Salamis was annexed and divided into lots and settled, and later
Pericles settled more than 2750 citizens in the Chersonese and
elsewhere--practically a considerable section of the whole body of
citizens. "By this means," says Plutarch, "he relieved the state of
numerous idle agitators and assisted the necessitous." In other states
this expedient was frequently adopted.

(3) A third method was the supply of corn at reduced rates--a method
similar to that adopted, as we shall see, at Rome, Constantinople and
elsewhere. The maintenance of the mass of the people depended on the
corn fleets. There were public granaries, where large stores were laid
up at the public expense. A portion of all cargoes of corn was
retained at Athens and in other ways importation was promoted.
Exportation was forbidden. Public donations and distributions of corn
were frequent, and in times of scarcity rich citizens made large
contributions with that object. The distributions were made to adult
citizens of eighteen years of age and upwards whose names were on the
registers.

(4) In addition to this there was a system of public relief for those
who were unable to earn a livelihood on account of bodily defects and
infirmities. The qualification was a property test. The property of
the applicant had to be shown to be of a value of not more than three
minae (say L12). Socrates, it may be noted, adopts the same method of
estimating his comparative poverty (Xen. _Econ._ 2. 6), saying that
his goods would realize about five minae (or about twenty guineas).
The senate examined the case, and the ecclesia awarded the bounty,
which amounted to 1 or 2 obols a day, rather more than 1-1/2d. or
3d.--out-door relief, as we might say, amounting at most to about 1s.
9d. a week. There was also a fund for the maintenance of the children
of those who had fallen in war, up to the age of eighteen.

(5) But the main source of support was the receipt of emoluments for
various public services. This was not relief, though it produced in
the course of time the effect of relief. It was rather the Athenian
method of supporting a governing class of citizens.

The inner political history of Athens is the history of the extension
of the franchise to the lower classes of citizens, with the privileges
of holding office and receiving emoluments. In early times, either by
Solon (q.v.) or previously, the cit