Why People Move To Athens

I noted that Greece has always been a beautiful country that many people want to visit, but I asked, “Has it always been glamorous?” I believe there were many reasons why individuals should not have moved to ancient Greece during 430-429 BC. Four themes were used to support how war and diseases affect this civilization; the themes used were geography, science and technology, history, and culture. Generally, I would not have recommended someone move to ancient Greece because the Peloponnesian War was just beginning. Athens was powerful and tension between Sparta and Athens was growing. If someone was Athenian, they would have been besieged by Sparta and forced inside the city walls of Athens, which were very crowded. Also, freedom of choice
was robbed from anyone living inside the city walls of Athens. In addition, I would not relocate to Greece because the mountain ranges were treacherous.
Trading between city-states was very frustrating because the city-states were always at war for territories. I thought the Greeks weren’t petty, but they were petty over the smallest things; they always had to be the most powerful. In conclusion, the conflict was just beginning in the Peloponnesian War. Sparta’s and Athens’ territories were close to each other. I would not have recommended someone move to Greece because the territories were so close that disputes were easier to get into. Athens’ allies were in the Persian Empire, Thrace, Thessaly, Greece Islands, and the mainland. Sparta’s allies consisted of Macedonia and other parts of Greece. Some places were separated by the Aegean Sea and others were in the same area. In addition, I wouldn’t relocate to Greece because in 430 BC, a plague hit Athens. The plague killed one-third of the population, which was about 75,000 to 100,000 people. That number does not seem big, but back then, the population was smaller because there were more wars, famine, and diseases; people were so scared of catching or dying from the plague that they committed suicide. Also, animals died from contaminated foods. If one caught the plague, that person had seven to nine days of torture before dying. I could not imagine what these people went
through. For the most part, I would steer people away from moving to Greece because the Greeks were ruthless. Spartans did rituals whenever a baby was born that they would weigh the baby to see if it was healthy. If the baby wasn’t a certain number of pounds, they threw babies off a cliff or the babies were left to die. Where was the humanity? All boys and girls started brutal training at very young ages. The training lasted until adulthood, and only the strong survived. Can you imagine what went through these people’s heads? Also, the reason why I would steer people away from moving to Greece was because they valued slavery, which means they did not value human life. There were many ways to become a slave. Someone could have been born into it, abandoned by parents, or sold into it. Parents sold their children to get by, especially girls because they were considered more worthless than boys. I believe that the Greeks are horrific people because the slaves weren’t allowed to choose their own names; the masters chose their names. Slaves worked as farmworkers, mineworkers, servants, shoemakers, and crewmembers on ships. Slaves made sandals for the free and mined for better weapons and protective gear. The Greeks were able to make bronze helmets and breastplates. They also made spears and shields. The slaves helped tremendously, but was it worth it? Also, life as a mineworker and crewmember was very cruel and dangerous. Farm workers farmed green olives, grapes, apricots, and cherries, which was used to eat by the people. I believe that the Greeks did not care for human life, and the life as a slave was not ideal. In all, these four themes supported my reasoning on why to stay away from ancient Greece. War and diseases truly affected this civilization. So if one wants to die, come down to Athens! Take it from me. I will never ever go to ancient Greece!