Ancient Greece Social Structure Homeschool Lesson

Ancient Greece social structure was a rigid, patriarchal hierarchy primarily divided into Male Citizens, Women, Foreigners (Metics), and Slaves. Status determined by birth, gender, and freedom. Male citizens, the elite, were further divided by wealth and land ownership into aristocrats, poorer farmers, and a middle class of artisans. Women, metics (free but non-citizen residents), and slaves occupied lower statuses, with women and slaves having no political rights or privileges. 

Read More! The Ancient Minoans are another interesting culture to learn about from nearby Crete, which can be read in conjunction with a later, more in-depth Minoan lesson I did with my younger girls

The Main Ancient Greek Social Structure Groups

1. Male Citizens

This was the most privileged group, possessing full rights and political power. 

• Aristocrats (Aristoi): The landed, wealthy elite who held political and economic power. 
• Poorer Farmers (Perioikoi): Free men who owned land but were not part of the aristocracy. 
• Middle Class: Artisans, traders, and merchants who could be moderately wealthy but lacked political power. 

2. Women

Women of all classes lacked citizenship rights and were considered part of their father’s or husband’s household. Their primary role was domestic and procreative. 

3. Foreigners (Metics)

These were free, non-citizen residents who were often born in another Greek city-state or outside the polis. 

• They could not own land or hold political office but were required to pay taxes and serve in the military. 
• They were a middle or lower class, below the citizens. 

4. Slaves (Douloi) 

At the bottom of the social structure, slaves were considered property with no legal rights or benefits. They performed much of the city’s labor, including civil and military duties. 

Key Factors

• Gender: Men, particularly male citizens, held power; women had significantly fewer rights. 
• Birth: Citizenship was based on birth to Athenian parents, establishing a strong sense of lineage and privilege. 
• Freedom: The distinction between free people (citizens and metics) and enslaved people was crucial to the social order. 

As can be seen, the social structure was very clear cut in ancient Greece.  It was difficult, but not impossible, to move between classes.  A slave could earn his freedom.  But this was unusual.  I wanted to teach this but rather than just reading and have the children narrate it to me, I decided to set them a task.

Focus: the Citizen, the Metic and the Slave

First, they had to learn as much as possible about their three chosen classes:  the citizen, the metic and the slave.

Resources

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KS2 History Discover & Learn: Ancient Greeks Study Book

Groovy Greeks (newspaper edition) (Horrible Histories)

Ancient Greece: DK Eyewitness

The next two books I have added on when editing this post:

Ancient Greece for Kids: 2 (Unfolding the Past, 2)

Ancient Greece for Kids Through the Lives of its Philosophers, Lawmakers, and Heroes (History for Kids – Traditional, Story-Based Format)

What it was like to be an Ancient Greek: Discover our ancient civilisations with Blue Peter Book Award winner David Long (Dyslexia-friendly): Book 5

I had book marked any pages I thought might be handy for this quest.  After they had finished their research they were allowed to pick a class out of the jar.  As they did not know beforehand who they might be, they needed to make sure they knew lots about each class of people. 

Becoming the Person Belonging to their Chosen Group

I gave the children some time to ‘become’ that person.  They had to dress up, name themselves and have a story about their life so they were able to answer any questions the reporter (me) might have for them. Charlotte became a free citizen, Thomas was a metic. Lillie was a slave.

Interviewing Members of the Ancient Greek Social Structure

Once they were ready, I had them come to me in character and I interviewed them.  I had pre-prepared questions and I wrote down the answers, exactly as they gave them.  Using the photos above I turned it into a simple report, and each child got a copy for their folders (click on each picture to see a larger version):

This was such a successful activity.  The children researched and learnt about all three classes, dressing up as on. Each was tested on their knowledge in a fun, non threatening environment (and in fact were unaware they were being tested). And they did not have to actually write anything. Yet, they ended up with a piece of work which was, to all intents and purposes, their own.

This was SUCH a good lesson!