Life in Ancient Greece Free

Ancient Greek cities were protected by stone walls. Inside them, most of the land was occupied by private homes. However, there were also many temples and workshops. In a typical workshop, a craftsman worked with one or two assistants and perhaps a slave. Methods of government varied among the Greek city-states. However, Athens is famous for democracy. In Athens, there was a council made up of men. They proposed new laws which were debated in an assembly, which all men could attend, held every 10 days. The Athenians also had a method of removing politicians they disliked. At an assembly, each year men wrote the name of an unpopular politician on pieces of broken pottery. If men voted against him he was banished for 10 years. This practice gave us the word ostracize. The Greeks Life in Ancient Greece colonies in southern Italy and southern France. They also began colonies on the Turkish coast and around the Black Sea and on the coast of North Africa. Like all early civilizations Ancient Greece was an agricultural society. Most of the people lived by farming and the main form of wealth was owning land. In each city, there was an upper class and a middle class of men like substantial farmers, doctors, and teachers. However, the vast majority of people were peasants and craftsmen or slaves. Slavery was common. If they worked in rich peoples homes slaves could be reasonably treated. However, by law owners were allowed to flog slaves. Those slaves who worked in mines probably suffered the most. Prisoners of war were made slaves. Furthermore, any child born to a slave was automatically a slave. However, there were also Life in Ancient Greece huge number of slaves imported from abroad. Slaves were cheap and only the poorest Greeks could not afford them. Even if they were not slaves most of the people in Ancient Greece had a very low standard of living. Despite all the achievements of Ancient Greece for most of its people life was hard. When a child was born it was not regarded as a person until it was Life in Ancient Greece days old when a special ceremony was held and the child became part of the family. Parents were entitled, by law, to abandon newborn babies to die of exposure. Sometimes strangers would adopt abandoned babies. However, in that case, the baby became a slave. The history of slavery. The Greeks worshiped goddesses as well as gods. Women participated in religious festivals. However in wealthy family women usually stayed apart from men. They usually stayed in the back or upper part of the house. In a rich family, the wife was expected to run the home and very often to manage the finances. However rich women would normally stay indoors and send slaves to do the shopping. Poor women, of course, had no choice. They might also have to help their husbands with farm work. Women, even rich ones were expected to spin and weave cloth and make clothes. However, in Sparta women owned much of the land. We also know from records that women owned land in Thessaly and in the Cretan city-state of Gortyn. In Ancient Greece, some women were tavern keepers. Others sold food or perfume. Some Life in Ancient Greece wool workers. In Ancient Greece some girls were taught to read and write. Women from wealthy families were often well educated. Girls married Life in Ancient Greece they were about Except in Sparta where they were typically older. Marriages were often arranged. Greek women were not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. However, women had their own games dedicated to the goddess Hera wife of Zeus. The Heraean games were held once every 4 years. There were many great women in Ancient Greece. Sappho 6th century BC was a famous Greek woman poet. Theano of Crotona born c. Telesilla of Argos was a famous poet who lived around BC. Gorgo queen of Sparta born c. About BC Arete of Cyrene was a famous philosopher. Timycha of Life in Ancient Greece was a philosopher about BC. Hipparchia of Maroneia Life in Ancient Greece was a philosopher. Anyte of Tegea was a Life in Ancient Greece poet who lived around BC. About BC Aglaonike was a woman astronomer. The history of women. Athletic competitions were held during religious festivals in every Greek city. However the Olympic Games began in Olympia in BC in honor of Zeus, the chief god and people came from all over Greece and the Greek colonies to take part in them. Wars stopped to allow everyone to take part. Athletes competed in boxing, wrestling, running, Life in Ancient Greece racing, chariot racing and the pentathlon five athletic events. Winners were not given medals. Instead, they were given a crown of leaves. Ancient Greek homes were usually plain and simple. Life in Ancient Greece were made of mud bricks covered in plaster. Roofs were made of pottery tiles. Windows did Life in Ancient Greece have glass and were just holes in the wall. Poor people lived in just one, two or three rooms. Rich Greeks lived in large houses with several rooms. Usually, they were arranged around a courtyard and often an upper story. Downstairs was the kitchen and the dining room called the andron. So was the living room. Upstairs were bedrooms Life in Ancient Greece a room for women called a Life in Ancient Greece the women wove cloth there and also ate their meals there away from the men. Furniture was basic even in a rich home. The Ancient Greeks stored things in wooden chests or hung them from wooden pegs on the walls. A rich home Life in Ancient Greece also have a dresser to display expensive cups. People