Poverty, vulnerability and family in ancient Greece

This research seeks to reconstruct personal experiences of poverty and socio-economic vulnerability at the family level ̶ focusing particularly on women and girls ̶ in classical and post-classical Athens (5th -3rd cs. BCE).

The aim is thus to provide the first systematic, contextualised and holistic view of the structural and cultural nature of these interrelated phenomena for the Greek world and to examine their impact on the lived experience of the women and girls of that time.The achievement of this general aim will involve approaching poverty and vulnerability in the aforementioned framework from a multidisciplinary and dynamic view, considering diverse historiographic approaches and postulates, different type of ancient sources, as well as the incorporation of sociological and anthropological methods into historical research.

This mixed and innovative insight will not only permit to set a working definition of those phenomena in ancient Athens, but also to identify and analyse the main factors leading up to situations of vulnerability and/or poverty in this period, as well as the resources and strategies available to or developed by the most vulnerable citizens to face their situation and the possible changes over time.The in-depth analysis of these questions will highlight the importance of understanding poverty and poverty-related vulnerability as a socially and culturally constructed categories and, consequently, how the study of these phenomena can contribute to better understand 5th -3rd cs.

BCE Athenian society, but also present time.

Addressing how poverty and socio-economic vulnerability have been experienced by different people differently ̶ especially by children and women ̶ in classical and post-classical Athens, while providing us with a more complete picture of Athenian society, may also enable us to recognise trends and responses that are timeless, thus helping to better understand our current world.