Metic facts for kids

A metic was a person living in an ancient Greek city-state who was not a citizen. Think of them as foreigners who made their home in a new city. They lived there, worked there, and contributed to the city, but they didn't have all the same rights as people who were born citizens.

The word 'metic' (which comes from the Greek word metoikos) was used a lot in ancient Athens, especially between the 5th and 4th centuries BC. A very famous metic was the philosopher Aristotle. He was born in a place called Stageira, but he lived and worked in Athens for many years.

What Was Life Like for a Metic?

Metics lived in the city for generations, but they usually couldn't become citizens. It was very rare for a city to give someone citizenship as a gift.

Rights and Responsibilities

Citizens in Athens had many special benefits. For example, they could get paid for serving on a jury or attending important meetings. During tough times, the city might even give out food to citizens. Metics did not get any of these benefits.

Metics also couldn't own land or houses in Attica (the region around Athens) unless they got a very special permission.

Duties of Metics

Even though metics didn't have all the rights of citizens, they still had many of the same duties. Just like citizens, they had to:

• Serve in the military service to protect the city.
• Pay special taxes if they were wealthy enough.

So, metics shared the responsibilities of citizens without enjoying all the special privileges.

When Did This System Change?

Over time, the system for metics began to change. In what is called the Hellenistic Athens period, it became much more common for people to buy their citizenship.

Around 317 BC, a count was done in Attica. It showed there were about:

• 21,000 citizens
• 10,000 metics
• 400,000 slaves

In other parts of the ancient Greek and Roman world, free people who weren't citizens were sometimes called "paroikoi" or "katoikoi."

See also

In Spanish: Meteco para niños