reclined on couches which could also act as beds. The couches were simply wooden frames with rope webbing and mats or rugs laid on top. Poor people rose at sunrise and went to bed at dusk but the rich lit their homes with olive oil lamps. The history of houses. Ordinary Greeks lived on a staple diet of bread made from barley or, if you could afford it, wheat and goats cheese. Meat was a luxury but fish and vegetables were plentiful. Ordinary Greeks ate pulses, onions, garlic, and olives. They also ate hen's eggs. Peasants caught small birds to eat. The Greeks also ate fruit such as raisins, apricots, figs, apples, pears and pomegranates. Rich Life in Ancient Greece ate a much more varied and interesting diet such as roasted hare, peacocks eggs or iris bulbs in vinegar. Poor people drank mainly water. If they could afford it they added honey to sweeten it. Wine was also a popular drink. Ancient Greece - Daily Life - The British Museum AD This era was immediately followed by the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine period. The Hellenistic period ended with the conquest of the eastern Mediterranean world by the Roman Republicand the annexation of the Roman province of Macedonia in Roman Greeceand later the province of Achaea during Life in Ancient Greece Roman Empire. Classical Greek cultureespecially philosophy, Life in Ancient Greece a powerful influence on ancient Romewhich carried a version of it throughout the Mediterranean and much of Europe. For this reason, Classical Greece is generally considered the cradle of Western civilizationthe seminal culture from which the modern West derives many of its founding archetypes and ideas in politics, philosophy, science, and art. Classical antiquity in the Mediterranean region is commonly considered to Life in Ancient Greece begun in the 8th century BC [5] around the time of the earliest recorded poetry of Homer and ended in the 6th century AD. Classical antiquity in Greece was preceded by the Life in Ancient Greece Dark Ages c. Following the Dark Ages was the Archaic Periodbeginning around the 8th century BC, which saw early developments in Greek culture and society Life in Ancient Greece to the Classical Period [6] from Life in Ancient Greece Persian invasion of Greece in until the death of Alexander the Great in Politically, the Classical Period was dominated by Athens and the Delian League during the 5th century, but displaced by Spartan hegemony during the early 4th century BC, before power shifted to Thebes and the Boeotian League and finally to the League of Corinth led by Macedon. Following the Classical period was the Hellenistic period — BCduring which Greek culture and power expanded into the Near and Middle East from the death of Alexander until the Roman conquest. Finally, Late Antiquity refers to the period of Christianization during the later 4th to early 6th centuries AD, consummated by the closure of the Academy of Athens by Justinian I in The historical period of ancient Greece is unique in world history as the first period attested directly in comprehensive, narrative historiographywhile earlier ancient history or proto-history is known from much more fragmentary documents such as annals, king lists, and pragmatic epigraphy. Herodotus is widely known as the "father of history": his Histories are eponymous of the entire field. Written between the s and s BC, Herodotus' work reaches Life in Ancient Greece a century into the past, discussing 6th century historical figures such as Darius I of PersiaCambyses II and Psamtik IIIand alluding to some 8th century persons such as Candaules. The accuracy of Herodotus' works is debated. Herodotus was succeeded by authors such as ThucydidesXenophonDemosthenesPlato and Aristotle. Most were either Athenian or pro-Athenian, which is why far more is known about the history and politics of Athens than of many other cities. Their scope is further limited by a focus on political, military and diplomatic history, ignoring economic and social history. In the 8th century BC, Greece began to emerge from the Dark Ages which followed the collapse of Mycenaean civilization. Literacy had been lost and Mycenaean script forgotten, but the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabetmodifying it to create the Greek alphabet. Objects inscribed with Phoenician writing may have been available in Greece from the 9th century BC, but the earliest evidence of Greek writing comes from graffiti on Greek pottery from the mid-8th century. The Lelantine War c. It was fought between the important poleis city-states of Chalcis and Eretria Life in Ancient Greece the fertile Lelantine plain of Euboea. Both cities seem to have suffered a decline as result of the long war, though Chalcis was the nominal victor. A mercantile class arose in the first half of the 7th century BC, shown by the introduction of coinage in about BC. From BC onwards, the aristocracies had to fight to maintain Life in Ancient Greece against populist tyrants. In Spartathe Messenian Wars resulted in the conquest of Messenia and enserfment of the Messenians, beginning in the latter half of the 8th century BC. This was an unprecedented act in ancient Greece, which led to a social revolution [20] in which the subjugated population of helots farmed and labored for Sparta, whilst every Spartan male citizen became a soldier of the Spartan Army permanently in arms. Rich and poor citizens alike were obliged to live and train as soldiers, an equality which defused social conflict. These reforms, attributed