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Who were the Metics of Ancient Athens?

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Metic, Greek Metoikos, in ancient Greece, any of the resident aliens, including freed slaves. Metics were found in most states except Sparta. In Athens, where they were most numerous, they occupied an intermediate position between visiting foreigners and citizens, having both privileges and duties. read more

Most metics were either immigrants from other parts of Greece, freed slaves, or children of either of the two categories of people. Because citizenship in ancient Athens was not based on where a person was born, but rather as a benefit of inheritance, many metic families had lived in Athens for generations and were likely physically indistinguishable from other local citizens. read more

These were the “resident aliens” of Athens. Unlike the Romans, the ancient Greeks rarely granted citizenship to outsiders, but Athens did allow foreigners to reside in Athens, run businesses, participate in festivals (separeatly from citizens), and especially, pay taxes. read more

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