SAMPLE PAPER
2
Level 2 Classical Studies
2.4: Demonstrate understanding of socio-political life
in the classical world
Credits: Six
Check that you have completed ALL parts of the box at the top of this page.
You should answer ONE of the questions in this booklet.
If you need more space for your answer, use the page(s) provided at the back of this booklet.
Check that this booklet has pages 2–10 in the correct order and that none of these pages is blank.
YOU MUST HAND THIS BOOKLET TO YOUR TEACHER AT THE END OF THE ALLOTTED TIME.
EXEMPLAR FOR EXCELLENCE
NOTE: These exemplars do not fully show Grade Score Marking (GSM) because of
the small sample of student scripts involved, and the absence of a cut score meeting
to determine grade boundaries. In 2012, level 1 2011 examination papers will have
exemplars marked fully in accordance with GSM. These will be published on the
OVERALL LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
NZQA website when the assessment schedules are published.
This exemplar has been generated by a subject expert not a candidate.
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority, 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior permission of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
2
You are advised to spend 60 minutes answering one of the questions in this booklet.
INSTRUCTIONS
Choose ONE of the four questions listed in the table on page 3 to answer. Show your choice with a tick ().
Plan you answer on page 4.
Begin your answer on page 5.
Classical Studies 2.4
3
Question
ONE
Choice
()
Question tasks
Identify a city state or a known civilisation of the classical world.
Examine, with supporting evidence, the social-political divisions that existed in
your selected city state or civilisation. In your answer, you should:
• describe the main social divisions and discuss the political rights of each
division
• examine the relationship of two groups within this social structure (eg,
citizens and slaves, or patrons and clients)
• examine to what extent these social-political divisions and relationships were
rigid, and give reasons why.
TWO
Identify a city state or a known civilisation of the classical world.
Examine, with supporting evidence, the life of free-born foreigners living in your
selected city state or civilisation and their relationship with the citizen body. In
your answer, you should:
• discuss the reasons why free-born foreigners chose to live in this place
• examine the restrictions placed upon free-born foreigners by the city state
and the freedoms they enjoyed
• examine reasons why the city state imposed these restrictions and how it
benefited from its resident foreigners.
THREE
Identify a city state or a known civilisation of the classical world.
Examine, with supporting evidence, the role of your selected city state or
civilisation in providing entertainment for the people. In your answer, you
should:
• discuss the different types of entertainment provided by the state during the
religious festivals
• examine the ways in which people were entertained in ONE of these festivals
• examine reasons why the state provided these forms of entertainment.
FOUR
Identify a city state or a known civilisation of the classical world.
Examine, with supporting evidence, the customs associated with marriage and
divorce in your selected city state or civilisation. In your answer, you should:
• discuss the ways in which ancient people celebrated marriage
• examine the state laws associated with berothal, marriage, and divorce
• examine the purpose of marriage and the ways in which state laws reflected
the views of ancient societies and their people.
Classical Studies 2.4

4
Plan your answer here.
Classical Studies 2.4
5
Begin your answer here.
Assessor’s
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Free-born foreigners (or Metics) played an important role in the life of 5th Century BCE
Athens. They enjoyed a positive relationship with Athenian citizens, but not all the benefits
of citizenship. Restrictions on their rights within the Athenian polis included limited
property and political rights.
5th Century Athens was an appealing place for foreign-born people to live. It was in the
midst of a ‘Golden Age’ and was widely-acknowledged as one of the leading Greek states,
economically and militarily. This meant that foreigners settling in Athens often did so for
the employment opportunities presented by the large population of Athenians (estimated at
around 100,000, a sizable city for the times). The busy port of Piraeus also attracted foreign
traders, some of whom stayed on to build a new life in Athens. The military power of Athens
provided a measure of security for those from more vulnerable states, adding to its appeal
for immigrants. As the lead state in the Delian League, Athenian power would have been
obvious to inhabitants of the 5th Century Mediterranean world.
The cultural advances of Athens would also have added to the appeal of Athens for those
born elsewhere. During the 5th Century, Athenian society made unprecedented strides in
the advancement of arts, science and mathematics. Theatres were constructed and
theatrical festivals ran for up to 3 days, in the case of the Great Dionysia. The architectural
achievements represented by the temples of the Acropolis were unmatched in the Greek
world. Great thinkers like Aristotle, born in Thessaloniki, came to Athens to be a part of an
intellectual revolution. The Athenian achievements of the 5th Century BCE are marvelled at
by modern historians. There is no reason to think that it would have been otherwise for
people living at the time.
Despite its appeal, the decision to emigrate to Athens can not have been an easy one for
the would-be metic, as they were entering a life that was restricted compared to that of the
Classical Studies 2.4
6
Athenian citizen. Although they could enjoy a standard of living that was equivalent to a
citizen – there are recorded examples of metics becoming very successful businessmen –
they played no meaningful role in politics. Whereas the Athenian citizen prided himself on
his ability to direct the course of Athens through participation in the Ecclesia (or assembly,
where voting took place) or Boule (the council on which all citizens were eligible to serve),
the metic had no say in political life. Nor were they eligible to serve on the juries of Athens.