to Lycurgus of Spartawere probably complete by BC. Athens suffered a land and agrarian crisis in the late 7th century BC, again resulting in civil strife. The Archon chief magistrate Draco made severe reforms to the law code in BC hence " draconian "but these failed to quell the conflict. Eventually the moderate reforms of Solon BCimproving the lot of the poor but firmly entrenching the aristocracy in power, gave Athens some stability. Each of them had brought the surrounding rural areas and smaller towns under their control, and Athens and Corinth had become major maritime and mercantile powers as well. Rapidly increasing population in the 8th and 7th centuries BC had resulted in emigration of many Greeks to form colonies in Magna Graecia Southern Life in Ancient Greece and SicilyAsia Minor and further afield. The emigration effectively ceased in the 6th century BC by which time the Greek world had, culturally and linguistically, become much larger than the area of present-day Greece. Greek colonies were not politically controlled by their founding cities, although they often retained religious and commercial links with them. The Greek colonies of Sicily, especially Syracusewere soon drawn into prolonged conflicts with the Carthaginians. As a result, Rome became the new dominant power against the fading strength of the Sicilian Greek cities and the fading Carthaginian hegemony. One year later the First Punic War erupted. In this period, Greece and its overseas colonies enjoyed huge economic development in commerce Life in Ancient Greece manufacturing, with rising general prosperity. Some studies estimate that the average Greek household grew fivefold between and BC, indicating [ citation needed ] a large increase in average income. In the second half of the 6th century BC, Athens fell under the tyranny Life in Ancient Greece Peisistratos followed by his sons Hippias and Hipparchos. However, in BC, at the instigation of the Athenian aristocrat Cleisthenesthe Spartan king Cleomenes I helped the Athenians overthrow the tyranny. Sparta and Athens promptly turned on each other, at which point Cleomenes I installed Isagoras as a pro-Spartan archon. Eager to secure Athens' independence from Spartan control, Cleisthenes proposed a political revolution: that all citizens share power, regardless of status, making Athens a " democracy ". The democratic enthusiasm of the Athenians swept out Isagoras and threw back the Spartan-led invasion to restore him. In BC, the Life in Ancient Greece city states under Persian rule rebelled against their Persian-supported tyrant rulers. Ten years later, a second invasion was launched Life in Ancient Greece Darius' son Xerxes. The Persians were decisively defeated at sea by a primarily Athenian naval force at the Battle of Salamisand on land in at the Battle of Plataea. As the Athenian fight against the Persian empire waned, conflict grew between Athens and Sparta. Suspicious of the increasing Athenian power funded by the Delian League, Sparta offered aid to reluctant members of the League to rebel against Athenian domination. These tensions were exacerbated inwhen Athens sent a force to aid Sparta in overcoming a helot revolt, but this aid was rejected by the Spartans. Despite the treaty, Athenian relations with Sparta declined again in the s, and in the Peloponnesian War began. The peace did not last, however. In allied forces of Athens and Argos were defeated by Sparta at Mantinea. Greece thus entered the 4th century BC under a Spartan hegemony, but it was clear from the start that this was weak. Another war of stalemates, it ended with the status quo restored, after the threat of Persian intervention on behalf of Life in Ancient Greece Spartans. The Spartan hegemony lasted another 16 years, until, when attempting to impose their will on the Thebans, the Spartans were defeated at Leuctra in BC. The Theban general Epaminondas then led Theban troops into the Peloponnese, whereupon other city-states defected from the Spartan cause. The Thebans were thus able to march into Messenia and free the helot population. Deprived of land and its serfs, Sparta declined to a second- rank power. The Theban hegemony thus established was short-lived; at the Battle of Mantinea in BC, Thebes lost its key leader, Epaminondas, and much of its manpower, even though they were victorious in battle. In fact such were the losses to all the great city-states at Mantinea that none could dominate the aftermath. In twenty years, Philip had unified his kingdom, expanded it north and west at the expense of Illyrian tribesand then conquered Thessaly and Thrace. His success stemmed from his innovative reforms to the Macedonian army. Phillip intervened repeatedly in the affairs of the southern city-states, culminating in his invasion of BC. Decisively defeating an allied army of Thebes and Athens at the Battle of Chaeronea BChe became de facto hegemon of all of Greece, except Sparta. He compelled the majority of the city-states to join the League of Corinth, allying them to him and imposing peace among them. Philip then entered into war against the Achaemenid Empire but was assassinated Life in Ancient Greece Pausanias of Orestis early in the conflict. Alexanderson and successor of Philip, continued the war. In an unequalled series of campaigns, Alexander defeated Darius III of Life in Ancient Greece and completely destroyed the Achaemenid Empire, annexing it to Macedon and earning himself the epithet 'the Great'. When Alexander died in BC, Greek power Life in