The time between 700-480 B.C. described Ancient Greece when several things started changing due to developments and other things. This period is historical.
The overpopulation definition is universal. It describes an increase in population that stresses the current resources of an area or country. Natural resources such as land are finite, so they are prone to strain when the people living in an area increase to certain levels.
Even today, we see overpopulation as a modern problem that mainly affects the developing world. Leaders have had to develop strict policies dictating the number of kids a family can have to regain normalcy in parts of the world that have been overpopulated.
Here are some interesting facts about Ancient Greece demographic history you should learn.
Before the Rise
Before the Archaic period, people lived in small villages and farms during the times of the Greek Dark Ages. There wasn’t much in development, and farming was quite popular. The growth of the villages introduced the city-state, and people started forming governments and expanding their physical spaces. These city-states replacing the smaller villages - known as poleis – were said to be protecting some deity so that Athens and Sparta worshiped and revered Athena. There wasn’t much in the form of formal education, but this expansion and growth started a revolution that Greeks would follow for quite some time.
Population Growth
The economy of these city-states was backed by agriculture, so the land was an essential part of the country. Trade started growing as locals began producing more food for sale, pottery, and other commercial items that they sold to their neighbors. Populations began to grow exponentially, so much that the years during this Archaic period saw double numbers in the growth of people living in city-states.
With more people occupying spaces that were not designed to handle such numbers, resources were strained. Poverty became a norm, and many people were pushed into Greece and the Aegean, abandoning their home villages for the city to find jobs to feed their families. At the same time, a small group of wealthy traders emerged, and they took up slaves for their farms and homes.
Rise of the Tyrants
You may have read some paper samples on the growth of tyranny during this period. As you can expect from a growing economy, some new money was beginning to circulate, and these newly wealthy people were beginning to question the oligarchs of their time. If you read online samples of the rich overpopulation essay examples, you will see how the newly wealthy decided to plant their own leaders to replace the oligarchs. They used armies that soldiers called hoplites, and over time the new tyrants proved to be worse than the oligarchs they were replacing.
Thanks to the unchecked population growth and the subsequent high poverty levels, the few that managed to take advantage of the situation and grow rich took what they could get in cheap labor. While this happened, a few good leaders made inventions meant to benefit the whole community, such as Theagenes of Megara bringing running water to his city and Pheidon of Argos establishing an orderly weights and measures system.
Abandonment and Abortion to Control Populations
Families were encouraged to give birth to the number of kids they could raise comfortably, and if they could not raise them, they were encouraged to abandon them. Before this suggestion, Aristotle, who opposed abandonment, had suggested segregating the women to discourage population growth.
During the time when abandonment was allowed, it is believed that 10% of the girls born to Ancient Greek families were disposed of. There were restrictions on the number of children a family could get, and parents were encouraged to get abortions when they exceeded the number. There was not too much value put on a fetus. Aristotle was also opposed to rearing deformed children as he felt they would put unnecessary pressure on the already expanded population. This school of thought was not shared by everyone, but it was quite popular among Aristotle’s followers.
Encouragement of Alternative Family Situations
The Greeks were discouraged from giving birth, so contraceptives were highly encouraged. Some of these contraceptives were toxic and would affect the liver badly, so people sought other ways of birth control. The argument was the opposite of what the Roman Empire preached. For the Romans, more children meant a bigger and stronger empire that would protect it from invasion.
The Greeks did not see it this way, as they were more concerned with the waning natural resources. As a way to control and contain population growth, homosexuality was recognized and encouraged. Also, those that exceeded the set number of kids in their families were penalized if they did not seek abortion and termination. Male and female concubines were also recognized as a way to encourage families to condense and stay consolidated.
Conclusion
History students at the university and college study these things in-depth to understand better how ancient civilizations handled some of the things that still trouble the modern world. Countries still grapple with population growth to date, and we see some of the things that Plato and Aristotle suggested being put into practice. Not all countries take drastic measures to address population growth, so we see some things such as immigration into more developed parts where systems work. Some people have suggested that growth checks would remove the need for such movements.
