poleis, which were small autonomous units (lecture). Aristocrats, consisting of a group of nobles, ruled everything; farmers went bankrupt because of the bad local soil and sold themselves into slavery; and women had little to no social power, just a guaranteed place in the home to perform wifely duties (assuming they were good wives). Around 600 B.C., the social order changed due to reforms. Males over the age of eighteen could vote and the privilege experienced by nobles was reduced (lecture). Extending the voting age was significant because it made the pool of voters larger (there were no representatives back then; people voted for themselves). Limiting noble privilege was significant because it made the common person feel closer to the center of things, and less isolated in their own poverty. Also, it was during the Classical Period that Greek Philosophy flourished, producing many authors, including Aristotle. Aristotle, in one of his many published works, once said that a virtuous wife “...should consider that her husband 's wishes are as laws appointed for her by divine will, along with the marriage state and the fortune she