However they were required to serve in the military as though they were an Athenian citizen
– one of many examples of how the responsibilities of Athenian citizenship fell upon the
metics, although not necessarily its benefits.
The disqualification from jury duty brought a financial restriction as well as a political one,
since jurors were paid (albeit a modest amount). Metics suffered other financial penalties
for the privilege of living in Athens. Wealthy metics could be expected to pay a special tax
(eisphora) or contribute financially to the military through liturgies. A special metic poll tax
(the metoikon) was served on all metics living in Athens. They were also banned from
owning property throughout Attica.
Nevertheless, life in Athens must have had sufficient appeal for metics to come to the city
in large numbers – a late 4th Century census by Demetrius Phalereus had metic numbers at
10,000, just under half the number of citizens. Despite the additional taxation, metics had
just as many business opportunities as non-metics and could move freely about the city.
During their time in Athens the retained the citizenship of their place of birth, which allowed
them freedom to return to their home state if they so desired. There is also evidence that
they were involved in the festivals in Athens, with a section of the Parthenon frieze
portraying a group of metics involved in the Great Panathenaic procession.
Athens’ imposition of restrictions on metics was partly caused by xenophobia – fear and
suspicion of foreigners. Athens was by no means the only Greek state that exhibited this
Classical Studies 2.4
Assessor’s
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7
trait, but they went to greater extremes than other when Pericles passed his Citizenship
Law in 451BCE. The citizenship law said not only that citizens must be born Athens, but
that their parents must also have been born in Athens. The increased xenophobia that this
law represented was possibly a reflection of the growing tensions between Athens and
Sparta at the time, which would eventually lead to the Peloponnesian War.
Classical Studies 2.4
Assessor’s
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8
Assessor’s
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E7
Classical Studies 2.4
9
Extra paper for continuing your answer, if required.
Classical Studies 2.4
Assessor’s
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10
Extra paper for continuing your answer, if required.
Classical Studies 2.4
Assessor’s
use only
SAMPLE PAPER
2
Level 2 Classical Studies
2.4: Demonstrate understanding of socio-political life
in the classical world
Credits: Six
Check that you have completed ALL parts of the box at the top of this page.
You should answer ONE of the questions in this booklet.
If you need more space for your answer, use the page(s) provided at the back of this booklet.
Check that this booklet has pages 2–10 in the correct order and that none of these pages is blank.
YOU MUST HAND THIS BOOKLET TO YOUR TEACHER AT THE END OF THE ALLOTTED TIME.
EXEMPLAR FOR EXCELLENCE
NOTE: These exemplars do not fully show Grade Score Marking (GSM) because of
the small sample of student scripts involved, and the absence of a cut score meeting
to determine grade boundaries. In 2012, level 1 2011 examination papers will have
exemplars marked fully in accordance with GSM. These will be published on the
OVERALL LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
NZQA website when the assessment schedules are published.
This exemplar has been generated by a subject expert not a candidate.
© New Zealand Qualifications Authority, 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior permission of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
2
You are advised to spend 60 minutes answering one of the questions in this booklet.
INSTRUCTIONS
Choose ONE of the four questions listed in the table on page 3 to answer. Show your choice with a tick ().
Plan you answer on page 4.
Begin your answer on page 5.
Classical Studies 2.4
3
Question
ONE
Choice
()
Question tasks
Identify a city state or a known civilisation of the classical world.
Examine, with supporting evidence, the social-political divisions that existed in
your selected city state or civilisation. In your answer, you should:
• describe the main social divisions and discuss the political rights of each
division
• examine the relationship of two groups within this social structure (eg,
citizens and slaves, or patrons and clients)
• examine to what extent these social-political divisions and relationships were
rigid, and give reasons why.
TWO
Identify a city state or a known civilisation of the classical world.
Examine, with supporting evidence, the life of free-born foreigners living in your
selected city state or civilisation and their relationship with the citizen body. In
your answer, you should:
• discuss the reasons why free-born foreigners chose to live in this place
• examine the restrictions placed upon free-born foreigners by the city state
and the freedoms they enjoyed
• examine reasons why the city state imposed these restrictions and how it
benefited from its resident foreigners.
THREE
Identify a city state or a known civilisation of the classical world.
Examine, with supporting evidence, the role of your selected city state or
civilisation in providing entertainment for the people. In your answer, you
should:
• discuss the different types of entertainment provided by the state during the
religious festivals
• examine the ways in which people were entertained in ONE of these festivals
• examine reasons why the state provided these forms of entertainment.
FOUR
Identify a city state or a known civilisation of the classical world.
Examine, with supporting evidence, the customs associated with marriage and
divorce in your selected city state or civilisation. In your answer, you should:
• discuss the ways in which ancient people celebrated marriage
• examine the state laws associated with berothal, marriage, and divorce
• examine the purpose of marriage and the ways in which state laws reflected
the views of ancient societies and their people.
