Social Stratification In Greek Culture

. In simple terms, social stratification is the classification system that a society creates in order to categorize the people living in it. Throughout history there have been different variations of this classification. Oftentimes, the differences that the stratification is defined by reflects the culture of the society it is in. For example, in a large, modern-day city the class lines are usually defined by money. The more money a person has, the higher up they are on the social ladder. As it is often a spectrum, this is true on the reverse end as well—a person who does not have a lot of money is placed much lower on that same social ladder. Money, or capital, is commonly the dividing factor between those with power and those without. However, …show more content…
Due to the geographical aspects of Greece, the triad was not available equally to everyone. In many places, food had to be imported, which could add to the cost. The limitations continue when factoring in the fact that food was made available depending on the season. Despite all of this, the triad remained the basis of the diet for most Greeks. The bread, or cereals, was the most important factor. Alone, they constituted over half of the daily diet. The cereals had their own hierarchy that included an entire “group of seed-crops”. This hierarchy, so to speak, directly corresponded to social class. Therefore, the upper class ate the most expensive cereals, which was usually white, wheat bread. In addition to this, the lower class ate the least expensive cereals. The contrast of cereals depended primarily depended on wealth, however “there was much regional variation in the availability, character, processing, and preparation of these”. The cereals use was not limited to making bread. It also had other purposes. For example, some were put into liquids to make …show more content…
The set up of society in medieval Europe varied throughout the continent, for the most part, kingdoms developed in its place. Although it was diverse, most areas generally followed the same structure—feudalism. In simple terms, feudalism was specifically characterized by the combination of land and military power. Military men were often given land in exchange for military service. These services were often actions of protection of the surrounding land as there was no longer a centralized authority to keep order and ensure security. Wealth came from owning land as it also meant controlling those who lived on the land. This control, like the rest of feudalism, varied by location. This is because the lack of a centralized power meant that the rules that kings and lords put in place varied by the person the same way that leaders vary