Humanities-make-up Assignment for Nov. 18th, 2008

Humanities-Nov. 18th, 2008

A Research Question Ancient Greece

What did a daily life in Ancient Greece look like?

Ancient Greek culture reached its pinnacle during the fourth century BC- an era described as its “ Golden Age”, theater, music, poetry, philosophy, and political experiments such as democracy flourished. In Athens, society was male-dominated - only men could be citizens and only upper-class males enjoyed a formal education. Women had few political rights and were expected to remain in the home and bear children.  Most homes were modest, windowless and wrapped around a courtyard. Furniture was rare. People spent the majority of the day out of doors enjoying the mild Mediterranean climate. The Greek diet was also modest, based largely on wine are bread. A typical day would start with bread dipped in wine, the same for  lunch and a dinner of wine, fruits, vegetables and fish. Greek would reserve the meat for special occasions such as religious holidays.

Firstly, Greek men ran the government, and spent a great deal of their time away from home. When not involved in politics, the men spent time in the fields, overseeing or working the crops, sailing, hunting, in manufacturing or in trade.  As the entertaining, in addition to drinking parties, the men enjoyed wrestling, horseback riding, and the famous Olympic Games. When the men entertained their male friends, at the popular drinking parties, their wives and daughters were not allowed to attend.

Secondly, with the exception of ancient Sparta, Greek women had very limited freedom outside the home. If they had their husband’s permission to do so, they could attend weddings, funerals, some religious festivals, and could visit females neighbors for brief periods of time. In their home, Greek women were in charge! Their job was to run the house, make the clothes, and bear children.  

Thirdly, the ancient Greeks considered their children to be “youths” until they reached the age of 30! In Athens, as in most Greek city states, with the exception of Sparta, girls stayed at home until they were married. As for boys, in most Greek city-states, when young, the boys stayed at home, helping in the fields.