Classical Studies 2.4

4
Plan your answer here.
Classical Studies 2.4
5
Begin your answer here.
Assessor’s
use only
The city state of Athens played a vital role in the entertainment of its people.
Athenian religious festivals provided a wide range of different types of entertainment for the
citizens and wider population of the polis. The different types of entertainment on offer
included sporting competitions, such as those held at the Panathenaea and the Olympic
Games, which featured competitors from around Greece. The Great Dionysia and The
Lenaea were theatrical festivals, where citizens would be entertained at the open air Greek
theatres by a combination of tragedies, comedies and satyr plays. Athenian festivals might
also include public processions, like the procession of Initiates to Eleusis during the
‘Greater’ Eleusinian Mysteries. Every festival had its own religious rituals, many of which
allowed for the participation of select groups of Athenian society in the public life of the city
state.
One festival that was designed to include the widest range of groups in ancient Athens was
the Great Panathenaea. The Great Panathenaea took place every four years and was
essentially a more substantial version of the annual Panathenaea. The festival was
organised by ten representatives of the citizenry, who were known as the athlothetae, or
sports administrators. This shows the Great Panathenaea was principally a series of
sporting contests, around which there developed wider rituals.
The sporting contests in the Great Panthanaea strongly resembled those of the ancient
Olympic Games, except that the festival began with musical and poetic contests. Then the
more traditional games would take place, including boxing, wrestling, pankration,
pentathlon, stadion (or foot race) and finally chariot racing. An Attic belly amphora from
c.530BC shows four competitors in one such foot race from the Panathenaic games. The
events on show would have provided a range of entertainments for the spectators
attending. For example, there was the violence of the physical contests, such as the
Classical Studies 2.4
6
pankration, which had no restrictions on the techniques that could be used by the rival
fighters. The speed and thrill of the foot and chariot races would have provided another
different form of entertainment.
The sporting contests were not all that there was to the Great Panathenaea, however. At the
conclusion of the games, there was a time of great feasting and a massive procession of
people and sacrificial animals to the Acropolis. The substantial nature of the procession is
shown in the design of the entrance way to the Acropolis, the Propylaea, which includes a
wide central way to accommodate the large numbers of participants in this procession. The
procession featured Athenian citizens, women and metics or foreigners. The metics’
participation is evident on the Parthenon Frieze reliefs. This Frieze is a rich source of
information about the procession, as it features city elders, officials, a parade of horse
riders, as well as weavers and water carriers. This is evidence of the wide participation of
different parts of society in the festival, and of the approval of the gods, who are depicted
watching the events.
The procession would carry a new peplos for the gigantic statue of Athena Parthenos,
which dominated the interior of the Acropolis’ central temple, The Parthenon. The sight of
the procession, with its multitudes of people and animals, would have been amongst the
highlights of the entertainment calendar for ancient Athenians. Indeed, historians believe
that citizens from states allied to Athens’ flocked to participate in the games and spectate at
the great procession. The conclusion of the procession was followed by a night of feasting
and celebration.
The state provided these forms of entertainment for its citizens for a variety of reasons. Of
prime importance was the need to honour the gods. All festivals were intrinsically linked to
the worship of the gods. Diodorus, in his Universal History, tells us that the Olympic Games
were established by Heracles, and that “he dedicated these games to Zeus the father”. Thus
in taking part, Athenians and the other Greeks present were honouring the King of the
Classical Studies 2.4
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7
Gods. The name ‘Great Panathenaea’, as well as the purpose of its procession, suggests
the worship of Athena, the patron goddess of the city. Other festivals recreated
mythological stories, such as the Eleusinian Mysteries procession, which recalled the
wanderings of the goddess Demeter as she searched for her daughter Persephone.
As well as honouring the gods, the festivals provided the citizens with entertainments that
celebrated the strength of the state’s culture (through the plays and poetic competitions)
and sporting prowess (through the games). Thus the festivals provided a boost to civic
pride. This morale-boosting focus of the festivals is again highlighted in the events of the
Grreat Panathenaea, which concluded at the Acropolis, the architectural and spiritual heart
of the city state and the pride of Athens.
Finally, the entertainments of the festivals provided Athenians with an opportunity to
participate in the life of their polis. The wide participation in the festivals supports Pericles’
famous statement about the people of Athens, where he said: “Here each individual is
interested not only in his own affairs but in the affairs of the state as well”. By encouraging
participation in the festivals, Athens encouraged its citizens to identify with the business of
the polis, which was vital in the ongoing success of the democracy of Athens, where
citizens’ participation in public life was a strong focus.
Classical Studies 2.4
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Classical Studies 2.4
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Extra paper for continuing your answer, if required.
Classical Studies 2.4
Assessor’s
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10
Extra paper for continuing your answer, if required.
Classical Studies 2.4
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