WORLD CIVILIZATION

Detailed explanation-1: -Most Greek oligarchs were aristocrats, rich men who had inherited land from their families. A few oligarchs were wealthy merchants. Compared with the poor, oligarchs had very comfortable lives. They often spent their days either hunting or taking part in chariot races.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Definition of Aristocracy Rather, the term as used in ancient Greek history refers to the social elite, whose status depended on a combination of factors, of which wealth and public conduct were very important.

Detailed explanation-3: -It comes from the Greek oligarchía and is formed from oligo-, meaning “few, ‘’ and-archy, meaning “rule” (the same ending is used in words like monarchy and anarchy).

Detailed explanation-4: -In ancient Greece, some city-states functioned as oligarchies, even if they were also monarchies, democracies, or tyrannies. For example, Sparta was a monarchy that functioned as an oligarchy because a few wealthy men were in charge of a society with a large enslaved helots.