A citizen's property included houses, animals, slaves, but mainly cultivable land. The way he perceived himself in relation to his fellow-citizens, as well as the way he was being perceived by his social group, was based mainly on the number of plots of land that belonged to him.

In Athens, even since Solon's times, property was considered to "belong to the male". He could do whatever he wished with it in his lifetime and he had the right to dispose of his property by will, if he had no sons. The right to bequeath freely was granted officially by Solon, but it was reserved to men with legitimate sons, who were their natural heirs. On the contrary, in Sparta a man was free to leave his property to whomever he wished.

Adoption had been allowed by Solon's law, but only to men who had no sons. The adopted son inherited his adoptive father and took his name, but he lost all rights to his natural father's property. Furthermore, if the adoptive father had a daughter, the adopted son was practically obliged to marry her. That way, the adoptive father ensured that his property stayed in his family (Plutarch, Life of Solon 20.1-5, 21.1-3).

In Boeotia, on the other hand, property was transferred according to the usual way, that is from the father to his sons. Property, that of the father's as well as the mother's dowry, was equally portioned among the sons after the father's death. But if there were daughters, the family saved a part of the property for their dowries.

Aristotle informs us about a certain Corinthian from the family of Bacchiadae, Philolaus, who came to Boeotia and reorganized the adoption laws (Aristotle, Politics 1274a31-1274b6). In an attempt to reduce and control the accumulation of land to as less hands as possible, he allowed and in some cases imposed adoptions. It is also said that he protected women who were property heirs. Scholars interpret these measures as efforts to preserve a large number of estates (kleroi) in the hands of their owners, so that the number of citizens who were able to participate to the hoplite phalanx would be increased.