← Classical Studies syllabus

ScotlandClassical Studies

Life in Classical Greece

3 dot points across 3 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How free were the people of classical Athens, and how well did Athenian democracy distribute power?

Power and freedom in classical Greece: the workings of Athenian democracy, its strengths and weaknesses, and the limits of freedom for women, slaves and metics.
An SQA Higher Classical Studies answer on power and freedom in classical Greece, covering how Athenian democracy worked through the Assembly, Council and courts, its strengths and weaknesses, and the limited freedom of women, slaves and metics in fifth-century Athens.
14 min answer →

What did the Greeks believe about their gods, and how did religion shape everyday life and the state in classical Athens?

Religion and belief in classical Greece: the Olympian gods, worship and sacrifice, temples and festivals, oracles and the afterlife, and the place of religion in the Athenian state.
An SQA Higher Classical Studies answer on religion and belief in classical Greece, covering the Olympian gods, sacrifice and worship, temples and festivals such as the Panathenaea, oracles, beliefs about the afterlife, and how religion was woven into the Athenian state.
13 min answer →

How free were women, slaves and metics in classical Athens, and what does their position reveal about Athenian freedom?

Society and freedom in classical Greece: the lives and limited freedom of women, slaves and metics in Athens, and what their status shows about the reach of Athenian liberty.
An SQA Higher Classical Studies answer on Athenian society and the limits of freedom, covering the restricted lives of citizen women, the role and treatment of slaves, the position of metics (resident foreigners), and what these groups reveal about how free classical Athens really was.
13 min answer →