Ancient Greece influence was at its zenith. However, there had been a fundamental shift away from the fierce independence and classical culture of the poleis —and instead towards the developing Hellenistic culture. Although the establishment of Roman rule did not break the continuity of Hellenistic society and culture, which remained essentially unchanged until the advent of Christianityit did mark the end of Greek political independence. After the death of Alexander, his empire was, after quite some conflict, divided among his generalsresulting in the Ptolemaic Kingdom Egypt and adjoining North Africathe Life in Ancient Greece Empire the LevantMesopotamia and Persia and the Antigonid dynasty Macedonia. In the intervening period, the poleis of Greece were able to wrest back some of their freedom, although still nominally subject to Macedon. During the Hellenistic period, the importance of "Greece proper" the territory of modern Greece within the Greek-speaking world declined sharply. The conquests of Alexander had numerous consequences for the Greek city-states. It greatly widened the horizons of the Greeks and led to a steady emigration of the young and ambitious to the new Greek empires in the east. For much of the period until the Roman conquest, these leagues were at war, often participating in the conflicts between the Diadochi the successor states to Alexander's empire. The Antigonid Kingdom became involved in a war with the Roman Republic in the late 3rd century. Although the First Life in Ancient Greece War was inconclusive, the Romans, in typical fashion, continued to fight Macedon until it was completely absorbed into the Roman Republic by BC. In the east, the unwieldy Seleucid Empire gradually disintegrated, although a rump survived until 64 BC, whilst Life in Ancient Greece Ptolemaic Kingdom continued in Egypt until 30 BC, when it too was conquered by the Romans. The Aetolian league grew wary of Roman involvement in Greece, and sided with the Seleucids in the Roman—Seleucid War ; when the Romans were victorious, the league was effectively absorbed into the Republic. Although the Achaean league outlasted both the Aetolian league and Macedon, it was also soon defeated and absorbed by the Romans in BC, bringing Greek independence to an end. Macedonia became a Roman province while southern Greece came under the surveillance of Macedonia's prefect ; however, some Greek poleis managed to maintain a partial independence and avoid taxation. The Aegean islands were added to this territory in BC. Athens and other Greek cities revolted in 88 BC, and the peninsula was crushed by the Roman general Sulla. The Roman civil wars devastated the land even further, until Augustus organized the peninsula as the province of Achaea in 27 BC. Greece was a key eastern province of the Roman Life in Ancient Greece, as the Roman culture had long been in fact Greco-Roman. The Greek language served as a Life in Ancient Greece franca in the East and in Italyand many Greek intellectuals such as Galen would perform most of their work in Rome. The territory of Greece is mountainous, and as a result, ancient Greece consisted of many smaller regions each with its own dialect, cultural peculiarities, and identity. Regionalism and regional conflicts were a prominent feature of ancient Greece. Cities tended to be located in valleys between mountains, or on coastal plains, and dominated a certain area around them. In the south lay the Peloponneseitself consisting of the regions of Laconia southeastMessenia southwestElis westAchaia northKorinthia northeastArgolis eastand Arcadia center. These names survive to the present day as regional units of modern Greecethough with somewhat different boundaries. Mainland Greece to Life in Ancient Greece north, nowadays known as Central Greececonsisted of Aetolia and Acarnania in the west, LocrisDorisand Phocis in the center, while in the east lay BoeotiaAtticaand Megaris. Northeast lay Thessalywhile Epirus lay to the northwest. Life In Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece. Men had a much better life in Ancient Greece than women. Only men could be full Life in Ancient Greece. Only men made the important decisions. Normally, Life in Ancient Greece men fought in armies, took part in sports and met in public. Spartan women were taught reading and writing and skills to protect themselves in battle. They had more freedom than women and girls living in Athens. As well as looking after the house, making clothes. Women in Athens were taught skills they would need to run a home such as cooking and weaving. They were expected to look Life in Ancient Greece the home, make the clothes, and bear children. Roles of Men, Women, Life in Ancient Greece Children. Only in the poorest homes were women expected to carry out all the duties by herself. Most homes had female slaves who cooked cleaned and collected fresh water every day. There were also male slaves. Their responsibilities included protecting the home and tutoring male children. Girls had to do exactly as their father told them and this included marrying the man their father chose for them. Even when married, a women was not free. She had to do as her husband wished. She was not allowed out on her own and was not often seen by people other than her own family. Follow me on Twitter mbarrow. You may not redistribute, sell or place the content of this page on any other website or blog without written permission from the author Mandy Barrow. Ancient Greece by Mandy Barrow. Homework Help. Men and Women.